"What's your focus - the journey or the end result"
Let me ask you a question. If you are a competitive athlete, what do you relish more - The day to day commitment it takes to become a champion, or the day you become that champion no matter what it takes?
Whilst it's a must to have the champion's mindset of 'nothing will stand in your way of success', it is very easy to be caught up in a destructive mindset ( winning is everything, second is failure) if you fail to realise what will get you there. You need to enjoy the journey that it takes to actually give you that shot of winning. So many people get caught up with a winning and nothing else attitude, they never seem to enjoy what actually gets them there. To me, that's just crazy.
Just like any competitive person, I love to win. In fact, winning can be such a prosperous attraction because of what people relate to a victory, or being classed as number one. But I ask you, if winning was all that mattered, what would happen if you came second. Does that make YOU any less successful?
In reality, you might think you do but you have no control over the outcome of an event. You can put forward the best chance you can, but competition is a funny thing. There are so many more variables to consider that guaranteeing success just isn't possible.
Are you so focused that the possible end result is all you think about? Is this your driving force behind all those early morning training sessions, or do you actually enjoy hitting the gym at 6am when its 2 degrees? I believe that if you sit somewhere on the fence here that not only are you a happier person, but you will enjoy your training more, therefore making it more productive.
Don't become so blinded by your goal that you fail to enjoy what you are actually doing.