Think about it; most of who we think we are is the ego-based personality identity which is convinced that, “What I do; what I produce; what I have; how I compare to others, or not, is who I am.”

This reminds me of the stories we often hear and read about…the ones that inspire.The failure-turned-to-success stories; He was broke and now he’s a millionaire; She was at death’s door and now she teaches others how to heal their own dis-ease; He/She was abused, abandoned or rejected, stuck in a downward spiral and now inspires thousands with his/her inspirational service.

So at what point in each of these examples was the person a failure or success? At what point did the individual involved really know the truth of who they are? Against all odds, when they may have felt like a terrible failure in life and in the midst of their overwhelming or dis-empowering challenges, were they really a failure?  Of-course not!

Yet, remember, in the above examples, the answer is obvious when we’re shown the outcome. Sometimes the story is reversed; The millionaire turned broke…who finds his way back; The top athlete whose career is shattered by an injury and then re-defines and re-shapes his life. You get the picture.The moral of this story? Since we can’t fairly judge a person by where they are at in the journey of their life, then perhaps we should apply this to our own self-perceptions.

So let’s clarify; The Winner in you is always within you. It is you, though, who must be willing to reveal your Winner and your Success Story by choosing to believe, affirm and strengthen this truth with every-day conviction and choices.

Remember, whoever you think you are, you’re not. You are so much more!

No matter how grim things feel when you’re in the muck and disillusionment, you must remember that the feeling and realities around one’s assumptions about “failure” are often the experiences that precede major breakthroughs or begin the process of subtle day-to-day transformational shifts which lead toward significant life-course changes.

The motto to those facing tough times is “One day at a time.”  It is meant to focus us in present time and remove the shackles of our past, or fears about our future.

So, HA!  Time to kick off the judgment shoes, stop measuring, start acknowledging and step into the REAL you of limitless potential by being willing to see it BEFORE your life reveals your success story.

Where am I in this picture?  Let me tell you…I’m eating my words as I write them. I’m living my journey with a brave heart and the will of a mountain climber. I’m looking back at a train-wreck and forward towards a vision of on-going amazing improvements, changes, delights and successes.

I truly believe I’m lucky to be alive, yet luck had little to do with it. It was a tough-ass decision every day to overcome great odds with all the determination and compassion I could muster, and some days, it still is.

My story has had a lot to teach me. For most of my life I was stuck in the hell of not knowing anything about what I have just written. Then there was the time of thinking I was wise and clever, but that was before the “shift hit the fan”.  Life slapped me down every time I thought I had it figured out. I had to dig deep and it forced me to re-think every belief I held.

Yet, it is the collective experiences of my past, which could have left me stuck in the experience of struggle and failure, that have been my fodder for growth and have presented me with endless opportunity to find, create and affirm the Winner in me.

My story continues and so does everyone else’s. Which YOU or NOT YOU do you want to affirm and create?  It’s your choice.

Choose wisely every day. You’re worth it.

I’ll be there cheering you on…