The Winner’s Mindset Volume 1 A collection of wisdom and insight to help you control your thinking and change your life. By Longevity Penguin 1 © Copyright 2023 by Longevity Penguin Company No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Longevity Penguin Toronto, ON Canada www.longevitypenguin.com 2 Contents Introduction....................................................................................4 Chapter 1: The Luck Manufacturer...........................................5 Chapter 2: Negotiation................................................................7 Chapter 3: The Conductor..........................................................10 Chapter 4: Be Selfish?..................................................................12 Chapter 5: Just Hang On............................................................13 Conclusion......................................................................................15 3 Introduction This e-book discusses 5 distinct topics, each designed to help you build a stronger mind and body. The wisdom in The Winner’s Mindset can be applied to help you find motivation, stay more disciplined, increase your confidence, become more productive, grow your business, maintain better relationships and more. Each chapter starts with an applicable quote, followed by a detailed explanation of the topic and finally includes actionable insights that you can implement in your life today to start levelling up. Ultimately, we want you to get better, more successful and become more in control of your life. While reading, we hope you reflect on how these 5 lessons apply to your own life and get real value from this e-book. This is volume one of The Winner’s Mindset series. Future volumes will include more wisdom and actionable insight, so stay tuned for more free value. Stay thoughtfully motivated and irrationally driven. 4 Chapter 1: The Luck Manufacturer Commitment her hammer. Resiliency her nail. She manufactured luck every single day. Before most awoke and long after they were asleep. She tirelessly sketched, built, and created until, at last, she was done. Taking a step back, she stared in awe at the luck she constructed and knew it would change her life. The harder I work, the luckier I get. So often in life, we chalk up others’ successes to luck. We say, “Oh well they’re just lucky” or “lucky you.” Sure, success can come simply by chance and good fortune, but much more often it is the result of consistent, deliberate effort over a long period. For example, you cannot ‘luck’ into a good physique or fulfilling job or healthy relationship. These things are all a result of hard work, dedication, and exceptional resilience. Attributing others’ success to luck is a copout – an excuse that lazy, unmotivated, lowachieving, unfulfilled people use to try to justify their lack of success. If they were successful – had a nice car and house etc. – do you think they would be attributing this success to luck? I doubt it. This defeatist mindset must be avoided at all costs if you want to achieve great things. Leave the chance to the rest and focus on taking your life and making it in your image. This is the mindset – we call it the ‘empowered mindset’ – that you should adopt instead: There is no ‘luck’ here. There is only hard work, strategic planning, goal setting, early mornings, late nights, hard gym sessions, hard conversations and constant battles. No one’s coming to save me or fix my life. I must fix it myself. I must grow. I must provide for my family. I must figure it out, no matter how long it takes. I make my own luck. The process of taking responsibility for both our success and our failure is a transformative mindset shift that can profoundly impact our lives and set us up for genuine success. This 5 approach helps us recognize that we have agency over our destinies, rather than attributing outcomes solely to luck or external factors. So how can you ‘create your own luck’? Creating your own luck is often about putting yourself in a position to take advantage of opportunities and making the most of the resources and abilities you have. In other words, you can’t create luck without being open to new opportunities and making changes to your current Situation. While you can't control everything that happens in life, you can take steps to increase your chances of success and create favourable circumstances. Here are five strategies to help you create your own luck: 1. Set Clear Goals: Define your objectives and what you want to achieve. Having clear goals gives you a sense of direction and purpose. 2. Work Hard: Luck often favours those who put in the effort. Be persistent, committed, and dedicated to your goals. Success rarely comes without hard work. 3. Continuous Learning: Stay curious and open to learning new things. The more you know, the better equipped you are to recognize and seize opportunities when they arise. 4. Expand Your Network: Build relationships with a diverse group of people. Networking can expose you to new opportunities, ideas, and perspectives you might not encounter otherwise. 5. Take Calculated Risks: Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and take risks. Be sure to assess the potential rewards and consequences before making decisions. Work on these five things regularly and your mindset will shift. You’ll also be a lot more successful. A theme throughout this book and an important point illustrated in this chapter is that our mindset matters. A lot. The subjective way we choose to think about objective life events (like a friend making a lot of money or a colleague getting an internship) can determine our entire outlook on life, future success (or lack thereof) and even our mental health. We must learn to control our thoughts – for what we think, we become. 6 Chapter 2: Negotiation Losers focus on winners; winners focus on winning. Winners don’t negotiate with their inner bitch: they choose to ignore the voice that whispers to them relax, stay in bed, watch another episode, skip the gym. They refuse to be held hostage by that innate desire for comfort that is so dangerous yet is within all of us. Unfortunately, most people – the non-winners – perpetually choose the path of least resistance, opting to simply watch the winners win as opposed to trying to win themselves. Of course, this is why most people live ordinary lives and only achieve ordinary success. You, however, are not ordinary. If you’re anything like us, you want to achieve massive success. You want to conquer. You want to build your body and mind. You want to win. Therefore, you must first learn to recognize the inner voice that, if listened to, weakens your discipline, slowly erodes your work ethic and encourages laziness. Next, you must learn to tame it. ‘Taming’ such a voice is an abstract idea, and thus difficult to comprehend and master. Learning to master your mind and block out negative and unproductive thoughts takes practice and dedication. Disciplined people didn’t just get that way overnight. They built up their discipline by, again and again, simply doing what they knew needed to be done. Day after day, they refused to listen to the part of their brain nagging at them to take a break, skip a workout, or get fast food for dinner. That said, if you have not developed such discipline and self-control, the thought of making such a profound shift may seem overwhelming and unrealistic. Look. We get it, routines are hard to break. Think about it this way. Once you do finally develop a good routine of self-control and discipline, that routine will be hard to break too. So, the question is, how do you break the cycle of laziness and learn to control your mind and thus your actions? No one way works for everyone, but these are three ways we’ve found are effective to make changes (both big and small) and to start learning to control your thoughts: 7 1. Start Small: Start making small changes, like working out three days a week instead of one, no matter how lazy you’re feeling. Just make yourself go. Eventually, once you're adjusted to this new amount of exercise, it’ll be easy to increase your workouts to four days a week. Jumping from not working out to going every day is simply unrealistic for most people, but by introducing new challenges little by little over time, you’re much more likely to develop a healthy habit, and for that habit to stick. Of course, this example doesn’t just apply to workouts. Start making small changes in any area of your life you want to improve, and with consistency, change will come. 2. Make a Schedule: Take the guesswork out of your day. If you’re trying to eat better and cut down on processed sugar for example, come up with a list of 4 foods (with no processed sugar) you’ll start eating every day. This list could include oatmeal and fruit for breakfast and white rice and chicken for lunch. You’ll no longer have to think about what you’re eating for these meals and can also save money by buying these ingredients in bulk. If you don’t have any idea of what you’re going to eat each day, however, there will be a lot more room for ‘improvisation’ – “Oh I'll just have a milkshake for breakfast.” By planning out things in advance, you’ll be more in control of your life and less tempted to make spur-of-the-moment decisions and jeopardize your progress. 3. Reflect Often: We often get so caught up in our daily tasks, schedules and deadlines that we neglect to take time to check in with ourselves and reflect on how we’re feeling, thinking and doing. Dedicating time once a week (preferably on a day when you’re not busy) to introspecting is helpful. Over 10-15 minutes, think about the following questions: Do I have any recurring negative thoughts preventing me from taking action or reaching my goals? Do I feel like I’m making progress? If not, why? Am I particularly stressed about trying something new and have been putting it off? By answering all these questions and running a ‘mental diagnostic test’ of sorts, you’ll have a better understanding of your mental state, problems that you need to address and areas in your life you should be more mindful of. Then you can carefully guide your thoughts away from negativity and defeatism and towards optimism and empowerment. 8 Remember, you make your own luck. Refuse to give in. Refuse to be lazy and average. Refuse to be a slave to your negative thoughts. And refuse to take the easy path, for nothing ever worthwhile came easy. 9 Chapter 3: The Conductor The man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his head from the crowd. Blazing your own trail and taking calculated risks instead of adhering to expected norms is a fundamental principle that often distinguishes those who achieve remarkable success from those who don’t. In a world saturated with conformity, daring to deviate from the well-trodden path – the ‘normal’ – can lead to massive success, accomplishment and a sense of fulfillment. Taking risks is also an essential element of entrepreneurship. Calculated risks push us beyond our comfort zones, encouraging personal growth and learning. When we venture into unexplored domains, we gain new insights, acquire new skills, and develop resilience in the face of uncertainty. This transformative process instills a deeper understanding of our capabilities and with this comes an unwavering self-confidence. Furthermore, not becoming overly influenced by others helps us align our actions with our interests and values. It grants us the freedom to pursue endeavours that resonate with our true passions, rather than adhering to societal expectations or external pressures. This authenticity not only leads to personal satisfaction but also radiates through our work, inspiring others to pursue what brings them joy and fulfillment. This inspiration is something Longevity Penguin strives to provide you with every day. Here’s a fact. If everyone around you is supporting you, you’re probably not trying to do something very big. Most people don’t want to see you get too successful or happy because it’ll expose them. Don’t let people with small lives and small thoughts project their limitations onto you. Here are six ways you can train your mind to be okay with being different and comfortable living an unordinary life: 10 1. Self-Acceptance: Start by accepting yourself as you are, with all your quirks and unique qualities. Understand that being different is not a flaw but a strength that sets you apart. 2. Mindfulness Meditation: Practice mindfulness meditation to become more aware of your thoughts and feelings. This can help you detach from societal expectations and find inner peace with your choices. 3. Challenge Your Beliefs: Question the beliefs and expectations that society, family, or friends have placed on you. Are these beliefs aligned with your true desires and values? If not, consider letting go of them. 4. Expand Your Comfort Zone: Gradually push your boundaries by trying new experiences, embracing change, and meeting new people. This can help you become more adaptable and comfortable in uncertain situations. 5. Seek Inspiration: Read books, watch documentaries and listen to stories of people who have chosen unconventional paths in life. Their experiences can provide insight and motivation and can help validate your unique path. 6. Connect with Like-Minded Individuals: Surround yourself with people who share similar values and unconventional perspectives. Their support can reinforce your decision to live differently. Why listen to the ordinary when you are destined to be extraordinary? 11 Chapter 4: Be Selfish? The first step toward creating the life you want is taking responsibility for the life you have. While the idea of being selfish might sound counterintuitive, maintaining a healthy level of selfpreservation and not giving too much of yourself away can be a critical component of achieving success. Balancing self-care with your goals and commitments to others is essential for maintaining your well-being, focus, and long-term success. That said, we get that it’s not easy. Life pulls us in all different directions on a daily basis. People want things from us and striking the right balance between doing your own thing versus compromising and helping others can be really difficult. That said, prioritizing yourself and your aspirations does not necessarily equate to neglecting others or being inconsiderate. Instead, it means recognizing your own needs, setting healthy boundaries with others, and allocating time and energy to achieve your objectives. By doing so, you’ll be operating at your best, equipped to tackle your own challenges and help others out with theirs. Sometimes, despite you setting boundaries, others will want more from you than you’re willing to give. An example of this would be your girlfriend nagging you to stop working on your business and play video games with her instead, even after you’ve told her how important the project you’re working on is. At a certain point, if those around you don’t accept the work you must do for yourself and continue to pull you away from progress, you must be willing to let them go. To achieve your potential and do great things, the people around you must be aligned with your vision. They must respect that you won’t always have time for them and be okay with not always coming first. It's never easy to cut people or end relationships, but it may be necessary to preserve yourself and your energy, which will be worth it. 12 Chapter 5: Just Hang On The rope was stretched taut, like a clothesline positioned 10 feet off the ground. As he dangled through the air, tightly grasping the line with two hands, he noticed his arms starting to feel heavy. His instinct was to let go, but for one reason or another, he didn't. He hung on. Looking to his left, then to his right, he saw those around him begin to drop off, putting an end to their voluntary discomfort. He, however, hung on. The pain seemed to be intensified by the mere thought of letting go. Like the devil on his shoulder, it reminded him that it could all go away with the snap of a finger. The pressure mounted to quit and join his comrades on the ground below, but he didn't. He hung on. After a while, he realized that he was the only one left. He had done nothing spectacular or memorable. When others let go, he simply hung on. "Maybe," he thought, "This is what makes all the difference." Perseverance and the ability to outlast your competition are extremely powerful and overlooked. Sometimes, just ‘hanging on’ is what separates the winners and losers in life. Sometimes it’s not what you do, but what you’re simply willing to endure that sets you apart. I’ve often done better than people who I consider smarter than me, simply by working harder, studying longer and refusing to quit. While talent and initial advantages may have given my opponents a head start, I made up for this discrepancy through sheer effort and determination. By being willing to simply hang on and not quit, you position yourself ahead of most of the general population and your peers, who let go when they start to experience adversity, pain or hardship. Once you understand how easy it is to get ahead in life this way, you’ll look at life differently. No longer will you see difficult tasks as burdens or things you have to suffer through. You’ll start seeing these challenges as opportunities to get ahead which you get to 13 suffer through. This transformative mindset shift is one that many winners adopt, helping them stay optimistic in the face of the obstacles, pressures and stresses that come with success. Here are five strategies you can start implementing in your life to shift your mindset, become more resilient and stop giving up: 1. Set Clear Goals: Define your goals clearly. Knowing what you want to achieve will give you a sense of purpose and direction. 2. Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem. This positive reinforcement can boost your motivation. 3. Stay Committed: Make a commitment to yourself and your goals. Remind yourself regularly why you started this journey in the first place. 4. Visualize Success: Imagine yourself achieving your goals. Visualization can be a powerful motivator, helping you stay focused on what you want to achieve. 5. Stay Healthy: Take care of your physical and mental well-being. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate rest are critical for maintaining the energy and resilience needed to persist. At Longevity Penguin, we love the idea that success is a war of attrition like in the rope story above, because it means we get to prove ourselves every single day and, as competitive individuals, can outlast competition with grit and determination. We love being counted out. We love being underdogs. We feed on adversity and are motivated by the doubt of others. Once you develop this mindset too, you’ll be unstoppable. So, the next time you’re exhausted, discouraged, and feel close to defeat, just remember: Hold on just a little longer. This will make all the difference. 14 Conclusion If you’ve made it this far, you’ve gained valuable insight and strategies to help you improve your body, mind and develop simple habits to achieve success. We hope The Winner’s Mindset made you think in new ways and consider ways you can start improving your life today. We thank you for supporting Longevity Penguin and can’t wait to give you more free resources like this one. If you want more content like this, check out our website (www.longevitypenguin.com) and socials. Also, if this e-book gave you value, share it with a friend and help them level up too. Stay thoughtfully motivated and irrationally driven, The Longevity Penguin Team 15