PUSH: Persevere Until Success Happens Through Prayer (20 page)

If you want to succeed in life, you must acquire the appetite of a champion. They hunger and thirst for success. Champions get their day started with achievement affirmations and declarations as part of their daily regimen of mental supplements. They do not allow destiny-altering thoughts to enter their mind or feed on negativity of any kind. They eliminate toxic thoughts and words from their mental and verbal diet.

They do not procrastinate or leave things until tomorrow. Champions do what needs to be done today. They rise in the morning on purpose, for a purpose, and to complete their purpose. They know that you can’t put off your purpose until tomorrow or you will never fulfill it. What else do champions do? Below are listed the most common characteristics of champions.

Are you frightened of failure? Do you fear success and the consequences of it? Are you scared of what other people might say about you? Are you terrified of what you are capable of? Is it the unknown of the future or your past experiences that hold you back? Don’t allow fear to overpower you. Allow these words of Marianne Williamson to sink into your consciousness:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
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When we wish to lose weight, we put off doing exercise because it means we have to exert ourselves. When we think of engaging in a new business venture, we hardly pursue it because it demands sacrifice, commitment, and hard work. We complain about not getting what we want, but what are we doing to
work
toward that thing? How can a farmer harvest his wheat when he did not plow his soil and sow his seeds?

What you sow is what you reap—if you sow a whole lot of nothing, you will reap a harvest of nothing. Sow little; receive little. Sow more; reap more. Sowing
and
reaping, for the most part, is labor intensive. Even while you wait for fruit to come, you must continually cultivate, protect, and nurture the crop. You must apply absolute and honest hard work. That’s the only way to succeed at fulfilling your dreams.

Successful musicians, singers, actors, painters, doctors, etc. are all passionate about their chosen careers. Their passion drives them to conquer their fears. Their strong desire to succeed in their field propels them to invest more hard work simply in order to improve their craft. Individuals who constantly fail in their endeavors are those who are not passionate about what they are doing. They don’t feel the powerful urge to fulfill their goals and reach their dreams. They are not motivated because they haven’t tapped into their intrinsic values and objectives.

In order for you to be fully successful, you should look inward—deep into your soul, mind, and heart—and discover what excites you, moves you to action, and makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning. What are you truly passionate about? Is it your desire to help people, coordinate events, speak out about injustice, write poetry, see the world, or create something with your hands? Find out what inspires you! Understanding what intrinsically motivates you will guide and compel you to work harder with a renewed determination and confidence.

Another reason for our
mañana
habit is our lack of self-motivation. Our lack of motivation will cause us to make excuses—we will convince ourselves we must wait for someone else or something else to happen before we a can take action. Our motivation actually comes from somewhere outside of ourselves, and unless there is that external provocation or encouragement, we are not motivated to move forward. Your success does not depend on someone or something else. Nor is it healthy for you physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually to be passive about
your
life and
your
success. The drive to achieve must come from within you. You must be your own best fan, coach, cheerleader, and confidante. Tell yourself every morning, “If it is to be, it’s up to me!”

Let me remind you that a large percentage of people around you will always be against you fulfilling your dreams. And it’s not necessarily the people but the enemy working behind them who is determined to distract, derail, and destroy your best efforts. If you want to be successful, you must learn to keep yourself on target and fire up your inner motivation; you must be like a self-charging battery and never let your engine die. Find out what really drives you. Don’t remain idle, but get yourself in gear and running at full throttle.

Elizabeth Kubler Ross once said, “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”
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Champions routinely use the morning to condition their mind and body for peak performance. They live by a creed. They practice establishing a certain mindset and discipline their thought patterns. They use verbal affirmations on a daily basis to condition their mind for peak performance.

According to Lisa Gates, life coach and writer,

Declarations are timeless statements of purpose in the present tense, designed to create ongoing quality of life shifts.

Declarations stem from who you are and what you value, and point to your vision. They may sound bold and completely outrageous, perhaps even a little wild—but not impossible.

Practically speaking, declarations inform your goals, not the other way around. So, once you’ve finished your declarations, listing your top goal in each area (that’s right, just one) should come easily and organically.
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I challenge you to implement a success creed for the next thirty days. If you speak out and live by a creed that you have embraced—spirit, soul, and body—I guarantee that after thirty days you will begin to push past limitations, barriers, and challenges (including every social, emotional, physical, and economic obstacle, to a new level of success and freedom. You will be on your way to living the life of your dreams. Below is my personal creed that I speak out over my own life every single day.

Because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, created in the nature and image of God as a success-oriented being, I have the courage and personal integrity to:

• Be myself
  
• Celebrate my strengths
  
• Eradicate my weaknesses
  
• Ask for what I need
  
• Desire what I want
  
• Dream of a better life
  
• Wake up and live the life of my dreams
  
• Enjoy today
  
• Believe that tomorrow will be better than today
  
• Voice my opinion
  
• Pursue my goals
  
• Change my mind
  
• Break self-destructive habits, thoughts, and cycles of failure
  
• Change for the best
  
• Be my best
  
• Give my best
  
• Do my best
  
• Put my best foot forward
  
• Enjoy giving and receiving love
  
• Face and transform my fear
  
• Seek and ask for help and support when I need it
  
• Spring free from the superwoman trap
  
• Stop being all things to everyone
  
• Trust myself to know what is right for me
  
• Make my own decision based on my perceptions of options
  
• Befriend myself
  
• Be totally honest with myself
  
• Respect my vulnerabilities
  
• Heal old and current wounds
  
• Acquire new, good, and useful habits—and eliminate the bad
  
• Complete unfinished business
  
• View my failures as life lessons
  
• Turn my losses into gain
  
• Realize that I have emotional and practical rights
  
• Honor my commitments
  
• Keep my promises
  
• Give myself credit for my accomplishments
  
• Love the little girl in me
  
• Overcome my need for approval
  
• Grant myself permission to laugh out loud
  
• Play as hard as I can
  
• Dance like no one is watching
  
• Sing at the top of my voice
  
• Catch butterflies
  
• Color outside of the lines
  
• Watch Mother Nature as she tucks in the sun for a good night’s sleep, and then turns the night-lights on for my enjoyment, security, and pleasure
  
• Witness the dawning of a new day as the sun rubs the lingering sleepiness from its eyes
  
• To choose life over death
  
• To choose success over failure
  
• Live with an attitude of gratitude
  
• Quit being a trash receptacle and dumping bin
  
• Rid myself of toxic relationships
  
• Pursue and develop healthy and supportive relationships
  
• Renegotiate the terms of all relationships
  
• Nurture myself like I nurture others
  
• Take “me moments”
  
• Be alone without feeling guilty
  
• Demand people give to me as much as I give to them
  
• Manage my time
  
• Demand that others value my time
  
• Be more objective about my feelings and more subjective about my thoughts
  
• Detoxify all areas of my life
  
• Take an emotional enema when necessary
  
• Nurture others because I want to, not because I have to
  
• Choose what is right for me
  
• Insist on being paid fairly for what I do
  
• Say “no” and mean it
  
• Know when enough is enough
  
• Put an end to toxic cycles
  
• Set limits and boundaries
  
• Say “yes” only when I really mean it
  
• Have realistic expectations
  
• Take risks and accept change
  
• Live morally
  
• Conduct my affairs ethically
  
• Grow through change
  
• Grow through challenges
  
• Give others permission to grow and to be themselves
  
• To break glass ceilings
  
• To live beyond the limits
  
• To set new goals
  
• Savor the mystery of the Holy Spirit
  
• Pray and expect an exceptional and favorable outcome
  
• Meditate in order to unclutter my mind
  
• Wave good-bye to guilt, self-doubt, rejection, and insecurity
  
• De-weed the flowerbed of my thought life
  
• Treat myself with respect and teach others to do the same
  
• Fill my cup first and then refresh others from the overflow
  
• Demand excellence from myself and others
  
• Plan for the future but live in the present
  
• Value my insight, intelligence, and wisdom
  
• Know that I am loveable
  
• Celebrate the differences in others
  
• Make forgiveness a priority
  

I have the courage to:

• Accept myself just as I am, now and forever
  
• Live within my means
  
• Love God
  
• Manifest His divinity
  
• Breathe beyond innate fears by living in the realm of faith
  
• Embrace God’s Spirit, knowing that it is stronger and wiser than mine
  
• Prosper beyond my imagination
  
• Give more than I receive
  
• Give to those who can never return the favor
  
• Love unconditionally
  
• Live consciously
  

Therefore:

• I will give God the time He needs
  
• I will give my mind the order it needs
  
• I will give my life the discipline it needs
  
• I will give my spirit the freedom it needs
  
• I will give my soul the love it needs
  
• I will give my body the nourishment and exercise it needs
  
• I will give my voice the platform it needs
  
• I will give myself the love and attention I need
  
• I will pursue my dreams and accomplish my goals
  
• I will give to others
  
• I will pursue my purpose and maximize my potential
  
• I will stand on truth, and take a stand for truth
  
• I will positively impact my generation
  
• I will positively influence a system and/or an institution
  
• I will live, learn, love, serve, and then leave a legacy
  
• I am on a collision course with destiny
  
• I am at the intersection of truth
  

  On the avenue of opportunity
  

  In the boulevard of passion
  

  At a street named courage
  

  All lights are green
  

• I choose to proceed
  
• Today I walk away with purpose, success, and nobility
  
• Today and always I alone accept and own full and total responsibility for being my genuine and true self and therefore vow to live authentically; to grow and care for my best and nobler self, that I may reflect the shimmer of God’s glory and divinity.
  

This is my contract with myself, and today I give myself permission to PUSH until I succeed!