I was recently the Keynote speaker for an event hosted at Amway World Headquarters in Ada, MI. While at this event I was so inspired by the speakers because we were all sharing a message that would challenge the audience, but also set them up to win. This event really inspired me to ask the question, do you really want to win? Most people that I have asked this question to say, “yes, of course I want to win!” I believe that most people do want to win in life, their finances, their relationships, their careers, and win at their goals and dreams.
But I’ve also learned that when you want to win life will introduce you to some unforeseen circumstances, unforeseen challenges, and multiple setbacks that will make you feel like you’re just not winning. If most people want to win they have a desire to win. So my next question is, why is it that most people aren’t winning?
After this event I put some thought into this question. What I realized is that the reason most people aren’t winning is because they are not in line with their purpose. You see, most people aren’t doing what they were called to do. Most people just wake up every morning and they go through the motions. They wake up, get the kids off to school and then they go to work to make a living. I once I heard motivational speaker Les Brown say, “Life is not about making a living, but life is about living your making. And ultimately, if you live your making, it will make you a living. “I remember growing up and my family telling me that if I do everything right that I will win. Everything right to them meant go to school, get a good job, get good job benefits and then enjoy life.
Well, I halfway did things right. I eventually did some of this and then went on to work for the 3rd largest home improvement company in the country. I worked in marketing and I managed 25 locations across the country. I worked very hard to get to this point. I worked very hard to reach what people told me was winning. After seven years of working with this company I realized that I had began to follow a basic routine. You see, I was waking up everyday from the sound of my alarm, driving across town to a job while something inside of me was repeatedly saying to me, “There’s got to be more to life than this. There’s got to be a better way to win.” Have you ever felt like this? Have you ever heard something inside of you say this?
Defining the Moment
During this time most people would have looked at my life and said that I was winning. But when I looked at my life I knew I wasn’t winning. In my eyes I was just living the same routine as so many others. In May, 2007 I began to contemplate my options in life. I began to think about moving on after investing all this work into what society told me was “winning” because it was a good job with a few decent benefits. In May, 2010 I made the decision to take a chance on myself and make a defining moment in my life. I decided to put myself in line with what I believed to be my purpose. I decided it was time to start winning!
Please write this quote down. Kevin Costner once said, “When the defining movement comes, either you define the moment or the moment defines you. “When your defining moment comes either you define the moment or it defines you. Either you define the moment and you decide to take a chance on your goals and dreams! Either you define the moment and you put yourself in line with the calling that you know is on your life! Either you define the moment and you decide to face the fear that is stopping you from going after your goals and dreams or the moment will define you. Then you will become another statistic working and living the same routine as so many others. I once read that 87% of people are showing up to jobs they hate. I also read that 1 in 3 people are unhappy with their lives. Chances are we all know one of these people.
What I got out of this event at Amway is that we must set ourselves up to win! We must educate ourselves on how to win and not just show up! We must remember that winning is not just showing up to a job that they pay you just enough to keep you from quitting and you work just hard enough to keep from getting fired! We must learn how to pursue our true passion and discover our purpose if we truly want to win! Today I want to challenge you to take a look at your life. Ask yourself, do I really want to win? I think most people will discover that they feel like winners, but they are not in a winning situation. Today is the day that you begin to make the transition to truly become the winner that you already know is inside you! Thank you Angela Nelson for inspiring me to write this.
– Kris Mathis
John Potter reminds readers that Kris Mathis will be speaking on Aug 6 at ITT Technical Institute in Wyoming. Register Now!