Don't Play The Victim Or You'll Be Victimised!

Life is a school - the more you go, the more you learn.

And one of the things I've found out is that life victimises those who play the victim. In fact, the way it works is, if you lie down, you will be climbed upon; if you sit down, you will be sat on and if you play dead, you will be buried - it's as simple as that.

If you want to win, you must get on your feet, wipe your tears, roll up your sleeves and get into the fight determined to win and don't quit until you do!

It's Just Not Fair - But That's The Reality

The pressures, challenges and difficulties of life will furnish you with more than enough reasons to throw up your hand and say I can't go on anymore.

You may feel like doing so as the pressures bashing against your weary self may strongly suggest it and even your logical analysis will lead you to the conclusion that the best thing to do is to throw up your hands and surrender. After all, you are only human and there is only so much you can bear (you may tell yourself).

But don't do it! Don't give in to that despondency and play the victim. You can't afford to go by what you feel in this case. It may not be fair but that is the reality.

You must press on even when you don't feel like doing so and you must lift your head above the waters even when you feel like surrendering to the storm. If you play the victim, you'll be victimised.

Not Many People Tell The Whole Story

Some of the greatest champions in history in whatever the field, (if they will tell you), came close to giving up. They are all too familiar with that sinking feeling to play the victim and quit but they refused. They pressed through that negative cloud and emerged as champions.

As champions, they are celebrated but not many of them bother to say what they went through and how that almost gave up. And by the way, not many people care to find out what they went through to become the great successes that they became.

You Too Do Stand A Chance To Succeed

That's right. You may be bombarded by the thoughts of giving up right now, but if you press through and end up at the other side (of success and breakthrough), many will celebrate you without caring to know what you went through to get there. What you are being confronted with is not new. That is the stuff that champions and winners go through.

If you don't play the victim and quit, you stand the chance of succeeding and emerging the successful you that you dreamt of.

Not Everyone Is Born With A Silver Spoon

Not everyone that has succeeded was born with silver spoon in their mouth. Some of the greatest heroes ever known were those who had very little to go on and came close to the brink of failure several times but refused to throw in the towel. Against all odds, they emerged as champions and that is even the more reason they are celebrated. If they could, what makes you think you can't?

Most times, it is not how weak or strong you are; it is not how gifted or non-gifted you are; it is not how privileged or underprivileged you are. Most times, it comes down to one thing and that is the decision to press on and not to play the victim no matter what.

Get The Help You Need To win

Where do you find the courage to stand when you feel like sitting down? Where do you find the resourcefulness to press on when you feel like throwing up your hands in defeat? And where do you find reason to hope when all you can see is the dark cloud of hopelessness? I will tell you.

That help can only be found in God. He is a friend of the wounded, despondent and failing heart. He knows how to strengthen a man inside out at his weakest moments and most importantly, He has the power and the resources to turn any negative situation around if you will let Him to step in and help you.

The first step to opening the door for Him to help you, is to come into a personal relationship with Him. And that is what happens when you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. Believe me, that will open the door to a lot of good things that will surprise you.

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Advocates, Champions, Mentors - Got One?

I have never met anyone who has achieved sustained career or business success that did not have a champion, advocate, coach or mentor in their corner as they worked towards a dream, a goal or a vision.

How about you? Are you the exception to this belief of mine and are you still trying to "go it alone" as you travel one step after another towards your unknown future?

Mentor - adviser, guide, guru, counselor, consultant, confidant(e).

Personal coach - Coaching is a form of development in which a person called a coach supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training, advice and guidance.

Advocate - upholder, supporter, backer, promoter, proponent, exponent.

Champion - advocate, proponent, promoter, supporter, defender, upholder, backer, exponent, campaigner, lobbyist, crusader, apologist, booster, flag-bearer.

I'm sure none of the above are anything new for you but I offer them as a reminder that they all have something in common - the blending of wisdom/knowledge that is shared with others in some beneficial way.

As a side note: two of my mentors for many years have been Will Rogers and Mark Twain (I guess this is where I get one of my missions that is to get under other people's skin to trigger positive change in some way. If I'm not under yours yet - just give me time you'll get there.)

Yes, they are both dead and I never met either of them but I can still learn from them from their many books and words of wisdom.

Where was I - back to the main points of this article;

What are the benefits of have one of the above (in the title)?

During my career, I have had numerous relationships with mentors, coaches and mastermind groups but the ones that have done the most for my career and business success over the years are Advocates and Champions. Yes, the other helpers are valuable and can save you lots of time and resources but I have learned that

Advocates and Champions always do more for you than the others and they do it because they want to not because they benefit in some way.

These people want to help you succeed, believe in what you are doing and why and have no skin in the game other than the satisfaction of contributing in some small way to your achievements and/or success.

They help you save time. They help you make valuable connections. But the most important thing they do is "Sell" you to the important people or contacts that they know in a way that improves your credibility and saves you effort.

Let me give you one quick example.

A friend and fellow author was unknown but one of his connections liked his writing and contacted him to see if he could be of any help. Well, to make a very long story short, because of one of his connections he was able to secure a publisher for his first book with a significant six figure advance. The story isn't over yet. He recently told me he just got a 5-million-dollar advance on his third book. And how and why?

Just because someone he didn't know all that well was willing to help him. Go figure!

Have any champions in your life? I've been fortunate during my career to have a few but they shall remain anonymous as they are or have been all celebrities in their own way.

They can save you time, make you money, make you famous, get you new positions etc. I could go on for a few pages on what a champion or advocate can do for your career or business.

But, if you don't get it yet, I won't waste any more of your time.

Where can you find them?

They are everywhere. They are in your Facebook, LinkedIn or some other social media list hidden just waiting to surface. They live next door, work across the street, they know your relatives and they know some of your customers. They work for competitors. Have I made myself clear yet? Again, they are everywhere. So, you ask, how do you find the right ones who can help you accelerate your career or business? First of all, networking is not who you know but who knows you, so attending events every night to collect hundreds of business cards might help you some before you retire but there might be a better way.

This is not a book about this subject so I'll leave you with three quick ideas.

1) If you don't ask you will never know.

2) If you don't ask you will never find out.

3) If you don't ask you will never find them.

I know - a bit redundant. But, what are you waiting for?

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The Mind of A Champion

What does it take to be a champion, an indisputable winner; what makes them different? You may imagine its extraordinary talent, and sometimes it is, but the reality is extraordinary talent is a rarity. It takes something beyond average and far more than mediocrity to be a champion. It takes perseverance; perseverance always prevails.

This phenomenon requires an attitude that refuses to accept defeat. Champions always get back up, no matter how long or hard they fall. Quitting, giving up or in and letting go are never a consideration in the mind of a champion. They understand that in life you will find a way or find an excuse. Champions never own a 'loser's limp' bag, they offer no excuses because they fail to recognize a loss. Champions understand that a perceived failure is a mere testing of faith; they will reach the goal. They carry the illusion of defeat straight to the next win.

Champions understand that in life one cannot be poor who has less, only those who desire more. They rarely bother to assess or compare their talent; their attention is focused squarely on achieving the goal. They don't need a handicap when tallying their score, understanding that handicaps exist only in the mind. You can't accept the things you can't see. Champions know that 'the me is see is the me I will be.' They are careful to see what they want to be and not what others think they are or can become.

Who are the champions? They are all around you. It may be difficult to recognize them because you don't know or understand their goals. The best way to identify them is in their refusal to give up or give in. Look for the ones who seem to be extremely tested yet refuse to give up. Champions always exhibit persistence; a determination to succeed, they persevere no matter the difficulty. The one who refuses to give up always prevails.

While it may seem that champions are called upon to let go of a lot, they understand that real security lies not in what they have but in what they can do without. In the end is it always worth it to them because they never gave up and never gave in; they simply refused to accept defeat. That's how they became a champion; this is the mind of a champion.

If you want to join this elite group you must get inside the mind of a champion and think like them. Persist, persevere and prevail. There is a raging fire within champions that propels them to press on, press on, press on.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Mind-of-A-Champion&id=9564730

Champions Never Quit - The Triumphant True Life Story of a Champion

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion'.” Muhammad Ali

"You were our number two man," the assistant basketball coach said to me. I had just failed to make the team and my dream come true. Or, at least it appeared I failed. Remember, God never gives us a dream without also giving us the power to make that dream come true.

What Does It Mean To Be A Champion?

Shortly after turning 9 years old I made the choice to play professional basketball in the N.B.A. (National Basketball Association).

At this moment of choosing to play in the NBA, I created my dream and also made the commitment to making my dream come true.

One of the reasons I wanted to play in the NBA is because only the best of the best players are in the NBA. I wanted to be the best at something in my life because that would mean I am the best, that I am a Champion. If you can become the best at one thing, then you can become the best at anything you choose because you are the best.

Becoming an NBA basketball player is almost impossible. I wanted to prove all of our dreams always come true when we put our heart and soul into making them a reality. I wanted to prove no matter what or who you choose to be in your life that you will be whatever or whoever you choose.

Here Is Where The Fun Begins:

When I was 13 years old I tried out for the basketball team in 7th grade at Lakeridge Jr. High School...
... And I failed.

I tried out again for the basketball team in 8th grade at Canyon View Jr. High School...
... And I failed.

I tried out again in 9th grade at Canyon View...
... And I failed.

I tried out again in 10th grade at Orem High School...
... And I failed.

I tried out again in 11th grade at Timpanogos High School...
... And I failed.

I tried out again in 12th grade at American Fork High School...
... And I failed.

I went on a two-year mission for my church to Portugal and came back home.

I had two major knee surgeries and had 5 screws added to my knees. 3 screws in my right knee, 2 screws in my left knee.

My orthopedic surgeon said I had the worst knees he had ever seen in his entire career.

After waiting for more than 6 months for my knees to heal from the surgeries, I came back and tried out again for the basketball team at Utah Valley State College...
... And I failed.

I transferred to the University of Utah and tried out for the basketball team in now my 3rd year of college...
... And I failed.

The coaches really liked me because they saw how much I loved basketball and they saw I was never going to quit. They asked me if I wanted to be the Equipment Manager for the team.

I accepted and became the Equipment Manager for the University of Utah men's basketball team.

I tried out again for the team in now my 4th year of college.

... And I failed.

I failed for the 9th consecutive time, spanning 12 years of consecutive failure.

And this time I was ONLY ONE PERSON AWAY FROM MAKING THE TEAM.

ONLY ONE PERSON AWAY!!!

The coaching staff invited me into the office and told me they could only add on one more player to the basketball team. They said unfortunately I was their second choice.

The coaches said if their first choice declined to accept the final roster spot, then I would be on the team instead.

But since their first choice did accept the final roster spot and I was the coaches' second choice and there was only room for one player,... I didn't make it.

"You were our number two man," the assistant coach told me.

Before the University of Utah's second basketball game of the season this year, the team and I sat down to eat our pre-game dinner.

During the dinner, one of the players began to speak to me in a mocking tone and manner and in a volume loud enough for everyone in the quiet dining room to hear. (This player is a very good person and I do not mean to falsely portray him in a negative way and that is why he remains anonymous.)

He (anonymous player) said he didn't believe the coaches were telling me the truth.

He said the coaches were lying to me when they said I was their second choice because they didn't want to hurt my feelings.

He said I would never be able to become a college basketball player because it is almost impossible.

"You want to be where we are, you want to be one of us, but you'll never be one of us. It's too hard," he told me.

 I then responded by agreeing he was right that it is almost impossible.

"You're right, it is almost impossible to play basketball in college, to become a college basketball player," I said.

"And as difficult as it is to play basketball in college, it is even more difficult or even more impossible to play basketball in the NBA.

But I have done something that is so difficult, that not a single person in this room has done what I've done," I said, boldly to the entire team of players and assistant coaches eating dinner in this private hotel dining room.

At this point in the conversation everyone was looking over at the anonymous player and me, while listening intently to both of us.

"And not only has no one in this room done what I've done, but what I've done is so difficult that not even a single player in ALL of college basketball has done what I've done," I continued.

"And not only has no one playing in college done what I've done but also not even a single basketball player in ALL of the NBA has done what I've done.

And not only has no one in college or the NBA done what I've done, but not a single college or NBA basketball player PAST or PRESENT has done what I've done."

I then told him and everyone in the room, "What I've done is...

... No one has ever tried out to make a basketball team as many times in a row as I have and also failed as many times in a row as I have and still has not given up."

I went on to explain that at this point in my life I had now tried out to make the basketball team 9 consecutive times, spanning 12 years. And I failed to make the team all 9 of those times, but I still have not quit!

"The main reason you're on the team is because you just happened to grow to be 7 feet tall. You didn't choose to be 7 feet tall. It just happened," I said to him.

"The door has always been opened for you. But the door has always been closed for me and yet I still keep choosing to continue to move forward by re-opening the door every time it shuts on me," I said.

I asked him, "If you would have failed to make your high school team one year would you have come back and tried out again to make the team a second time?"

"Uhh, yeah, you probably would have tried again," I told him, answering my own question I just posed to him...

I then asked him, if he would have failed two years in a row, would he have come back to do his best to try out again a third time in a row?

"Hmmm, maybe," I said to him...

Finally I told him, "... And I know without a doubt you would not have come back to try again a fourth time."

I explained:

I failed to make the basketball team 9 consecutive times.

9 Times!

And I have come back 9 consecutive times.

9 Times!

I still have not given up. I still have not quit.

Then I told him and everyone in the dining room, "I know the most difficult thing you can do in your life is to never quit or to get back up when you get knocked down.

And not only is 'Never Quitting' the most difficult thing you can do in your life, it is also the greatest thing you can do in your life. And I know the only types of people capable of 'Never Quitting' are Champions. A Champion is the greatest type of person you can become," I said.

Playing basketball in the NBA, or in college or anything else that might be seen as "great" in the eyes of the world is NOTHING compared to the power of the person who never gives up!

The only types of people who can rise again after failure or hard times are Champions!

The only types of people who can confront and conquer over fear are Champions!

The only types of people who are capable of never never never never never quitting are Champions!

The greatest type of person you can become in your life is a Champion!

Because I know when we come back after failure, come back after a negative time, come back after a difficult situation, we acquire divine qualities and attributes such as love, charity and service for others.

Because when we are down or hurting or suffering and we choose to not let the hard times keep us down we are choosing to be the BEST. We are choosing to be the GREATEST. We are choosing to be HAPPY.

A person who can choose to rise up in the most difficult of situations is a person who can never be stopped!!!

Nothing Can Stop You.

No One Can Stop You.

Nothing Can Stop You From Doing Your Best!

No One Can Stop You From Doing Your Best!

The person who chooses to be unstoppable is the truly "great" person and is seen by the eyes of God as being truly "great."

You are a Champion when you make the choice to be a Champion.

Anyone can choose to be a Champion if they truly desire to be one.

Yes, you can always choose to be whatever or whoever you truly desire.

P.S. The Rest of the Story (In God's Own Way and Time!):

Our dreams are gifts from God.

My dream to play basketball and become the greatest basketball player ever came to me when I was 9 years old as an answer to my prayer asking God what I should do in my life.

Yes, you read that correctly, I did just say: "the greatest basketball player ever". By the way, the answer to my prayer did not come right away. I kept praying over many months until I received my answer. Remember, never give up!

However, after receiving the answer to my prayer I thought in my flawed human understanding that in order for me to become the greatest basketball player ever I would need to play in the NBA (National Basketball Association). So because of that flawed understanding of mine, I focused on playing in the NBA to make my actual dream of becoming the greatest basketball player ever come true.

I did not go around telling my friends I wanted to become the greatest basketball player ever because I did not want to possibly be misunderstood. I did not want people falsely thinking of me as crazy or arrogant or something. I just wanted to be my best self and I knew that God wanted me to be my best self. Remember, my dream is a gift from God who wants every single one of us to finish in 1st place!

Instead, I told my friends I was going to play in the NBA because I thought I could only become the greatest basketball player ever by making it to the NBA. But as you learned from reading the short version of my story, I did not make it to the NBA. Not only did I not make it to the NBA, I did not even make any college, high school or junior high school teams.

So of course, I became discouraged when it seemed that God really was not with me. However, He was with me the entire time, the entire journey! He was with me because over and over again I became so inspired by my family and friends as I saw them not giving up and not quitting on their dreams.

Over and over again I heard the message to not give up, to keep going, to not quit! This message of "never quitting" constantly was communicated to me so that is all I focused on. I focused on one simple action: getting back up! I knew if I kept getting back up that somehow, someway God's dream that He gave me would come true by some miracle.

And the miracle did happen! It happened in a way I could never have possibly imagined! In fact my dream came true before I consciously recognized it came true.

In what seemed for a time to be my darkest hour was actually my miraculous triumph and victory!

After failing to make the team 9 consecutive times over 12 years. After overcoming the worst knees my orthopaedic surgeon ever witnessed in his entire career. After working as hard as a human being could possibly work. After overcoming so many odds, this time I was only one person away from making the team and it seemed in the eyes of the world I was a failure.

Yet, in in the eyes of God I had done it!

I got back up!

What a great feeling! Correction: We did it! We did it together as a team! I did not do it alone. I could never have continued to keep going over and over and over if God was not with me to help me along the entire journey.

God is on your team and is passing you the ball to make the game-winning shot! There is no possible way you can miss when He is on your team. All we have to do is keep getting back up with His help. Use your team to win. Do not try to win on your own because you cannot do it alone.

God does answer our prayers and cannot lie!

Pray and ask for help and understanding to see how He sees you, so you can recognize and know He is helping you to be the greatest ever.

Timothy McGaffin II knows our dreams our gifts from God. As McGaffin dedicated himself to achieving his dream of playing basketball in the NBA he learned the greatest thing we can do in our lives is to get back up when we get knocked down. The effort is what matters and what God cares about. Just keep moving, finish the race strong and you will be forever triumphant and victorious.

God never gives us a dream or a wish without also giving us the power to make that dream or wish come true.

Sometimes you'll achieve your dream quickly, sometimes slowly, and sometimes it will appear or seem like your dream will never come true but remember that God works in mysterious ways. In God's own time and own way, your dream will become a reality no matter what the situation may appear like at a certain time.

Even death is just an illusion. Never Give Up!

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