Victorious Living

How are things going for you? Are you sitting on top of the world or at the bottom of a pile of problems? Were you born with a silver spoon in your mouth or raised on the wrong side of the tracks? Do you say that life dealt you a bad hand? Know what? You are in good company. Everyone has their share of troubles.

Success is easier if you have rich parents and a lot of talent. That doesn't mean that the less fortunate are left out of the good life. A study of great men will reveal that most of them had to overcome tremendous odds just to keep their head above water. If you are struggling for existence, you may be destined for greatness.

How far you go up the ladder depends largely on your outlook on life. You can have victorious living or you can have victim mentality. The choice is yours. It is all in how you approach life. Many consider themselves a victim. They are broke, life gave them a lemon, or someone did them wrong. All they can think about is "Poor me."

Don't live with victim mentality. It will choke all the joy out of you. You will have a miserable life. Learn from the past and go on. If you seek revenge because someone did you wrong, you are no better than they are. That's not your privilege; it is reserved for God. If they have punishment coming, they'll get it. What goes around comes around.

If you get angry when you think about what they did, you have given them the power to control your life. Take it back! You must have closure so that you can move on with your life. Forgive them and go on. Harboring all that bitterness inside you can give you ulcers or something worse. If that's all you can think about, you can't be successful.

On the other hand, you can enjoy victorious living. You were created in the image of God. You were not designed to wallow in self pity but to reach for the stars. Victorious living is looking at life from the top and not the bottom. It's living life to the full. It is approaching life like you expect to be successful.

Few pessimists achieve greatness because that's not their purpose. Whether they realize it or not, their purpose is to be miserable. The same is true of those with victim mentality. Your purpose should be to follow your dreams, to be thrilled by doing what you love to do. Nothing matches the satisfaction of a job well done. Follow your passion and the money will come. Even if you don't make a fortune, at least you can enjoy yourself.

Eleanor Roosevelt said it better than I can. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. That is what victorious living is all about. It is living like a champion. It is holding your head up high and taking your best swing at greatness.

You don't have to have a six-figure income to have victorious living. You just have to be grateful that you have a chance to make something of yourself. Victorious living is enjoying the simple pleasures of life and being thankful that you are alive. It is being content with what you have. It may not be fancy, but it's yours.

Your past experiences were your training ground. Whether you had an easy time, lost your shirt in an investment or were ripped off by someone, they were all meant to teach you something. The chances are that you learned more from the tough times than the easy ones. They served a purpose. Those who went through the depression in the thirties learned to save their money. That is what life is about-learning from mistakes. If you learn from them, you can achieve success.

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Lynn Bradley is the author of the paperback book, "Climbing the Heavenly Stairs." Learn what Jesus said about living life to the full. Discover how to go on to maturity. Find out how to get the feel of your faith. Read more at http://www.thelynnbradleybook.com