Being a winner is a state of mind.

Recognizing and accepting self-ownership is the path.

Modern society sends all the wrong messages: everyone is entitled to the fruits of winning without having to work for it; those attaining what you desire are simply privileged and have an unfair advantage; and in one way or another, you are born a victim, whether it be your gender, class, upbringing, genetics or otherwise.

You are not a victim. This is a toxic message and serves only to hold people down.

You have no excuses.

Squash any excuse that last sentence inspires to bubble up in your head.

As long as you hold onto excuses, no matter how legitimate they may seem, you will hold yourself back.

Professional sports show the winner’s mentality simply: winners don’t blame the referee or the game, no matter how unfair the calls seemed to be or how much of a fluke a play was.

Winners blame themselves.

Losers point their fingers in every direction but at themselves.

Nothing stands in a winner’s way but his own determination and perseverance.

Any other excuse is the loser mentality creeping into your mind.

Accepting self-ownership is a hard, constant battle that requires regular practice, just like staying in shape.

Overcoming and accepting my speech impediment was a painful journey.

What I had to realize was I was not a victim. I used to think I was, and I let it steer my life.

Eventually I quieted the voice in my head that told me I couldn’t do something because of my stutter, or that it was okay for me to back out of something because of my stutter, because I had it tougher than other people.

That was my loser mentality, and I beat it out of myself. Deep down I realized I was capable of more and had been making excuses for myself. It’s tough to point the blame back at yourself after years of self-victimization.

I have no excuse. If I don’t achieve something I know I can, it’s because I took the loser’s way out and didn’t do what I could and should have.

Identify the loser mentality in yourself, and no matter how legitimate it seems, say no to it and show it why it’s wrong.

We all battle between our winner and loser mentalities daily.

Accept that you are solely responsible for your own fate and you will achieve things you never thought possible.

Categories: Opinion

Tags: achieving, challenges, failure, inspiration, loser mentality, obstacles, overcome, self-ownership, success, winner mentality, winning