What do you see when you look into the mirror? Do you see a joyful and genuine person? Do you see one overwhelmed with stress and guilt from past decisions? Do you see an individual who is doing their very best to be the person God would have them to be?

A few years ago, my wife and I abandoned our daily routine and escaped to Abu Dhabi and Dubai for a week. One night, after enjoying an evening of fun on a 6-hour desert safari tour, I became very thirsty and started looking for a bottle of water. Upon my search, I stumbled across a full-length mirror with the following words written on the frame: ‘Take a good look at yourself; this is what the world sees.” The owner of that mirror was reminding everyone to examine themselves because all noteworthy battles are waged within yourself.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves and find out if you really are true to your faith. If you pass the test, you will discover that Christ is living in you. But if Christ isn’t living in you, you have failed.” In other words, we need to look in the mirror for the growing presence of Christ’s power in our lives. It is only then will we know if we are becoming everything God created us to be or if we are merely imposters taking active steps to a life of emptiness.

Here is what I believe:

Everything you perceive, externally, is the manifestation of some internal part of you. If it was not, it would not be present in your perceived reality. Click To Tweet

Therefore, to accelerate to a place of success, we have to stop blaming others, discover our inner battles, and do the hard work of resolving the issues that are causing us problems. Remember, your only competition is the person you see in the mirror. Start working on yourself and eventually you’ll realize your competitors are fighting for second place.