Born to Win

By Timothy A. Edward

Today one of my good friends sent me a picture of his newborn baby girl. As I looked admiringly at this baby, I realized she is a winner.  She had to overcome many obstacles to be born into this world.  The fact that she made it thus far confirms she is born to win.  In the same way, once upon a time, we were also born into this world as winners.

Yet, the way we respond to the challenges in our lives will determine our future. Because all of us can live purposeful and satisfying lives. For that to happen, we need to find out the purpose and plan of our lives. When we arrived in this world, we were wrapped with all the gifts and talents needed for us to succeed in our calling and profession. The purpose that we are here is to make the world a better place.  We do this through our gifts and talents, making distinct contributions to the betterment of humanity.

Your Gift Is Your Purpose

Every human is born with potential.  You are uniquely gifted, special, and talented.  There has never been someone like you before.  You are an original, not a carbon copy, and you are born to make a positive difference in this world. Employing and using the gifts within us to make this world a better place for all of us to live is our ultimate call and duty. 

What is true success?

True success is refusing to be deferred or deterred by our failures.  Take the famous inventor Thomas Edison as an example.  It took him 1000 unsuccessful attempts, before finally inventing the light bulb.  When someone inquired him about his failures, Edison said that the light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps.

Discover Your Purpose

Do not work just to earn a living. Work to fulfill your inner-most dream, which is your purpose in life.  We all have something that we can do with ease. That is our talent.  We do not create our talents, rather we discover them.

What is it that you do really well? What things do you really enjoy doing? What work produces excitement deep inside of you? There might be a particular job that is challenging and unpopular, but whenever you do that you seem to be getting results.  What do others say that you really do well? What is your last thought before going to bed?  What is your first thought in the morning?  This is where your heart is and where your heart is, there is where your hidden treasures are – your talents, gifts and purpose.

Develop and Excel in Your Gift

Once you discover your talents and gifts, concentrate on them. Sharpen those gifts, so as to serve countless human beings. Volunteer to try that gift out.  Utilise opportunities to exercise your innate muscles in those areas. The race is not necessarily won by the fastest. The best fighter does not always win a boxing match. The wealthiest are not always the wisest. It is the people who take the risk, seize the opportunities, and utilise their time wisely, who generally come up top in life.  

Fear is the robber of destiny. Do not fear trying out your gifts and talents.  Step into the unknown. Take a small step, however simple, towards your dream and see your life transformed.  Things happen for those who take risks and ride on the waves of change.

Positive Friends

Recent research says that it is pivotal to connect and have positive friends, because such connections give people bedrock support to become more resilient amidst these challenging times.  Refuse to be defeated by your failures. Surround yourself with positive friends who will help you to discover the real you. Do not allow your past to determine your future. People who live in their past do not achieve their future. 

Speak positively about the future. For words have creative power and we never go beyond the borders set by our own words. Our words are expressions of what we think and believe. We have to discipline ourselves to think and believe right.  We need to change our thinking with positive thoughts. This will build our resilience to bounce back from adversity, with a shorter spin around time. 

We do not have to die unceremoniously. It is never too late to ask our inner person the purpose of our life and then to live out that life to the fullest.