What Is Win Monday and What Is a Business Athlete?

“Show me your habits and I’ll show you the quality of your life.”

Paul Epstein

Before we talk habits, let’s talk identity.

Nobody commits to a habit before they commit to who they are and what it represents for them. That’s the order. Identity first. Then the reps. How you see yourself determines the choices you make for your health, work, and life.

I spent years inside NFL and NBA front offices. The best people I worked with were not the most talented in the building. They were the ones who showed up like athletes, motivated by performance, growth, and results. I saw the same four traits, over and over:

• High performer. They held themselves to a standard of excellence.
• Put in the work. They enjoyed the journey and the results.
• Drove results. Results weren’t random. They were planned and intentional.
• Prepared like a pro. They knew that preparation and practice impacted how they performed when it mattered most.

Winning Monday and being a business athlete is not a title and it’s not a job. It’s an identity. It’s the way you show up.

Winning Monday means taking a meaningful action that creates momentum for the rest of your week. Have that hard conversation you have been putting off, close the sales deal, fix the process issue that’s hurting your team, or simply go for the walk you keep saying you don’t have time for. Whatever it is, winning Monday means you own Monday. You stop drifting into your week and letting meetings and other people manage your calendar for you.

Here is the part most people miss. Business athletes do not wait for January 1st. They do not wait for the perfect week. They start Monday.

A colleague recently shared with me that people’s biggest regrets are the things they wished they had done but never took the chance on. The swings they never took. You’re not going to be successful at everything you try, but you will never regret taking a swing.

So the first questions for you to answer are: Are you someone who wants to Win Monday? Do you want to be a business athlete? If the answer to either is yes, let’s meet at the 50 every week and take this next swing together.

Paul

This Week’s Play: Accountability

1. Commit to the play

   On Monday, I will hold myself accountable for completing one task. That is what a business athlete does.

   Pick the task you have been avoiding or the conversation you have been putting off. Then tell someone: your partner, a close friend, a family member, your leader. Out loud, this week.

2. Write your accountability statement

   This week, I will  .

3. Set it up

   • What is the first thing you need to do to create accountability?
   • Who is going to help you stay accountable?
   • How will you make it visible so you don’t forget?

The Stat Sheet

A Welcome From Paul

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Watch the welcome video

What Win Monday is, what it means to be a business athlete, and why we’ll meet you at the 50 every week.