“I put all that I had on a losing horse, should have backed myself instead.”

“I put all that I had on a losing horse, should have backed myself instead.”

I should have backed myself instead!!!

I've heard this line so many times, but this time I heard it in a way that I hadn't heard before.

How often do you all put your hopes in something external, something or someone that will come and “save” you from whatever you are experiencing?

If you look at that line above, gambling, or hoping for a win from an external source, is an avoidance tactic from actually doing what you know you need to do.

So what losing horses are you backing and where should you be backing yourself instead?

You need to find the courage to step up and see how far you can go,

Stop allowing yourself to be knocked off course by someone else,

Stop giving away your power,

And leaving your future in the hands of other people's ideas and thoughts of what's best for your life

If you take responsibility, and start backing yourself,

Stop gambling on hope, and invest in yourself.

Recently I was looking back at how much I've invested in myself on my personal growth journey in the last 11 years, and it's fast approaching 6 figures.

Add in the financial sacrifices we made the first few years after I left my job and it’s looking more like 3 times that amount.

You might read this thinking I’m mad…..and I would have agreed with you prior to my first financial investment in myself.

What I know now is those investments have paid themselves back in terms of the financial opportunities I've had since then.

But more importantly than that, it's paid itself back 100 times in what it's given me in terms of my peace of mind, sense of calm, sense of fulfilment, and ability to feel joy

I’ve acquired the ability to rehab so much of the pain, anger and anguish that I was carrying,

The physical pain cleared as I continued to grow myself.

I've been backing myself for 11 years after I hadn't for the previous 38.

As it turned out, leaving my future success to other people, to chance, I was betting on a losing horse.

I’ve been able to go from giving my power away and hoping for change to backing myself, and knowing that I can change my circumstances by investing in me.

Yes financially, but it's also about investing physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, energetically……backing myself holistically and doing the best that I can.

Because if grief has taught me anything is that you only get one crack at this lifetime!

It's not forever.

And if you haven't already, there are moments where you realise that you're spinning the wheels.

Life’s not forever and there's so much more to be had.

I can remember dad's funeral, thinking about all that he'd achieved, all the nice things people were saying about him and all that he’d done for others, and I was like,

“Man, I've done none of those things!”

That was my moment of change to back myself.

You've already had your moment of challenge, you've had the pain.

Don't keep waiting for another one.

It's time for action and only you can control that.

Back yourself!