Going through my email inbox recently, I came across a newsletter from one of the better known folks in the personal development movement. The title of his newsletter was “The Difference Between Winners and Losers.” 

My reaction to the title was probably the opposite of what the author had hoped for, because I was so disturbed by it that I immediately deleted the newsletter without reading any further. And even though deleting it meant that I might miss an important nugget of truth lodged somewhere in the article, I just couldn’t wrap my heart and my brain around the word “Losers.”

Because in my mind, there are no losers! That’s a word used to write people off, a way to discount the potential that each one of us has for discovering and using our unique talents and gifts to make a positive difference in the world. And it offers no hope of recovery from whatever it is that has prevented us from creating and living our Best Lives to that point.

The truth is that wherever we are in life, even if we believe that things couldn’t get any worse than they are right now, we have the potential to rise above our heartbreaks and setbacks to find our footing and move in the direction of our Best Lives. 

So with that said, I believe that we need to embrace a new term: “Winners-in-Waiting.” These are the folks among us who have not yet discovered and embraced their gifts, talents and purpose for being in the world. But as long as they, and we, have the breath to do so, there is always hope.

Carpe Diem!