Mizzou’s Ingredients to a Self Starter

“The harder you work for something, the more it will mean to you.”

The above quote describes the Mizzou Football program’s philosophy on working for something. One key is to be a self-starter.

There are 15 ingredients of being a self-starter:

COMPETITIVE GREATNESS: Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoyment of a difficult challenge.

POISE: Just being yourself. Being at ease in any situation. Never fighting yourself.

CONFIDENCE: Respect without fear often comes from being prepared and keeping all things in proper perspective.

CONDITION: Mental-moral-physical. Rest, exercise and diet must be considered. Moderation must be practiced. Dissipation must be eliminated.

SKILL: A knowledge of and the ability to properly and quickly execute the fundamentals. Be prepared and cover every little detail.

TEAM SPIRT: A genuine consideration for others. An eagerness to sacrifice personal interests of glory for the welfare of all.

SELF-CONTROL: Practice self-discipline and keep emotions under control. Good judgment and common sense are essential.

ALERTNESS: Be observing constantly. Stay open-minded. Be eager to learn/improve.

INITIATIVE: Cultivate the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it.

INTENTNESS: Set a realistic goal. Concentrate on its achievement by resisting all temptations and being determined and persistent.

INDUSTRIOUSNESS: There’s no substitute for work. Worthwhile results are from hard work and planning.

FRIENDSHIP: Comes from mutual esteem, respect and devotion. Like marriage, it must not be taken for granted; it requires a joint effort.

LOYALTY: To yourself and all those depending upon you. Keep your self-respect.

COOPERATION: With all levels of your coworkers, listen if you want to be heard. Be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way.

ENTHUSIASM: Brushes off upon those with whom you come in contact. You must truly enjoy what you are doing.

If you possess these 15 qualities, you should have success when it comes to self-starting. Hard work is key to success, and the harder you work, the more that success will mean to you.