98% of the population in the United States would say that success only happens to “the lucky ones”. I didn’t make that number up! It’s proven! I’ve read books, I’ve done research, I’ve talked to my friends, acquaintances, family…. it’s true! So what defines “the lucky ones” to you? Are they the ones who are born into money or circumstance? Are they the ones who make their first investment and it blows into millions? Are they the ones that enter a contest and wins? I’m here to tell you that it’s not likely! I have been the one in your shoes who really thought that everyone who had it better than me was just “lucky”. The more I research, though, the more I realize that everyone….EVERYONE…has a story! They have done “the hard stuff”. WE, as society, just don’t realize that part….
Steve Harvey says…..”you weren’t there when I was homeless, living in my car….no…YOU MISSED THAT….you weren’t there when everyone told me that I wasn’t good enough…no…YOU MISSED THAT….you weren’t there when I was straying from the Lord…..no…YOU MISSED THAT….
The point is, everyone who is what we like to call “successful” has paid their dues. They have been through the deepest waters, the biggest failures, the sweetest satan-driven paths…And they have persevered!
Success is ALWAYS…ALWAYS paid for in advance. I don’t care who you are…you always have to do the work to be successful in whatever it is that harbors your passion and your purpose. It isn’t easy. It will NEVER be easy. I don’t care how much technology advances.
An amazing Hillsong song says, “Spirit lead me where my faith is without borders.”. If you can find the place where your faith is WITHOUT borders… or pray for the place where you feel your faith HAS borders to be broken down to a place of total trustful faith….THAT is where you need to start building your foundation to your success! We all know that we have to have a solid foundation before we can build ANYTHING! So pray that God breaks down those borders so that you can take your next step!
Set your goals and be CLEAR in those goals. Without clarity, you will never reach your goals because your goals were never clear to begin with. You can’t make a business plan or an action plan and “think” that you were “close” enough to cross it off. Either you reached your goal or you didn’t….CLARITY.
I recently revisited some notes that I’d written during a conference that I’d attended and… much to my surprise, I really did get to cross some things off…. or at least find comfort in the fact that I was really actively working on some of the goals that I’d written that I’d forgotten that I wrote!!! It was a welcomed reminder that I have a bigger purpose! Now, I hope that you aren’t reading this thinking that you are reading words from someone who has it all figured out or has her stuff together…. if so, you should probably stop. I don’t. However, I have my inner circle of like-minded people that helps encourage me to persevere through my fear!
I don’t know how many of you know my brother, Russell, but for those of you who don’t….. he’s such an amazing person. Even if he wasn’t my brother, and I met him through my networking, I would know…. he’s on to something! He’s got God at the center of it all and he has the mindset of someone who is going to do the work to find success in what he wants to do and what God wants him to do! I am so blessed in that! To the exclusion of everything else, he is going to pinpoint, and stick to, his non-negotiable goals. I am so excited, not only to know and love him, but to join him in those and to share mine with him! I encourage you to find someone in this world that can be, to you, what my brother is to me!
One piece of advice that I can give you is to invest in yourself. Find webinars that you can attend, read articles, talk to ones that have BEEN THERE!
You have to find what it is that you are passionate about. What do you love to do and what are you good at? What makes you happiest? Find that purpose and hold on to it! The two most important days of your life:
The day that you are born
and
The day that you figure out why…
The last piece of advice that I will leave you with today is…. if you want to shoot down your big dreams, tell them to a small minded person….
TRUST ME… we all have people in our lives that, while we love them as people, we know, deep down, that they will not encourage our dreams. So, while we are excited to feel what we feel and learn what we are learning, there will always be people close to us that we need not share what we are doing with. They will find cracks and errors in everything that we do and think. It may not be that they aren’t good people… but they do not have the mindset that we do! It’s not that you are proclaiming that you are “better than them” by not sharing…. it’s just that you need to ensure that you are only moving forward in your goals and not backwards by letting negative thoughts and energy into your plans! You can tell them your story once you’ve reached your big goals! And it will be good! Because God brought you through the fire and it did not consume you! Always remember, your comfort zone is your failure zone!
Bye for now,
RR
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