Everyone loves to win because winning is better than losing. No one enters a competition hoping to lose; we enter hoping to win the prize. The same is true in academics, business and just about any area of life; we want to win the prize. But when we talk about the most important areas of life oftentimes the win is not so clear. Just imagine a race with no finish line, or a game with no time clock or parameters, how would you know if you’ve won? The truth is that you wouldn’t. Sadly, most people in the most important areas of their lives a running aimlessly.  

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 

– 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NIV

Three simple steps that will help you compete to win: 

1. Compete to win – Remember, “only one gets the prize.” First, you must define the win then you have to develop a winning mindset, because winning actually matters. Of course, we can learn from our losses, but the number one lesson should be to be better papered to win. 

2. Compete with awareness – “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” In a race, you always have to be aware of your surroundings and where your competitors are, this allows you to calculate how far you have to run and how much time you have left. The problem in the important areas of life is that there are no competitors or game clocks to indicate where you are. Therefore, you have to create tangible mile markers and targets that will help you evaluate were you’re positioned. Most marriages fail due to a lack of awareness, because most people do not evaluate their marriages until they’re falling apart. The things you evaluate tend to get better and the ones you ignore only get worse. The same is true in most of the other important areas of life; you have to learn to run with awareness. 

3. Train strictly – In sports, academics, music, or in any area, the difference between winning and losing depends on how hard and consistently you train. But again, when we talk about the most important areas of life most people hardly ever train and if they do they don’t do it consistently. In the most important areas of your life you need to develop a strict training regimen. You need to develop a strict training regimen for your marriage, children, family and every area that is important to you.

As the Apostle Paul wrote: “Run in such a way as to get the prize.”