Mindset Monday: It's Time to WIN

I want you to WIN.

It's Mindset Monday again, and today I have one of my favorite mental mastery techniques for you. Not only is it particularly timely and sourced from the elite athletic playbook, but it's incredibly simple to start using right away.

W-I-N: What's Important Now? — From Reactive to Proactive

In law and in sports, distractions, setbacks, and competing demands are part of the territory. But high performers stand out in their ability to refocus, prioritize, and act with purpose.

The W-I-N approach — “What’s Important Now” — used by elite competitive athletes, is a powerful tool for lawyers to shift from being reactive to proactive in turning their challenges into opportunities to excel.

When you’re faced with a setback or multiple competing priorities, W-I-N guides you to identify and act on the next best step. For athletes, it’s what keeps them focused after a tough play or in a chaotic environment; for lawyers, it’s how to refocus after a challenging case development or to prioritize effectively when juggling numerous demands.

Here’s a three-step plan for how you can apply W-I-N to proactively take control of your practice:

1. Assess your current field of play.

Acknowledge the challenge or competing demands, or the distress or chaos that an event has created. Recognize these things as though you're simply adding players to a field, or combatants to corners of your boxing ring, but don’t dwell.

2. Ask yourself, "What’s Important Now?"

A simple yet powerful question to help you prioritize proactively and most effectively. Rather than reacting to each demand, you can decide what needs focus right now, whether it’s a time-sensitive contract, a client issue, or a strategic break.

3. Act on it.

You've made a decision as to what aspect is most important at this current moment. Now move on it decisively. W-I-N moves you forward with purpose, allowing you to take charge of your practice rather than letting circumstances dictate your actions.

Using W-I-N not only helps with resilience and prioritization but fundamentally shifts your mindset from reactive to proactive. From helpless to owning your agency to fully inhabit your present, and by doing that, create your own future. It’s the mental game-changer that keeps high-performing lawyers--and champion athletes--one step ahead. 🥇

#LawyersWhoWin #HighPerformance #Resilience #ProactiveMindset #LawPractice