Growing up, I recall having all of these elaborate ambitions to be successful. At that particular time, my view of success was having a nice career in an environment where everyone’s face was adorned with a sincere smile. I’d have a huge office, like the ones we see in the movies, not like the cubicle I currently occupy- and in this office I’d be accompanied by a beautiful view of the ocean that led to a backdrop of the city. I’d take fancy girl-trips with my fancy-girl friends of equal or greater success levels, AND as if that’s not just the most ideal situation, I’d also have a housekeeper to take on my least desired duties, such as cleaning my room and stowing my laundry.

I dreamt of living a life full of fun and handpicked responsibilities. The funny thing about all that dreaming is that I never really dreamt of doing the ACTUAL WORK, I never really factored in the levels of hard smart work + dedication it would take to get there, and many of us don’t!

That is until we get serious about it, until we come into the realization that success doesn’t surface from handpicked responsibilities. Success takes effort, practice + CONSISTENCY. It requires doing some stuff you don’t enjoy. In my youth, I didn’t really see that part of the picture. I didn’t grow up in an environment of people who lived that lifestyle, people who had accomplished the level of success that I’d envisioned. But as I grew older, my environment changed, and so did my way of thinking.

As I began to witness success, I gained an appreciation for the process in which success is formed; I gained an understanding of what it takes. And let me tell you, elaborate offices, with exquisite vacations and unlimited, bubbly mimosa’s during Sunday brunch is a lifestyle that we can all appreciate, but it’s NOT a lifestyle that comes EASY, we have to be ready and willing to put in the work. We have to take a look at what happens BEHIND the scenes of that beautiful BIG picture. Rather than sitting back filling our lives with O-P-A “Other Peoples Accomplishment’s”, we need to reflect on the process and hustle it took for them to arrive to their #Glow up

 

Let’s observe some of the common practices, of wondrously successful people

I. Successful people START! I know, this seems like a no brainer, right? BUT, there are so many people in the world, who have brilliantly creative ideas, plans and aspirations, and you know what; they go to the grave with them. They spend countless hours wishing and dreaming, and planning and thinking, but they never really get around to mastering the art of DOING.
How can you expect to move into action, and grow in your purpose if you don’t get started?
As Martin Lawrence would say, “ GET. TO. STEPPIN’!” Your creatively brilliant ideas are only as GOOD as your ACTIONS and your RETURN is only as solid as your INVESTMENT. Move in the direction of your purpose, and reap the benefits that flourish from your commitment.
Don’t spend your entire life dreaming. Honey, its time to get out here and DO something, It’s time to BOSS-UP!

 

 

II. Quitting’s NEVER an option… If you have something you want, and you’re serious about obtaining it, you have to be willing to P→USHHHHH→ through those tough times, you have to be willing to sweat it out. BUT! When you arrive to your desired result, Honey-baby-chile! You’ll feel a surge of gratefulness that you never even knew existed. The good Lord knew the hustle wasn’t going to be easy, he knew that the struggle would be REAL, but he also assures us that it will be worth it.

Weeping may endure for the night; but joy, oh JOY, is sure to cometh in the morn-ting!

 

III. Time is MONEY! You know, greenbacks, dinero, gwap, paper, you get the drift! This is FACT y’all—successful people know + understand the value and importance of time and they are cautious about how they INVEST it—like, why wouldn’t we want a return on our most precious investment? When we think about time and how it affects the different aspects of our lives (Family, Goals, Friendships, etc.), it gets REAL, quick! Though this has become a bit of a cliché, it’s the absolute truth-We all have the same hours as Bey + Jay, Maya + Oprah, Michelle + Hillary, Obama + Warren, they weren’t born into their current roles, THEY WORKED TO GET THERE.  You best believe they guarded their time to ensure that they could invest it in efforts that actually mattered, efforts that were in-line with their goals and aspirations, efforts that set them up to be in their current roles as “Leaders + Doers.”

 

PAUSE: Who and what are you investing your time in?

 

IV. Successful people understand + embrace the fact that not EVERYONE is designed and destined to be a part of their #Glo Up plan—not everyone will understand their transition or support and respect their vision. People often times reject what they don’t understand. They tend to stray from and shun creative ,independent untraditional thinking. When the wondrously successful people of the world encounter these issues, they realign themselves with people who have shared visions.

 

Reflection: Do you know someone who throws shade and doubt on your vision, someone who tries to sway you from pursuing your purpose?

QUESTION:  Have you found a community of supporters or joined a mastermind group?

Surrounding yourself with successful people increases the odds of you being successful. Seek out folks who do and live what you dream about. This allows you to grow and learn from their teachings. We all need somebody to lean on, but it’s imperative that we’re leaning on the right people.
V. Successful people don’t mind FAILING their way to success! If there was one thing to be said about success, it would be that success an absolute result of failure. Successful people get that. Successful people understand that if and when failure occurs, it doesn’t mean YOU’RE a failure, it simply means you need to re-evaluate your approach and determine a new strategy, one that will produce your desired outcome.

I’m certain this quote comes from a rap song, but it’s so REAL y’all….

“Opportunities aren’t given they’re taken like interceptions”

VI. The wondrously successful folks, create their own opportunities. As Damon Dash put it, successful people don’t HUSTLE FOR THEIR first name, they hustle for their LAST. Mr. Dash was quite ruthless and flat out disrespectful in that interview, and though I don’t agree with all of his views, I absolutely love the sentiment of “Hustling for my Last Name”, any who, I digress. When you want to prosper, and grow to your fullest potential, you have to take risk, you place bets that aren’t necessarily SAFE. But the way I see it is simple. Who better to bet on than myself. Why not go ALL IN on ME. Successful people build their own empires while supporting others in the process. Even if they start from the bottom, they never lose sight of their vision of being at the top. Success means different things to different people. No matter what success means to you, you have to create your own opportunities, and often times that means investing, yup, that’s right! SPENDING YOUR MONEY on resources that will help you grow in your desired profession.

 

 

VII. They revisit, revise, and revamp their goals. It’s important to revisit, revise and revamp, as you grow as a person, your goals and objectives will change, what appealed to you when you first started your journey to concurring your dreams, my not be so appealing now.  For example, when I was in my 20’s I wanted to be a rap star. I wanted to tour the world and perform at sold out concerts. FFWD to my 30’s, I no longer have that desire. As a matter of fact, when the opportunity presented itself for me to pursue that dream, I declined. I realized that wasn’t what I wanted after all. I no longer have the desire to preform my collective of DOPE dated lyrics; I still desire to communicate with the masses, but as you can see, my platform differs, I’m an inspiration to many, but not through colorful music, but rather sincere words and consistent actions.

As you go forward in your journey today, take these words with you:

“If you’re not building YOUR OWN DREAM, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs“