Wake Up Like a Winner: The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
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There’s a lesson in confidence and opportunity I’ve been learning every day for the past year, and it didn’t come from a book or a speech—it came from my Australian Shepherd, Bear. Monday marked the one-year anniversary of bringing him home, and in that time, I’ve realized something about him that, if we applied it to our own lives, could be game-changing.
Bear is smart—too smart. My sister jokes that instead of using his intelligence for good, he uses it to get more treats and playtime out of me. He remembers everything—people, dogs, parks, and even the trails we walk. He gets hyped every time we get close to one he recognizes. But there’s one thing he doesn’t do, and it’s something that would make our lives infinitely better.
Bear doesn’t carry yesterday into today.
Why Do We Let Yesterday Weigh Us Down?
No matter what happened the day before—whether I was too busy to play with him, had to scold him for stealing my Chick-fil-A sandwich, or caught him sneaking a sip of my martini (yes, that happened)—he wakes up every day with the same excited tail wag, looking at me like, “Today is THE day!” He doesn’t hold grudges. He doesn’t dwell on what didn’t happen. He doesn’t wake up sulking or thinking about yesterday’s setbacks.
He’s just ready—ready for a new day, ready for adventure, ready for the next opportunity.
But us? We do the opposite.
How often do we let what didn’t happen yesterday dictate the tone of today? How often do we wake up already defeated, already stressed, already dreading the same problems? We let yesterday’s doubts, failures, and criticisms weigh us down before the day even starts. And we wonder why we don’t perform at our peak.
What If You Had Amnesia for Negativity?
Imagine if, like Bear, we woke up every day with a clean slate—no baggage, no overanalyzing past mistakes, just a pure expectation that today is going to be the day something great happens.
The truth is, how you start your day determines how you’ll see your day.
If the first thing you do is check your phone, read the news, or replay negative thoughts from yesterday, you’re filling your mind with garbage fuel. Would you put diluted gasoline in your car and expect it to perform at its best? No. So why do we do that to our minds?
Wake Up With Expectation
My brother has always said, “Wake up expecting something great to happen.” When I started living with that mentality, my entire outlook changed. Instead of dragging myself out of bed, I started looking forward to what the day might bring. Maybe today’s the day a huge opportunity calls. Maybe today’s the day a breakthrough happens. Maybe today’s the day that changes everything.
And even if it’s not? Guess what—I wake up tomorrow with that same expectation.
The shift here isn’t just about “being positive.” It’s about training your brain to look for opportunity instead of excuses.
Bear doesn’t know exactly what he’s looking for when he sniffs around on our walks—he just knows he’s on the hunt for something. That’s how we need to approach life. Know what opportunity looks like for you. Know what you’re chasing. Put yourself in situations where great things can happen.
Too many people sit around waiting for opportunities instead of creating them. They hope success will show up at their door like a pizza delivery guy. But newsflash—nobody is coming to hand you your dreams. You have to go hunt them down.
How to Reset Your Morning Mindset
Here’s a simple challenge:
- Put a sticky note on your nightstand or bathroom mirror with your morning affirmations.
- The first thing you do when you wake up is read them out loud.
- Say something like:
- “I am ready for greatness.”
- “Today, something incredible is going to happen.”
- “I will find and create opportunities today.”
- Say it like you mean it, because your mind doesn’t have a sense of humor. It doesn’t know truth from lies—it just believes what you tell it.
You can choose:
- To wake up like the old you—stressed, bogged down, replaying yesterday’s losses.
- Or wake up like Bear—excited, expectant, ready to chase opportunity.
Which version of you will get further in life?
Seize the Day—Every Day
Every morning, you get to decide whether you’re going to dwell on the past or attack the future.
Be excited for the day ahead.
Be relentless in looking for opportunity.
And when you don’t find it? Keep searching. Because your next breakthrough might be just around the corner.
Now go attack the day like it’s THE day.