I believe there are three kinds of people. There are winners, who know what they want and understand their potential and the possibilities. They take life on. Next are losers, who do not have a clue as to who they are. They allow circumstances to shape their lives and their self-image.

I ...I believe there are three kinds of people. There are winners, who know what they want and understand their potential and the possibilities. They take life on. Next are losers, who do not have a clue as to who they are. They allow circumstances to shape their lives and their self-image.

I believe there is a third group as well. This consists of potential winners whose lives are just slightly out of alignment. I call them wayward winners. It may be that they just need to learn how to be real winners. Perhaps they have hit a bump or two that has knocked them off course and they are temporarily befuddled. A failed relationship, a lost job, financial problems, unformed goals, a lack of parental support, illness, many things can send us off course temporarily.

Wayward winners are not lost souls; they just need some tweaking and coaching and nudging to get them back on course. A map might be nice. Many of these wayward winners are easily identifiable because they are always searching.

Right now, there are many wayward winners out there braving rain, sleet, and snow because they, too, still believe that they have untapped talents. They attend motivational seminars and listen to inspirational tapes, and they plunge onward, believing that sooner or later, they will find their way again.

Other wayward winners have temporarily given up. They are damaged and disoriented, their confidence badly eroded. They tend to drift through life numbly. The friends and relatives and loved ones of wayward winners see that they are out of sync and wonder why they cannot be satisfied, why they do not settle down. They wonder how people who have such obvious abilities and great potential can be so disoriented and unsure.

It is difficult for others to understand the rawness of a broken heart or the aching emptiness of an unguided spirit. You and I know. We have been there. Wayward winners know that there are possibilities out there, but too often, they feel locked out from them. Some are afraid to risk any more because of what they have risked and lost already.

I know now that as difficult as it may be for you wayward winners to do, it is necessary to continue to test yourselves. Even though you have been hurt before, it is the only way to grow. We all have the capacity to change, to lead meaningful and productive lives by awakening our consciousness.

You know there are going to be tough times as you go about changing your life, so brace yourself, and you will be able to handle them. When you get into your seat on an airplane, what is the first thing they tell you to do? Fasten your seat belt. Brace yourself for the turbulence.

When you decide to move your life to the next level of accomplishment, you must fasten your mental and spiritual seat belts because it is going to be a while before you reach that comfortable level again. You will reach it, but you must endure the turbulence of change in order to grow.

Try this technique to help you through the difficult times of change and growth. Find four reasons why you cannot succumb to your fears and your troubles. Find those deep sources of motivation that can lift you out of the turbulence and above the clouds. You must change your life because, for example:

• you have not yet tapped the talents given you
• you want to leave something more for your children
• you want to live life rather than letting life live you
• you want to do what makes you happy.

It is in these rocky early moments of bringing change to your life that you discover who you are. In the prosperous times you build what is in your pocket. In the tough times you strengthen what is in your heart. And that is when you gain insight into yourself, insight that leads to self-mastery and an expansion of your consciousness as a life force in both your personal and professional lives.

** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life”, visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/greatways3.html

Author's Bio: 

Les Brown is a world-renowned speaker, successful entrepreneur, best-selling author, radio and television celebrity, and nine-year cancer survivor. As a renowned professional speaker, author, and television personality, Les Brown has risen to national prominence by delivering a high-energy message that tells people how to shake off mediocrity and live up to their greatness. Les has had no formal education beyond high school, but with persistence and determination, he has initiated and continued a process of unending self-education that has distinguished him as an authority on harnessing human potential. In 1989, Les Brown was the recipient of the National Speakers Association’s highest honor: the Council of Peers Award of Excellence (CPAE). In addition, he was selected one of the World’s Top Five Speakers for 1992 by Toastmasters International and was a recipient of the Golden Gavel Award. In 1990, Les recorded his first in a series of speech presentations entitled “You Deserve,” which was awarded a Chicago-area Emmy and became the leading fundraising program of its kind for pledges to PBS stations nationwide. Les Brown is an internationally recognized speaker and CEO of Les Brown Enterprises, Inc. He is also the author of the highly acclaimed and successful books Live Your Dreams and the newly released It’s Not Over Until You Win. Les is the former host of The Les Brown Show, a nationally syndicated daily television talk show that focused on solutions rather than on problems. For information on Les’s speaking schedule, books, and tapes, visit http://www.lesbrown.com.