Inspiration and empowerment can come from anywhere, it’s what we do with the things we find that makes our experiences in life unique and meaningful. Around the age of 16 I came across a piece of writing, called The Creed for Winners, that was immediately inspirational to me as a competitive athlete; it became my aspiration to use this set of “rules” as a guide to live my life. This is where I set my own “winning bar” and I go back from time to time to review the rules and adjust my course in life if needed.
The Creed for Winners
- I will prepare diligently, study purposefully and work productively.
- I will strive to be a booster, not a complainer, and a builder, not a fault finder.
- I will give others the benefit of the doubt and seek to discover the goodness in every person I meet.
- I will accept my setbacks as challenges and will view my failures as an opportunity to learn.
- I will give the world the warmth of my smile, the joy of my encouragement and the blessing of my love.
It was once my dream was to become a professional figure skater, most of my time between the ages of 11 and 20 were devoted to honing the skills of skating and dancing, I was a fierce competitor and a passionate artist. Skating is one of the most inspiring and empowering experiences of my life, doing something you’re naturally good at can give you wings. Eventually, I became a skating coach – looking back I see that I was too young, too immature, for a career as an independent contractor. Still, I’m very proud of the accomplishment of achieving my goal of becoming a professional; The memories created teaching and empowering others are cherished ones.
Those words inspired my life in such a way that I always look for the learning in “failures”, they’ve empowered me to speak out in praise or share a kind word or smile, and to use empathy to understand the motivations of others. Being human, I don’t always practice those rules perfectly, but I try; I’m proud that I’ve succeeded in keeping them foremost in my heart and mind for nearly 40 years. I always hope that when I fail I can recognize the acts that have fallen short, and strive to remember how I’d like to act the next time.
I hope that you will also find these words inspiring.
