Stick With the Winners

One of my very first lessons as an emerging young adult was "Stick With The Winners".  Not that now as a middle aged woman I think in terms of who is who, who is a winner, compared to losers.  To me I value people really for where they are at, what area in life they are pursuing etc, each as an individual.  Though it was and is a great message to follow, to be amongst people that even wanted to win, had a winning mindset and spirit, or who were a cut above the rest "as they say"; it really did and does serve me well in my life with my career as well as home, my own spirit and my own achievements. The person who said it was right and I did not mind sticking with the winners. 

Sticking with the winners to me, is not a snobby way of thinking about people and the different values they hold or persona they put out there.  It is more about not giving up, not letting yourself move forward by the "I CAN'T attitude, or as I have heard the phrase "small thinking".  Personally I enjoy spending time with people that say I CAN, I WILL-somehow and I WILL FIND OUT HOW.  I really understand when someone wants something so bad they can't stop thinking about it, their dream and when my circle converses about their go getter attitude, what they want and how they continue to go after it, even if there are a few or many "I Cant's"  I get that.  They are striving and in turn no matter if they are still chasing their dream or it is thriving, the "Want it Bad Enough" attitude is what resonates with me and I gravitate towards those and of course others.  It is admiral to me to see people fail, start again, maybe fail in a way, fall flat off their feet.  When they pick themselves up again, I applaud that and admire the conviction and determination.  They are the one's who have seen defeat, time and time again but continue on the road perhaps less traveled and beyond, really relying only on themselves and their high belief in who they are and the trust in themselves, others and their trueness to taste a dream in the palm of their hand.  One time I am sure they may have thought of themselves as a loser vs. a winner. 

In reality to me, people loose, but as long as they have a strong belief and standards people are not, nor ever will be "losers".  It takes a lot of sacrifice to go after your what you want, day in and out, living, breathing and believing, while going without, having less so that day will come where you can have more-whatever MORE is to you....I am sure sometimes perhaps eating less, driving less, taking a bus to save on expenses and so on.  Until one day instead of the Underdog, you become TOP DOG. 

HOW then, do people respond to your success??  Do they relish in it just like you, do they think of you gloating around telling of your success, do they stick by you and enjoy your success as well, being somewhat of a cheer leader, routing for you even roaring for you?  The ones who don't take pride along with you, never saw what the sacrifice was like, how much you had to sacrifice, go without, sometimes perhaps even eating for a day or even two days, eating Kraft Dinner as if it was gourmet.

The trick is in my estimation is to have the ones that you hold dear, the ones that routed for the Underdog and still stand beside you when you have made it to Top Dog status close.  They are the ones that love watching you win, cheer you on, and win right along side you.  They too have their own winnings to win after and together and as the winning circle goes along, you can teach each other the do's and dont's of how to win as well as the many ways to wind and step away from the Underdog status.  My very good friend has a cute boutique in our town, I think of her as we sometimes hash it out and draw energy from one another, it is a very supportive relationship, without jelousy's or mean hearts. 

I believe if I am routing for an Underdog so to speak then it is my duty as a friend to also cheer when they have become Top Dog, I would believe that maybe it was partially due to my cheers that that person of success has got there in the first place.  Gloating, well of course an Underdog type who made it all the way up the ladder to Top Dog is going to gloat, they have traveled a long treturous road, scraping knees along the way, having blisters along the way, sore hands, sore feet, tired somedays, ill possibly.  Their success should be celebrated.  Too many people walk away after the winnings begin, turn their back, walks away.  What the cheerers do not understand is that they ARE the REASON they are their in the first place and without them they would not even come close to where they wanted to be.  The now winners are wanting to enjoy life FINALLY with their supporters, they want to enjoy and gloat together as they are just as much a part of their success as them -themselves.  Then the

supporters of the Underdogs don't get the chance to say way to go, and see their relationship flourish as the dragged out winners all they want to say is THANK YOU.

In This Life Is There Room For Regret?

You live your life once, that is what people say time and time again.  If you were able to actually relive your life as people say, would you want to?  Would you mull over all the regrets, the blunders, hiccups and mistakes to re do everything so there would be a better outcome or even a different outcome.  I believe and we have heard this before everything happens in our life for a reason.  Whatever the reason there is a lesson to be had.  So pay attention to your blunders, they are your compass for furthering your success and perhaps enriching your life in other ways.

Of course everyone thinks back and thinks "yikes, how did I ever let that one happen, never again!"  In the time and space of the hiccup though, everything seems right, normal.  These things that we go through aid us in picking ourselves up again, going the extra mile and it allows you to have perhaps more determination.  It gives you an edge, an idea about life, a new and broadened understanding and character within yourself. 

I look around at this imperfect earth and think to myself "What a Wonderful World"!  Of course the empty glass scenario comes up, I fill my glass myself...no one else is going to fill it, so why don't I fill that glass every time I need a refill, at my free will and at my discretion?  If you needed gas for your car to get from A to B, you fill it, completely full and you feel comforted by the fact that you can get around, happily and with no unneeded worry.  You feel within your car, full up. 

Think of a half Moon at night, if it is half full, does it give you any less energy that you need. No, it does not.  The Moon, like all of life and through out all blunders and hiccups, gives as much energy that you personally need in a day or night.  Would you say about the Moon... "OH NO, the moon is only half full and complain about the need for it's fullness, would you regret that half Moon? I don't think that would happen.  Instead we look at the Moon and Stars and say "How beautiful it is to see the night sky"  We miss that beautiful sky to gaze upon each day and miss the Suns warmth and glow every night.  Let's live life with that excitement and then pay attention to it's wonderment.

Perhaps if we are only living out half of our life and are just going through the motions in our daily on goings then sure, there may be some regret or even a lot of regret.  The should of's, would of's and could of's come up and then feel empty, and the life you had planned and even dreamed of, feels out of our reach and further and further away, feeling impossible to grasp.

Never look back in regret, instead look upon your life, the past, present and tomorrow as if in "AWWE" of how spectacular it is, how magnificent it is and how the wonderful challenges you go through are teaching you to go further, to do it a little bit better, to make your life down the road even easier.  Live your life with a half moon attitude "with no regreat" and know that every single day you are giving it your all!  For one day you may be giving it 50% to some, though to you it feels like your giving it 100%, some days you will be giving life 75% to some, but to you it feels like150%.  As a human, you are always at the top of your game, giving it your all, doing your personal best. 

How then could we ever look back on life and regret anything that has happened, anything that we undergo, any mistakes we have made?  Then when we are 80 or 90 or beyond, how could we ever regret anything when there are still Birthday candles to blow out, still Birthday wishes to make that we still keep secret, Birthday cards to open with kind thoughts towards you and your day, gifts to unwrap that are full of surprise and people clapping as they sing to you.  How can we ever be regretfull in this life, when there are moons to see, beaches to sink your toes into, waves to catch, Christmas lights to shine and chocolate eggs to hunt for and gather. 

Life is magnificent, every day is new, every hour in that day is just for you, to do things differently, try different avenues, turn a corner instead of going the straight road.  Every day you have the opporunity to make a new choice, instead of regret, celebrate life and everyday in that life and there will be no time or energy for waisted regret.  Instead there may be one night sky with a half moon, one night sky with a quarter moon, one night a full moon. And every now and again and once in a while, there will be blue moon where you sit back and think back on life and the truly wonderful and glorious life that you have lived; with out regret and where your moon is always full.