The First Victory is a complete guide to confidence for professionals in any field: how to understand it, how to build it, how to protect it and how to apply it when your performance matters. Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu once observed: "Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win." No athlete, performer or professional can step into the arena and win without first achieving victory over doubt, worry, and uncertainty. The First Victory distils Nathaniel Zinsser's years of experience helping Army elites and top-tier Olympic and professional athletes achieve their "first victories" with a step-by-step logical approach. The idea that confidence is elusive and intangible will be removed, its components broken down into learnable steps and the process of applying those steps when it's time to step into the spotlight clearly described. Throughout the book, readers will hear from champion athletes such as Michael Phelps, from Army combat veterans, and from less well-known but equally valuable sources, including the first West Point cadet to run a sub-four-minute mile. Zinsser shares how this phenomenal athletes and performers have handled unexpected twists, turns, and setbacks and how the reader can adopt the same mental strategies to control what can be controlled and to be unfazed by what can't.