Easy is a Hard Life

What happens when you face a challenge? There are two routes: You can push through and overcome the challenge or you back away and seek other interests. Unless the situation is necessary for living, most of us would choose the latter. Of course, we don’t want to live a hard life. We like it to be easy. However, if you think about it, easy can also be greatly dissatisfying. I can step on some toes by saying this, but easy can also be replaced with lazy. Yes, I said it. LAZY. Think about it. How many of us like our job? Statistics show that nearly 80% of American workers don’t like their job (How many of us dread Monday, are always happy for Friday, and complain about the weekends being too short? Then yes, you are in this category, too!). I don’t care where you came from or your experience, all of us can have our dream job or lifestyle. God didn’t makejunk! The reason why most of us live in mediocrity is because we feel it’s too hard to live any other way or we simply don’t even try because we listen to the dream stealers. You can give me any reason (excuse) you want, but it will all come down to you thinking it’s too hard and you don’t want to make the effort to make it better. Now I come from an ordinary background. I haven’t experienced the drama that others have, but I have read several stories and have associations with several people that have had lived pretty rough growing up. However, the ones I kept associations with are the ones that instead reacting to their past, they took action and rose above it all. This tells me that there are really no excuses. It’s just a matter of how bad you want it. Think about what ‘easy’ has done to most of us. When you were in grade school, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you achieve it? Most of us didn’t. Why not? Well, we found what it took to get there, and we listened to others on how hard it will be and they killed our dream. We were taught that failing is not a good thing. So we went with what was easy. That’s how we landed the job we don’t like and that’s why we live the lifestyle we didn’t plan on living. So easy is not getting us anywhere.

Easy is broke.

Easy is having regrets.

Easy is giving up.

Easy is settling.

Easy is surrendering.

Easy is being closed-minded.

Easy is not trying.

So what am I trying to say here? Live a hard life? Not necessarily. To me, living easy seems harder than working towards a dream. I don’t like anything that easy brings, so I enjoy a steady challenge where the end result brings a sense of purpose and gratification. Success is found outside of your comfort zone. In order to obtain your goals, your dreams, your lifestyle, it’s going to be hard. It wouldn’t be rewarding if it wasn’t hard. Nothing gratifying is easy. Receiving my college degree was a lot more gratifying than receiving my high school diploma. Being able to start my own businesswas a lot more gratifying than landing a job. Getting a sale in my business is a lot more gratifying than receiving a paycheck at work. If you are satisfied with a mediocre lifestyle, then I’ll pray for you. God did not put us here to not have a prosperous and abundant life. Read Jeremiah 29:11 and John 10:10. We have all been given the gift of life, but this gift is not repeated. With this gift, we have been granted that we can have any life we can imagine, but in order to have that life, you have to deserve it. And to deserve it, unfortunately doesn’t come easy. You have to take the necessary steps, overcome the challenges, and develop the right mindset to earn the life that was planned for you. The date with destiny has already been set. You just have to keep the appointment, and you keep the appointment by going through the process. When you are going for your dreams, the things that use to matter won’t matter anymore. The bigger challenges in life will make those small cares and worries that used to get you down all the time go away. Living check to check won’t bother you if you are working on a plan that will give you financial freedom. Just don’t give up! Don’t be scared! Don’t be afraid to fail. We have to fail in order to learn. Success is a poor teacher. Massive success is only obtained by multiple or significant failures. Don’t listen to what people say. If you buy their opinion, you buy their lifestyle. Only listen to those who have what you want.

I encourage you to take some time tonight and think about those dreams and goals you once had and write them down in a place you can view them every morning. Make a plan to action and work towards it. Embrace the challenges that come along with working towards your goal and remember those challenges are there for you to be ready to receive your reward. If you fail, learn from and keep going. Tom Watson says, “Double your rate of failure.” Shun yourself from the naysayers. Remember, there’s never been a statue built for a critic. Most critics are haters anyway. But don’t fall victim to living the easy (lazy) life. You are better. You and your family deserve better. Go get yours!

Live To Dream Big!

Receiving Your Breakthrough

“You’re right on the edge of a breakthrough,

God knows everything you’re going through,

Your test and trials will make you stronger,

You just hang in there, just a little while longer,

Don’t give up on your breakthrough,

It may not come when you want to,

You just hang on in there just a little while

You shall receive your breakthrough.”

-

Greg Hoover and the Charlotte Community Singers

Breakthrough:

1.

An act of overcoming or penetrating an obstacle or restriction.

2.

An offensive thrust that penetrates and carries beyond a defensive line in warfare.

I like the second definition the best. Don’t you feel like you are in a war with life’s obstacles sometimes? If not, I suggest that you get in that mindset. I’m not speaking of a violent mindset, but a mindset that gives the intensity and determination that will defend your anticipated success and the offense needed to penetrate the enemy (obstacle) enough to ‘kill’ it. So many times I feel that we let our opponent defeat us a little too easily. Even the small opponents sometimes defeat us. Inside we want that breakthrough, but we don’t have the strength and/or the faith to receive it. In reality, you simply just need to change the mindset. In order to have the right mindset, it simply only takes three things that I found hidden in the lyrics of the song above:

1. Form the right team. God knows everything that you’re going through. He is above all and knows all. Put Him in front to lead you. Proverbs 3:5-6 says to trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. Believe in him, and he will direct your path. Imagine the relief you will feel if you simply ‘let go and let God!’ Don’t try to be the leader of your destiny. God already knows the plan He has for you, and He knows the best route. Let him guide you. Also, surround yourself around people who also believe in Him and in you. There are only two types of people in this world; those that will stretch your vision or choke your dreams. Be around those that can help you stretch your vision and limit or eliminate your association with those that take the air out of you and make you weak. I don’t care if you are Kobe Bryant fan or not (I am not), but he would not have been able to win championships if he didn’t have the strong team that he has. I don’t care how good he is. In order to overcome your obstacles, you need to surround yourself around those people that help you look and feel stronger.

2. Remember your past successes. We have all accomplished something in our lives, whether it’s something like graduating high school, or something as small finishing a book. Remember that feeling you had? How did it feel? Think about that feeling you had and use that give you the fuel to overcome your current obstacle. Every test and trial that we go through makes us stronger. The bigger the obstacles and the more obstacles we encounter, the stronger we become. Know that God doesn’t place these obstacles in our lives to give us a hard time. He knows what he wants of you, and what you are capable of. Jeremiah 29:11 says that He knows that plans he has for you. Plans to make your prosper, and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. To provide this future of prosperity, you have to pass these tests. Think about these obstacles of not a hardship on your life, but as a test that you need to pass in order to deserve the future that is set for you to have.

2. Have faith. Once you have let go and God and youhave the right team behind you and once you inserted some fuel of strength from past success, you know have what you need to have faith to know that you can get through this. God believes in you. The people that you have surrounded yourself with believe in you. All this belief combined with your belief puts you in the mindset from doubting yourself and too weak to even attempt to penetrate to having all the strength and faith to know that you can overcome and receive your breakthrough and take yourself to the next level! It may not be immediate, so you have to be patient. As like most tests, life tests have a timer attached to it as well. In order to receive the full reward of receiving your breakthrough, it must be done at the time God says it is time. But know it will always happen ‘right on time.’

So just hang in there a little while. Your breakthrough is coming. If you have formed the right team, have the strength to push through with faith, you shall receive your breakthrough. You will burst through that defensive line that is preventing you from advancing in life and win the war! You are entitled to your victory! Go get it!

Live To Dream Big!

Welcome Back To Life

“Welcome back to life” was what President Pinera of Chile said to each miner as they were rescued from being over two thousand feet below the surface. Out of everything said during these dramatic 22+ hours of rescuing 33 miners, that stuck with me most. These men were stuck with no contact to the world for 17 days, yet still didn’t give up. They spent another 52 more days living underground but having faith that they were going to be rescued. There was some encouragement, as some were supplied with food and water, and one was even able to communicate to his girlfriend and received a wedding proposal. He was to be married once he got out of there. However, it was mostly faith they depended on most, believing that they were truly going to be rescued. You have to wonder what was going through their minds; if any doubts popped in their head. One miner did mention that he was in a constant fight with between God and the devil. Obviously, God win, and He always will. Once they were rescued, doctors said they healthier than they expected, and they were smiling, singing, chanting, kneeling and praying, and hugging their loved ones. They didn’t even seem like they were stuck underground for 69 days. I know certain it was their faith in God and God’s will that allowed this miracle to happen. If they gave up and had no faith they were going to make it, I can guarantee none would have survived.

I was truly inspired this evening, witnessing this event. It reminded me that when life gets you down, you have the choice to get back up (Okay, I watched the Karate Kid tonight as well that said that!) You have the chance to fight back and not let life dictate how it should go. You let life teach you how to overcome the obstacles so you can become strong enough to press forward and go after your dreams. “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude towards what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering the change rather than allowing it to master you.” -Sri Ram.

Many of us will have a dramatic experience in our life, and we are blessed to be able to decide on how to handle the situation. We can either choose to let the drama capture us or we can choose dig deep within ourselves and be bigger than the situation and overcome. The miners didn’t see life as being over. They united together and encouraged each other every day, praying constantly, and kept the faith that they will be able to enjoy life again. And because they did not give up, they were rewarded by ‘coming back to life.’ They were greeted by the President of their country with open arms, being one of their biggest cheerleaders. They are receiving unimaginable invitations and riches from all over the world because of what they were able to overcome. Of course, they did not expect all of this. What they did expect, however, is that they will be given another chance. Now am I saying that big drama will bring you a big reward? Well . . . . kind of. It won’t always be handed to you like in this situation. Once you overcome an obstacle in your life, you have reached another level and are closer to being deserving of your destiny. You have to put in the work to get what you want.

Tonight, I was inspired become a stronger person. Become stronger in my faith in God, become stronger in my faith in what I believe I’m designed to become, and become stronger in my faith that I’m capable of overcoming any obstacle that comes in to my life.

“It’s not what happens that determines where you’ll go. It’s what you with what happens. What happens, happens to us all. It’s not the wind that determines our destination. The same wind blows on us all. It is the set of the sail.” -Jim Rohn.

LIVE TO DREAM BIG!

Making The Journey Count: The main element of freedom

Two years ago was a new beginning for me. Many of you don’t know that I was at the lowest point that I have ever been in my life, and I needed something to help get me back to positive, ambitious self again. I called on God and I didn’t expect for him to act so fast. I truly believe that God answers prayers, but only at the time He knows is best. The best time may not always be immediate. He comes when you’re ready. Apparently, I was ready to receive whatever He was going to give to me. I went to bed one night and had a dream that I knew I would be the only one able to interpret the way He wanted me to interpret it. In the dream, I was stuck in traffic on the freeway on my way to a business lunch appointment. While being at a complete stop on the freeway, I was thinking about going back to school and earn my masters degree in business. My full time job has tuition reimbursement, so I wouldn’t have to worry about needing money to pay for it (This was interesting to me, because I never planned on going back to school. I was doing well in my career, approaching almost a decade at that place, and my business does really well when I work it). While I was thinking this in my head, my dream switched to me still being on the freeway, but I’m in the emergency lane on a bicycle. I’m not peddling, but I’m kicking with my feet down this empty lane.

I’ll tell you how I interpreted that dream at the end of this blog, but a less than a month later, I started my first class at the University of Phoenix in the MBA program. A couple of months later, I attended a multi-cultural business expo and networking event. I got a lot of contacts and had another vision pop in my head; start a Black chamber of commerce. I made a phone call and acted on it. I’ll get to what has happened since then at the end of this blog as well. I wanted to start off with those experiences to set up what came to my mind today as I was driving home from church. Pastor’s sermon on prayer didn’t directly spark my thinking, but possibly just the events over the weekend and finishing it off with a good church service helped my thinking process. I was thinking about people I have met along my journey, and how amazed I am at the people who take this life for granted. Not only do you not know when your journey will end here on Earth, but you only have one chance. Most of us are caught up in the day to day hustle and bustle, and not think about your purpose here or really give the goals you want to achieve some real thought. To me, not striving to live up to your full potential is unacceptable. Being content is just plain lazy and selfish. One of Jesus’ parables talks about three individuals given talents. Two put their talents to work and reaped significant benefits, while the third did not put his talent to work. Instead, he hid his and ended up having his talent taken away and was thrown to the outer darkness. We all are given different gifts and talents. We have one life to put these talents to work, we will go from ‘being faithful in a few things, to being master over many.’ However, if we don’t . . . . well you know how the rest of parable goes. You may think this is harsh, but that’s reality for you. So MAKE YOUR JOURNEY COUNT! You are not put here just to live a mediocre life. You can’t let the drama come in to your life and discourage you from your dreams. The definition of life is simply drama mixed with opportunity. The drama comes to give you the experience and strength to receive the gifts coming to you. Settling for what it is easy to avoid the drama prevents you from being ready for what life can really be for you. One of my favorite quotes from Jim Rohn says:

“Don’t wish it were easier. Wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges. Wish for more wisdom.”

Becoming better with more skills and wisdom comes by overcoming the challenges and problems that come in to your life. I remember when I was 11 years old and tried contact football for the first time. I was the smallest guy on the team and I felt like I had the smallest pads as well, because I entered late. Throughout the season, I was scared of being hit because I saw how hard others got hit. So I took all the easy routes I could when I was in the game. However, after I got hit a few times, and took some pretty good ones from kids twice my size, playing got easier, and I began to have more fun and stopped being scared. Our second to last game, I underplayed a receiver on a play and he received a long pass, I had to run as fast as I could to get back to him and tackled him from behind. He was about 10 yards from a touchdown. A touchdown was what they needed to come back and win the the game. The next play, a pass was thrown to other side of the field from where I was, and I ran to that side and made the game-winning tackle. I was hauled up by my assistant coach and took took down the sideline to allow everyone to give me a pat on the back and tell me, “great job!” The next game, I intercepted a pass and got the call to stay in the game to be at running back. The first play from scrimmage was for me and I took it half the field for my first touchdown. I recognition I received after that play was so much that I got choked up and broke out in to tears of joy. I would have never received that if I kept playing scared.

How many of us are playing scared? How many of us are scared to get hit in life? We need those hits to make us stronger. We need those hits so life becomes easier. When you get hit, you simply get back up, dust yourself, and you’re more prepared for the next hit. If you’re like me, you’re curious to see how much harder of hit you can take. You want it to come! You ever see a football game and see someone take a brutal hit, and they bounce up fast and pound their chest? That’s the adrenaline and attitude we need throughout our life. Because the harder the hit we take, the more prepared we are and even more excited, because now we know we can play harder and take us up a notch! That’s the main key right there, though if you haven’t caught on yet. If you have a challenge in life, MAKE IT COUNT! What I mean by that is overcome that challenge. Don’t run away from yet. Take it, learn and grow from it and you are ready for the next step in life. Whether anything good or bad happens in your life, MAKE IT COUNT! Don’t ever let the experiences in your life go unrecognized. The combination of all the challenges and achievements you have in your life are designed to get you to the next step, but you have to learn and grow from each of them. You have to learn why you have these experiences and gain all you can from them, and keep moving no . . . . matter . . . . what. You may not think anything is happening at all, but keep grinding, and stay on the path. The book of Proverbs says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Believe in Him, and He will guide your path.” Tell Him what you want and let him guide you. You keep working towards your goals and don’t let anything get you down. Some times it may feel like it’s not going anywhere, but there’s a process you have go through. There’s a combination that must be unlocked, and you are going through life getting one number at a time. Some experiences may not get you anywhere, but these same experiences lead to something that does give you exactly what you needed. The New Testament tells of a story about a young boy who is possessed. The disciples did everything they could to heal the boy, but they couldn’t do it. The panicked mother saw Jesus and called on Him for help. She said to Jesus that if He could heal your possessed son, she would be so grateful. So Jesus went over the boy and put his hand on him. The boy suddenly went stiff for a while as if he were dead. Then he opened his eyes and got up, and he was healed. Jesus then said to the mother that it wasn’t a matter if he could heal her son, it was a matter if she believed. Sometimes your experiences may seem like they didn't take you anywhere and your life may seem like it's dull or stiff. Folks, you just have to have the faith that it will be done. If you believe within yourself and trust in God, you can reach your dreams. Don’t let this life slide away from without accomplishing what you want out of this life. It’s yours! It’s waiting for you! You just have to let go and get ‘hit’ every now and then, but MAKE IT COUNT! Get up and know you that life is going to be a little easier now. You have more skills and more wisdom to conquer the next one.

I had financial issues, but I learned from them and will be debt free very soon. I made it count. I had a marriage fail, but I learned and gained from that experience and I now I have an amazing woman in life. I would have never been able to be in a relationship with Michelle if I didn’t let my past mold me and I corrected myself. I made it count. Now back to my dream. How I interpreted that dream is that I have opportunities ahead of me. I have a clear lane that I can take and pass everyone else that is stuck in traffic because I’m on a bicycle and can ride the emergency lane. However, I wasn’t even peddling to get to my appointment. Instead I’m just kicking my feet making very slow progress. If I just started peddling and gained some speed, I could reach my destination a lot faster. The bicycle was my potential. The emergency lane was the opportunities that were presented before me. The appointment were my dreams. The peddles represent getting my masters degree. Even though I have a business that has a system in place to obtain my dreams, I still trusted God and went back to school. It wasn’t until I graduated, I truly understood why I took that path. It gave me a different mindset and a larger vision of my purpose. I was struggling developing my strategic plan for ACCEL (http://www.accelut.org), my chamber of commerce for the state of Utah. I knew I wanted to start a chamber and knew it would be a good thing for the state, but now I see it as something greater than a chamber. This organization is designed for everyone to MAKE IT COUNT!! I want to help people realize their full potential and ‘get out of being stuck in traffic and get in the emergency lane.’ Stay tuned in the next couple of months to see what ACCEL is going to be all about. This is my opportunity to share with the community my enthusiasm and vision for the next five years. I started two years ago way below my normal level, and now I am at a level where I’m ready to accept the experiences God is going to give to me. I’m ready to take any challenge or ‘hit’ that comes my way know He won’t give me anything that I can’t handle without His help. I’m going to MAKE MY JOURNEY COUNT!! Are you?

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” -Isa. 40.31

Imagine a bank . . . . .

Imagine there is a bank which credits your account each morning with $86,400,

carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance,

and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you failed to use during

the day.

What would you do? Draw out every cent , of course!

Well, everyone has such a bank. Its name is TIME!!!!

Each morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as

lost whatever of this time you have failed to invest to good purpose. It

carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new

account for you. Each night it burns the records of the day. If you fail to use

the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back! There is no

drawing against "tomorrow." You must live in the present of today's deposits.

Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success.

The clock is running. Make the most of today.....

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed his final exam.

To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who has given birth to a

premature baby.

To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of ONE DAY, ask a daily wage laborer who has five kids

to feed.

To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask the person who has just missed the

train.

To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask the person who has survived an

accident.

To realize the value of ONE MILLI-SECOND, ask the person who has won a gold

medal.

Treasure every moment that you have. Time is a coin you can spend only once.

Use it, invest it, make it count, and treasure it more because you shared it

with someone special...special enough to have your time...and remember time

waits for no one. Grab it and use it wisely day after day!!

Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have. You will

treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.

All You Have Is One Life

Hauling Buckets


I read a story in a very popular book that really opened my eyes, and encouraged me to do what I’m doing right now. I’ll sum it up real quick for you.

There was a king in a village that was looking for a way to increase the water supply in the village. So he commissioned two individuals with this opportunity and offered to compensate them based upon how well they were able to bring water in to the village from the local river.

The first person, John, immediately took advantage of this opportunity, and got a few of his homies together (my wording here) with some buckets, and began hauling buckets back and forth from the river in to the main well of the village. John was really excited, because the other person that was given this commission, Robert, was nowhere to be found. So they continued hauling buckets back and forth. There were times that one of them became tired, wanted a vacation, got sick, and needed someone to cover for them. Either way it was very important that they kept the steady flow of water that they have been doing in order to keep the same compensation coming in.

Some time later, Robert appears. But he appears all by himself. However, he had plans and equipment with him. With these materials, he built a pipe from the village to the main well. The pipeline automatically flowed water from the river in to the well. Robert didn’t have to be there to work it. Whether he was present or not, he was compensated by the king for his pipeline. He was able to utilize his time for whatever he pleased.

I tell you this story to ask you this question. Are you hauling buckets or are you building a pipeline? If you are the only one bringing in income, when will you ever be able to stop working? Many people today live for today, which is great. You should treat each day as a masterpiece. However, at the same time, these same people rely on what they have learned from the general population on how to take care of their future. Meaning, most people leave their future up to 401k, IRA, social security, and other types of investments that are not guaranteed. Did you know the retirement age of 65 was decided at a time when the average life expectancy wasn’t even 60? Secondly, why would you want to retire this late in your life? The average life expectancy these days is not even 80. I’m writing this on a day when two very well known individuals passed away at the age of 50 and 62. Neither of them making it to the retirement age. My grandfather retired in his 80s, and he only retired because his body told him to. Otherwise he would have continued working, because he had to.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend most of my life contributing 40 HOURS A WEEK to someone else’s dream so I can just live day to day. I'm building a pipeline so I can have a lifestyle. I see on Facebook all the time; people having a case of the Monday’s or TGIF. If you don’t like what you are doing, why don’t you make an effort to change? We only have one life. It’s short, and we don’t even know if tomorrow’s promised to us. Most of you reading this live in the only country where you hear the word ‘dream’ after the name. Yet most of us Americans never take advantage of the dream. Everyone else in other countries see it, come here, and take advantage. Don’t hate! Participate! There are so many ‘pipeline’ opportunities out there, and I’m positive that there is one waiting for you, and it’s not the lottery. Everyone wants to win the lottery, however, rarely does a winner of a lottery have the mentality and philosophy to match the income they just won, and lose it fast. I would rather work full time on my job and part time on my fortune for 10 years and true financial and time freedom, than work full time on my job for 40 years and not have the freedom I want when I retire. Besides, why would you want to work to that age anyway? Only have 10-15 years to play? I want to play as early as I possibly can. There’s no time to waste. 50 cent said, “Get rich or die trying.” I know understand what he’s saying. Why settle for what life offers, when you have dreams for more. Go after them. Don’t be scared. There won’t be another chance. Once this life is over, it’s over. Don't waste it. Quit hauling buckets, and build a pipeline so you can live the life you’ve always imagined. “Live To Dream Big!”

Why I Stay Busy

"Lazy hands bring poverty, but hard-working hands bring riches." Proverbs 10:4.

You can make money or you can make excuses, but you can't make both.

Let me also say, riches or wealth is not just about money. Although money is important, especially if you don't have any or you don't have enough to enjoy the things life can offer you. Wealth can also be possessions, great relationships, and resources.

But I want to break this verse down for just a moment and let you know what if means to me.

Laziness is the vehicle that will drive you down the path of sin. Especially, in the environment that we live in today, it is so easy to become involved in bad habits, addictions, and bad philosophies. By being disinclined to any activity or exertion will lead to self-satisfaction or pride, which is sin (Proverbs 6:16-19 and James 4:6). Therefore, in order to be on the righteous path, and reap the promises that He promised us, we must be busy for His Kingdom.

It was also taught to me that your income is calculated by the value you bring to the marketplace. The bigger the problem you solve, the bigger the paycheck. Think about what you are doing to provide for your household. What kind of value are you bringing to the marketplace?

I consider myself to be the busiest lazy person I know. There is still some laziness in me, but I'm committed to change my mindset and philosophy that will enable me to have a larger desire to work hard and bring abundance in my life.

People say they are busy, but what are they busy doing? Is it serving their purpose? Is it productive? It bugs me when people say, "I don't have time." I found that only lazy people say that. Hard-working people say, "I haven't made the time," or "I need to make time." Regardless of how busy someone is, if there's an opportunity to make his or her life better, a hard-working individual will make time for it. Saying you don't have the time is just an excuse.

It's amazing how much time is taken by the habits that you have. People may feel like they are busy, but it's simply because of the habit or routine that they have in place. The priorities are not in the right place. Think about it this way. If money was tight, you would sacrifice some things to get a second job. However, there are some who where money is not tight enough that they need a second job, but they sacrifice their future and their dreams and remain being comfortable being uncomfortable (let that sink in for a minute). "If you want something you've never have, you much do something you've never done." -Dr. Mike Murdock

Lazy people are those that want the 'quick buck.' They want the easy life. "If it's easy, it's sleazy." This verse teaches us that the ONLY way to receive the abundance that He promised us (Matthew 10:10) is through hard work. Easy doesn't last long. Think of those individuals that won millions in the lottery. How come you don't hear about them any more? Because they're broke. If you're going to strive to become a millionaire, don't primarily do it for the money. Money can come and go at any time. Become a millionaire for the individual that you will become.

Hard work can lead to so many things. In my path of hard work, the money is not where I want it to be, but that's okay. I know that it's coming. I have become wealthy in so many other ways, I feel money is the only thing left. I have built extraordinary relationships, with some extraordinary people that have an extraordinary vision to increase life. Through my hard work, I have developed resources that will allow me to not only keep myself growing in life, but enable me to be a better servant leader in my business and community. It's simply only a matter of time for me to reap the financial rewards from how hard I have worked.

In closing, I believe there are three things one must do to know that they are working hard. The first and most important is to serve. Serving many leads to greatness (Matthew 20: 25-28). Second, you must sow. Plant seeds within opportunities everywhere you can, and allow time for some of the seeds to grow and reap the harvest. Not of all of them will flourish, that's why you have to keep planting (Luke 8:5-15). Lastly, in order to consider yourself to be working hard, you must, study. Be a seeker of wisdom and knowledge to allow to take advantage of all the available opportunities out there (Proverbs 24:5-6). Even if you don't consider yourself a college person, there are many millionaires out there without college degrees. They just became a good study of their purpose. There are so many books out there on just about anything. You can attend seminars, and just classes here and there. Simply be a good study of hard work.
If you diligently study, be a good and faithful servant, and obey the law of sowing and reaping, you are the hard worker that will provide you the riches.

DREAM BIG!