What It Takes To Win

Jack Salmon
May 27, 2026

Become the best you

Welcome to this weeks newsletter - What It Takes To Win

What It Takes To Win

Winning looks different for everyone and for me in the past it was only external accomplishments.

It was the years of sobriety.

The 100 mile ultra.

The lives I've changed.

The business I've built.

And the life I have created.

But as time went on, winning changed for me.

To me personally, winning is still achieving my goals but so much more too.

Living my purpose.

Aligning with my values.

Overcoming my fears.

Learning, growing and becoming the man I want to be.

Whether winning for you is solely external accomplishments or internal wins, both need one thing, a certain attitude and mindset that makes it all possible. And in this blog I am going to break down the exact things which allowed me to win in my own life.

Be Obsessed

I would say obsession has been both a gift and a curse in my life.

I used to be obsessed with negative thinking, drink, drugs, social media, women and any short term pleasures I could get my hands on and those obsessions nearly became the end of me.

But once I started to implement personal development into my life it changed, because I finally felt a sense of accomplishment and I was proud of myself. And from that day on I never looked back.

Now I use my obsession to work for me rather than against me.

I'm obsessed with becoming the best version of myself, all day and every day.

I am always thinking about how I can learn, grow and develop to get better.

I study every day.

I journal my thought patterns.

I ask myself each evening — did I get better today? How can I improve tomorrow?

I listen to audiobooks and podcasts whenever I get a spare moment.

When I watch TV, I watch mainly films and documentaries with inspiring stories.

Every spare minute I get, I am either meditating, reading, journaling, or doing something which allows me to grow.

And when I meet people, all I can talk about is goals, growth, purpose, vision and mission.

I used to see this as a negative too, I felt like I had no personality outside of growth. But I've realised this obsession is what allows me to separate myself from the rest, because I live and breathe this

Whatever it is you want to achieve, you have to be obsessed.

It should be at the forefront of your mind every single day. If it's not, I doubt it means that much to you.

Have a think about your goals right now, are you obsessed? Or are you just taking part?

Never Give Up

If you want to win, you can never give up.

I only have 5 years of sobriety because I failed and never gave up.

I have only become a successful coach because of years of trying.

I was able to run 100 miles because I didn't quit after my first few attempts at running.

I've built a successful business because I didn't quit when things weren't going well for me.

I've failed at everything I have done but I have never quit.

It's common these days to give up easily. I see people starting and stopping things all the time. They start because it sounds easy and is exciting, but as soon as the excitement drops and it gets hard, they jump ship to the easy option or the next exciting thing.

If you live life this way you will never win at anything.

I am a firm believer in committing to one thing, getting obsessed about it, taking action and never ever giving up.

If you do this it would be unreasonable for you not to get what you want in life. But the problem is many people have a short term focus and don't play the long game.

Where are you right now?

Are you jumping ship every time it gets hard?

Are you giving up after you hit a little roadblock?

If so, follow these principles:

1. Set a goal.

2. Take action.

3. Be patient.

4. Do not stop until you get what you want, if you do this, success will be inevitable.

Winners don't quit and quitters don't win.

Never Get Complacent

What got you to one place will never take you to the next.

This is honestly what I believe catches many people out and unfortunately I have also seen this in coaching too.

A lot of people have extraordinary breakthroughs and get to a whole new level that they personally didn't even believe was possible. But they end up staying at this level and don't take it any further. The problem is, this level which was once unthinkable becomes normal and mundane.

Don’t get me wrong it’s still a whole new level and standard but like anything it becomes their new baseline.

So they end up going back through the motions, falling prey to bad habits and not fully reaching the next level of potential.

Your potential has different stages, it gets reached and then it plateaus.

To get to that next level you have to continue with what you were doing but seek new ways of thinking, new behaviours, new tools, new beliefs, new education and support to reach a whole new level.

And if you truly want to win in life,this never ends.

Every time I have reached a certain level I have had to either:

Hire a coach.

Study something new.

Set a new massive challenge.

Overcome my belief systems.

Or change my routine to allow me to reach a new level of winning in my life.

Not getting complacent is the key to lasting success.

Something to remember is that more of the same only brings more of the same. What got you to one place will not take you to the next and this can be hard to grasp, especially if what you're doing did once make you successful. But because it worked in the past does not mean it will take you further.

Have a think about your life right now. Have you got complacent? Are you relying on old routines? Old techniques? Old ways of thinking? And just expecting to get to the next level?

If so — what needs to change?

If you feel like you've hit a wall and want help reaching that next level, see how I can help here: https://becomethebestyou.mykajabi.com/BTBU-05ae3837-78e7-497b-b99b-5f2c9bfd610d

You Will Have To Sacrifice.

Winning comes at a cost.

You will have to sacrifice and let go.

I've had to let go of friends, drink, drugs and an old identity.

I've had to sacrifice time with family, weekends, holidays and time to make all my dreams come true and I am still doing it to this day.

As time goes on the sacrifice does become less, but this also depends on what level of success and winning you want to reach.

I don't want to live life like normal people do, so my life will always be filled with sacrifices.

Being in shape means you sacrifice certain foods.

Building an exceptional business means you sacrifice time with loved ones.

Investing in yourself and your business means sacrificing big family holidays.

Aiming to maximise your days means you sacrifice TV time, wind down and other short term pleasures.

But all the sacrifices in my eyes are worth it, if you know who you want to be and you know what you want out of your life.

This is where most people fall short. They want great things but are not willing to give up, sacrifice and pay the price of what it takes.

Are you? Or are you trying to do one without the other?

A Strong Why

The final piece of the puzzle is a strong why.

And if I am honest, I don't think anyone has a chance of winning if they don't understand why they want to win in the first place.

When you have a strong why it will help you get obsessed, never give up on yourself, not get complacent, and make every sacrifice that much easier.

When you have no strong reason why, nothing really makes sense.

In the past my why was simple, I hated myself and my life. That drove me to get out of rock bottom and change. But as time went on and I was no longer in that place, I needed to find a new why.

Helping others and serving people who were in the same position as me became my why.

And this is one of the main reasons I get up every single day and push to become greater.

It pushed me to go sober.

Drove me to achieve all my goals.

Helped me overcome my fears and the adversity I have faced.

And gives me meaning and fulfilment in my life.

When you have a strong reason to win in your life, anything is possible.

Do you know why you must win in life?

If so, remind yourself of this every single day.

If you don't, I advise spending time understanding this before anything else.

Final Thoughts

Winning can be hard.

Winning can mentally test you.

Winning comes with sacrifices.

Winning comes at a cost.

But fuck me, is winning worth it.

There is no better feeling than feeling like you're winning in life, whether that's solely external accomplishments or internal wins. To me personally, both help me connect to the best version of myself and make me feel proud.

I know that if you:

Get obsessed.

Focus on one thing and never give up.

Don't get complacent and always look to unlock new levels.

Let go and make the sacrifices required.

And know why you must win in your life.

Winning will be inevitable for you too.

Become The Best You