Here’s a basic, philosophical and spiritual stand that I take.

I believe that everything is purposeful.

Period. No exceptions.

I’m not asking you to accept or believe that for yourself.  But I would invite you to explore the possibility of how life would be different for you if that were true.

Rather than asking, “Is that true” or “Is that not true”

I invite you to ask, “How could that be true” and “what if it were true”

So, what do I mean by purposeful?  I believe that everything we’ve ever experienced, whether it’s good/bad, positive/negative has all been in service to us fully expressing our Soul’s Purpose. I believe that the “universe leaves clues” every step of the way and that if we’re open to receive them, we can experience tremendous synchronicity, ease and flow.  But if we’re consciously or subconsciously not open to receive them, or we’re knowingly or unknowingly blocked from receiving them, that’s when we experience struggle, hardship, restlessness and discontent.  Which sometimes shows up as the proverbial “2 x 4 across the forehead”.

While it appears we weren’t always given the exact roadmap to follow to fulfill our Soul’s Purpose, I believe we’ve been given many markers and signposts along the way.  And those signs can be either very subtle or very…well, not.

I think exploring this concept is important is because it flips our perception of reality on its ear, in some cases by 180 degrees.  It requires us to come from personal responsibility, accountability, honor, integrity, congruence, courage, commitment, and empowerment.  I refer to this as the victory game.

From that place, there is no victim, entitlement, excuses, settling, guilt, shame, blame, “who did what to whom”, giving up, or acting out.  I refer to this as the victim game.

It doesn’t mean that sometimes the sh*t doesn’t hit the fan or that you didn’t go through difficult or even traumatic experiences.  It certainly can and does…even for prolonged periods of time (even years and decades!)

But when it does, how do you respond vs. react to it?  Are you able to see where each person had a part to play in what happened?  Can you identify what part you had to play?  Can you identify what lesson was there for you to learn to move you closer to your Soul Purpose?  If so, that means you have some personal and spiritual growth work to do.  If not, that also means you have some personal and spiritual growth work to do, too!

A lot of people talk about spiritual grounding, empowerment, personal power, self-confidence, etc.  But I don’t actually see a lot of people living, being and embodying all those things. Playing the victory game requires a commitment and dedication to all of the attributes listed above.  I believe that if we are ruthlessly dedicated to our personal and spiritual growth work with a “victory” mentality (even when we don’t feel like it), it all works out better than we ever could have planned it.

Let me give you one example from my own personal life.  And yes, it’s personal.  I’m sharing this to illustrate how making key decisions along the way can shape the rest of our lives.

When I was at the US Air Force Academy, I developed a severe eating disorder, bulimia, which continued through my active duty service as an officer.  I was even hospitalized for over 4 months and medically discharged from the Air Force.  I continued seeking traditional treatments, but nothing worked.  After all the years of therapy and counseling, I could have given up by blaming it all on my family, saying it wasn’t fair, I’m stuck with this the rest of my life, etc.  But instead, I chose the victory game of “how am I going to overcome this”.

That’s when I began exploring non-traditional, holistic, complimentary forms of treatment.  I studied and learned about 2 dozen different modalities.  Many of them left me feeling good, but none of them gave me lasting results. I could have given up saying I tried everything, I’m stuck with this, nothing works, etc.  Again, I chose the victory game.

Finally, when I learned to change my subconscious beliefs, I experienced a shift with the eating disorder in 6 weeks as well as other areas of my life.  Ultimately, this led me to begin training people how to change their subconscious beliefs.  By choosing the victory game, my biggest obstacle became my biggest blessing in the form of my business.  Every obstacle was a choice point and each step along the way was purposeful.  Each gave me valuable insights and lessons I needed to help others make major life changes in their business and personal lives, which is a big part of my Soul’s Purpose.

I’m now grateful every day for the eating disorder because it was a key to revealing and expressing my Purpose in the world.

So, here is the 7 step “What Would Victory Do” process to apply in your life:

1. Reflect on some of the challenges and obstacles you’ve overcome and are now facing.
2. Notice how choosing either victim or victory impacted your life and what you learned from it.
3. Identify areas where you can step up your victory game.
4. Clear any subconscious beliefs, blocks or obstacles.
5. Trust and take empowered action based on “what would victory do”.
6. Learn as you grow, get feedback, and make course corrections.
7. Enjoy the results of your victorious, purpose-full journey.

So, next time you find yourself slipping into a victim slump, remember these 7 steps to set you right again!  Simply ask yourself:  “What Would Victory Do?”  Trust your knowing and enjoy your path to Victory.