There was a time in most of our lives when we had no
fear-that feeling when we jumped from the jungle gym and slammed our little
bodies to the ground. Perhaps it was when we went on our first fairground ride,
or when we were in school or university and felt that there was nothing we
couldn't do. No goal was unattainable. We were an unstoppable force that would
think of something and then make it happen.
Then, as time goes by, the world
tells us more frequently that we can't do what we want. The doubters laugh at
our goals and try to persuade us from going after our dreams. They say, "You're crazy. It's too hard. Why don't you
do this instead? You should play it safe." They act as if dreams were
meant for others but not people like us. They surround us with negative energy
and try to instill their own fears and insecurities in us. We not only begin to
know the word "fear," we start to understand what it's like to be
fearful. With so many people telling us we can't do something and so few
telling us we can, it's hard not to let fear into our lives. Unfortunately this
is how many of us go through life.
Whether you are 20 or 50, many of us become so scared of
losing what we have that we don't go after what we truly want. We play it safe
and hold on so tight to the status quo that we never experience what could be.
We believe the doubters and don't take chances that will move us one step
towards our dreams. We call this "playing to lose." We see this in
sports all the time when a team has the lead. They start to think about how not
to lose instead of how to win. They hold on so tight to their lead that they
start playing safe and scared. You can see it in their energy and body
language. As a result the other team takes chances, plays with no fear and
eventually gains the momentum and wins.
To live a life filled with positive energy we must learn to
repel the energy of fear. Whether it comes from within or from another person,
we must overcome fear and adopt a "Play to Win" mindset. Playing to
win requires a commitment to yourself that even if you fail, you will never
give up and never let your goals and dreams die. Those who play to win know
that success is not given to us. It is pursued with all the energy and sweat we
can muster. Obstacles and struggles are part of life and only serve to make us
appreciate our success. If everything came easy we wouldn't know what it felt
like to truly succeed. Obstacles are meant to be overcome. Fear is meant to be
conquered. Success is meant to be achieved.
They are all part of the game of
life and the people who succeed play to win and never give up until the game is
over.
