Why Not Us?

The Carolina Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals last night to win the NFC Championship Game and clinch a well-deserved trip to Superbowl 50. Considered underdogs throughout majority of the season, this fairly young team shut out the noise and negativity being broadcast in sports media and continued to follow their own drive and determination. I can’t personally imagine what it must feel like to have millions of people voicing their own subjective opinions about who I am and the abilities I have. But, quarterback Cam Newton, aka Superman, deals with this on a daily basis. When asked how his team made it to be one of the last two teams standing, the role model gave one of the most inspirational answers he could have possibly given: “Why not us?”

            While few of us face the same degree of consistent noise and chatter surrounding our abilities, we do hear our share of discouragement. Unfortunately, most of it comes from one person in particular: our inner self.

            How many times have you asked yourself, “Who am I to think I can [insert your own self doubting question here]?” We all do it to ourselves. I asked myself this same question when I decided to create a blog about self-development, happiness, and success: who am I to think I am qualified to help others realize their potential? I am not a multi millionaire (yet). I have not (yet) reached all of the goals I have set for myself! I still don’t know for sure how some of them will come to be. But, as I looked back at some of the accomplishments I have made and obstacles I have overcome, I asked myself another question… a question Superman Cam asked himself. Why not me?

            Here’s the bio. I am a US Navy veteran who served six years as an Arabic cryptologist (Cryptologic Technician Interpretive – Arabic, or simply CTI). I have an associate’s degree in Arabic, a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Communication Arts, and will be receiving my master’s degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in English in May 2016 (just a few months away). I have battled depression and anxiety. I have taken the road less traveled numerous times, despite advice from others, and refuse to give in to the rat race society says is required for long term success. Through it all, no matter how much or how little this may seem to others, I have accomplished more than some people who have amassed millions of dollars and celebrity status: I have discovered happiness. Isn't that the ultimate purpose of every goal we set anyway?

            So… why me? Instead of asking myself that question, I tell myself how much I appreciate all of the obstacles and successes I have met in my life. One thing that I have learned in my studies of myself (that no university professor ever taught me) is that what we focus on the most in our minds is what multiplies in our lives. Therefore, when I show gratitude, I know that I am only attracting to myself more for which I have to be grateful. When I show gratitude for all of the love I receive from others, I am attracting even more love into my life. When I show gratitude for my financial means, I am attracting more financial wealth into my accounts. When I show gratitude for my physical, emotional, and spiritual health, I am attracting more health and wellness that will only make me stronger, wiser, and even more grateful. And when I show gratitude for and share what I have learned and experienced, I know that more wisdom and experience are yet to come.

            I may not (yet) be a multi millionaire. I may not be a celebrity life coach or a best selling author (yet). But, likewise, Superman Cam and the Carolina Panthers didn’t start out as champions to the world. They didn’t make it to the Superbowl because everyone believed in them and knew they could do it. They did it because they believed they could do it. They did it by first becoming champions to themselves. No, not everyone was a naysayer; the Panthers had plenty of fans who stood by them the entire season and believed they would eventually become a Superbowl-winning team and city together – win or lose each week. Right now, I am writing this post because I believe in myself.  More importantly, I am writing this blog because I believe in you, my team.

            So, here at the beginning of our season, I am asking that we, together, put on our capes, believe in the champion we have within, and show the world that we deserve happiness and success just as much as the next person. From this point on, if anyone, even ourselves, ever asks what makes us think we deserve to be wealthy, healthy, happy and successful, our answer, like Superman Cam’s, will be this: why not us?

Happy New You!

As we embark upon another new year and leave the holiday season of 2015 behind, many of us will default to the old faithful, yet unproductive task of making another list and checking it twice. What list, you ask? That would be the list of resolutions we all focus on through the first few weeks of January before abandoning them altogether by Valentine's Day. Going to the gym three times a week will turn into “I’ll double up next week.” Starting that new business and quitting your job will become “the savings account isn't big enough yet.” So, we will store our professional and personal goals away with the Christmas tree to save for another year.

Why does it seem that we never completely fulfill our resolutions? Why aren’t we happy with where we are at the end of each year? The answer is this: we are attempting to change our outside circumstances before changing what lies within. Just like smile or tears of sadness falling from our eyes do, our outside circumstances, to a large extent, reflect who we are on the inside. We are highly influenced, more than we may realize, by our beliefs, our thoughts, our expectation, and our outlook. Therefore, in order to lose the weight and keep it off, obtain the career we really want, remain happy, or reach whatever goal we need to meet in order to feel successful, we must first change our beliefs and our thoughts. We must analyze our beliefs and our expectations and goals to determine if they line up and coincide. We cannot expect to create greatness with a mediocre outlook. Conducting this analysis is the first rung, or step, on the ladder to success.

So, how do we change what is on the inside? Where do we start? You have already taken the initiative by reading this far! Through my readings and studies of the law of attraction, goal-setting, and success, I have made many discoveries that I wish to share with others. With each post, it will be my hope that you, too, can learn how to change your life and external circumstances by changing your own thoughts and expectations.

What successful achievers and teachers like Lisa Nichols, Bob Proctor, James Allen, Napoleon Hill, and others whom I will reference here have known and taught for decades is that success and happiness start within. If you are willing to keep an open mind and consider the time-tested information included in this blog, you will find that the ladder to success can be climbed by anyone, not just a select few. It won’t be easy: The ladder to your goal may be steeper than that of others. Some will be short, while others will reach much higher. It doesn’t matter against which goal your ladder leans or how long it takes to get there. What is important is that we are able to endure the climb. Together, we will work to conquer the first rung of the ladder by creating greatness within. Only then will we see greatness manifest in our lives.