Alternative notions of life, a different path (5) – Why me or why not me? Your choice
“Prosperity: The eternal flow of all that is good in life…”
*Below is the fifth installment in a series of articles from the author’s real life experiences. The only deviations from the truth may be the names of people and places.
You wonder why other people seem to navigate life while you are struggling.
In this article, we continue to look at “The Stage” (first featured in “Alternative Notions of Life, A Different Way [2]and examined further in “Alternative Notions of Life, A Different Path”. [3] and [4]”).
-Steps so far-
In “Alternative Notions of Life, a Different Way (2), (3) and (4)” we discuss the scenario (below):
You’ve been trying to do something (or have something) for quite some time, but it just isn’t happening. You feel like you have done all your homework and “checked all the blocks” needed for the homework. Whatever you want, you feel that it is very, very important and you want it very much! You start to envy other people who already have it. Do you wonder why, with all the hard work you’ve put in, you don’t have it now too? Sometimes you get angry, depressed or discouraged because you don’t have it yet. You wonder why other people seem to navigate life while you are struggling.
Summary of the first six sentences (discussed in the previous three articles):
We saw that negativity attracted negativity and a no-compromise (just try) attitude. We talked about the fear/manifestation paradox, due diligence, and envy. We look at effectiveness, excellence and efficiency. Lastly, we explore the importance of clarity and certainty.
Actions to practice:
* Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t have.
* Don’t complain, on the contrary, be grateful for what you already have (and for what is on the way).
*Do something every day that brings you a little closer to your goal.
* Be cash first. So be excellent, whether you receive praise or not. Lastly, be efficient (meaning do things quickly AND correctly).
* Be absolutely clear on your intentions.
*Be sure. If you can’t want to be sure, fake it until you feel it. Certainty cures doubt and worry.
-Last sentence of the scenario-
You wonder why other people seem to navigate life while you are struggling.
There are two ways of looking at this sentence: The Loser’s Way or The Winner’s Way.
– The way of the loser –
“Oh, who am I?”
Almost all losers harbor a victim mentality. (The only exception could be people who lack the skills to read these words. For example, psychiatric patients with mental problems, bona fide, etc.).
Losers often blame everything and everyone else for their personal problems. They revel in their rejection of reality, the reality that they are the First Cause of their own problems.
They are masters at avoiding anything that might require a little work or a little courage. Personal responsibility is not part of their nature (or even their vocabulary).
They love meeting up with fellow losers (of whom there are never a few) and sharing community commiseration. Consciously or unconsciously, they enjoy the attention their “bad luck or broken wing” receives from viewers.
Personally, I think most losers choose their limited lives due to: 1) Ignorance: perhaps they have never been exposed to people and media that advocate a different way of thinking (like this series of articles), 2) Fear: fear of what might happen if they actually succeed at something, and 3) Indolence: they are simply too lazy to put in the time and effort necessary for success.
You can be a victim or you can be a winner. You can’t be both!
– Winner’s view –
The winner is the person who, despite all the odds, goes ahead.
Winners are persistent. Winners know that success is inevitable as long as they don’t give up.
Walt Disney launched Mickey Mouse at the lowest point of his career. Edison had thousands of failed experiments before inventing a long-lasting light bulb. Ford spent years of flawed research and development to create the one-block engine.
Often the prize is not for the most skillful, but for the most stubborn!
He is the boxer who keeps getting up from a knockdown.
It’s the tennis player who drives through a long point only to get the ball over the net once more.
It’s the marathoner or triathlete who racks up the miles and watches all previous leaders fall out of the race.
– There is no such thing as “failure” –
Similar to the concept of hot and cold as two points on a temperature scale, winners know that failure and success are simply two points on the continuum of success.
In other words, as long as you don’t give up, there is no such thing as failure, only opportunities to learn (for next time).
Winners don’t complain. They do.
Not forgetting that “people become the information they seek and the company they keep,” winners avoid group pity parties. They take full responsibility for everything in their lives, that means everything, the good and the bad.
They celebrate the good and move on. They learn from the bad and move on. They don’t stagnate, they don’t worry or complain. They keep moving!
And the drive for positive things, people, and places moves them faster and faster toward their goals.
– Easily –
Have you ever noticed how winning professionals make what they do look so easy?
The answer is simple.
Practice, preparation and certainty.
I’m sure Tiger Woods couldn’t tell you how many golf balls he hit before winning his first tournament. Michael Jordan probably couldn’t tell you how many hours he spent on the basketball court before turning pro. And Roger Federer couldn’t tell you how many serves, headbutts, forehands and backhands he hit before winning his first Grand Slam event.
Proper preparation leads to professional performance.
Look at people who are successful in any endeavor. They leave almost nothing to chance. They go out of their way to ensure success.
While I was in the military, we prepared for any contingency that came our way. We trained and trained and trained, until it was all second nature.
Many times, when Plan A had to be aborted, Plan B was activated. And because we had practiced it so many times, we did it with almost no extra effort or conscious thought.
The professionals (winners) prepare and practice until mastery. They keep their magnificent obsessions at the forefront of their minds and do everything imaginable to increase the likelihood of success.
They have that indescribable “it” that drives them.
It is the investor who reads the quarterly and annual reports of the companies in which he has invested.
It is the speaker who rehearses his speech until he does not need to look at his notes.
He is the astronaut who knows by heart all his functions, security controls and emergency procedures.
It is the Skydiver or SCUBA Diver who knows his body and all the capabilities and limitations of his equipment.
– Certainty Revised –
Did you know that almost all gold medalists “won their gold medals in their minds” thousands of times before they actually got their gold medals?
It is about Certainty. The winners are sure. There is never a doubt in their minds about the result. They have already “seen” it. They have already “felt” it. And they have already “earned” it in their minds. His entire being is saturated with Certainty.
Consequently, all your actions are fluid and deliberate.
And the Universe delivers promptly.
Reality catches up with your inner game and further reinforces the Certainty of the winner. It is a wonderful cycle!
In other words, everything a winner does supports and builds confidence, mastery, and certainty.
The end result is a powerful calm that drives away all fear and doubt. In the winner’s mind, he has done everything necessary for success. He has placed his order with the Universe, done his due diligence and “pre-successfully” him.
Now you can only be grateful, let go and receive.
– Article Practice Points –
* Think like a winner.
*Never complain. look. Then do it.
* Practice, prepare and be safe
* Relax, be grateful, let go and receive.
This concludes our series of articles on The Stage.
After all our analysis, introspection, and discussion, the question to ask now is not “Why me?” but “Why not me?”
Why not me, actually!
“Until next time, be brave enough to take a different path!”
Your Friend in this Intrepid Journey called Life,
Carl “JC” Pantejo
Prosperity, Universe, success, winners, losers, victim mentality, certainty, practice, preparation, mastery, relax, let go.