Nick Saban, one of the greatest college football coaches, who led Alabama to six national titles and LSU to one, has “3 Rules for Winning at Life”. His rules can be summarized as: lead with compassion, own your life, and compete with yourself.
1. Lead with kindness — It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.
2. Own your life — No one’s coming to save you; discipline and drive are your greatest strengths.
3. Compete with yourself — Focus on becoming better than you were yesterday, not better than others.
Nick Saban’s “3 Rules for Winning at Life” are about character, ownership, and personal excellence. They can be summarized as: lead with compassion, own your life, and compete with yourself.
The 3 Rules in more detail:
1. Have compassion for other people
• Treat people the way you want to be treated, and remember “it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
• Saban emphasizes being kind to people “on your way up” because you may meet them again “on the way down.”
2. Be responsible for your own self‑determination
• Do not blame others; take full accountability for your choices, discipline, and effort.
• In many retellings this shows up as “own your life—no one is coming to save you,” meaning your progress depends on your daily habits and standards.
3. Compete with yourself, not others
• Saban says it is “not about beating the other guy; it’s about you being the best that you can be” at whatever you choose to do.
• The focus is on raising your own standard every day—effort, attitude, and consistency—rather than chasing the scoreboard or comparing yourself to others.
How to Apply Them Daily
• Start each day with one intentional act of kindness: a respectful conversation, encouragement, or listening without interrupting.
• Pick one area of life (health, finances, relationships, spiritual practice) and write down a specific behavior you will own fully this week—no excuses.
• Set a simple “beat yesterday” metric: one more rep, five more minutes of study, one better food choice, or one more prospecting call, and track it for 7 days.
These habits keep you grounded, focused, and at peace, even when life gets tough. Start with one today and feel the difference.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1H2EPv88DX/