Leap of Faith

When you have run out of options and logic just doesn't make sense anymore, you have to do the unthinkable. You have to move outside the realm of reason and jump. Jump with the hope that you won't fall. Jump with the hope that you'll have a safe landing. Jump with the hope that your safety net a.k.a your parachute will catch you. Jump with the hope that your faith will sustain you.  Risk is definitely not for the faint of heart, and neither is faith. Faith will take you to the edge of your fears and say, "leap."

“Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.”- Margaret Shepard

Galvanize

Is there anything that gets us excited? Is there anything that shocks us? Is there anything that motivates us? In the day and age of Facebook Live, we have seen all sorts of injustices take place live and in color. We have seen murders streamed live to a viewing audience of millions. In many ways, the media has desensitized us to things that would normally invoke emotions like empathy, anger, and fear. We are numb to the very things that make us human. We are numb to our victories and our failures. We must wake up. We must take action. We must galvanize. 

Elevate

With all the distractions life throws at us, it can be hard to focus on anything. It can be difficult to take the high road. It can be challenging to think that things will ever change. However, life has a way of making us take the high road. We are reminded about karma, and sometimes an eye for an eye just isn't worth it. We are forced to elevate, when we rather not. We are forced to elevate, when life demands us to be better than our circumstances. We are forced to elevate, when our character dictates more. Elevate your mind. Elevate your thinking. Elevate your expectation of even yourself. Elevate!

Focus

After you have eliminated the distractions in your life, you will need to focus. Focusing on a single goal increases the likelihood of you accomplishing it. There are a host of books that support this mode of thinking. The One Thing by Gary Keller discusses the benefits of prioritizing a single task versus multitasking. It illustrates how to focus on one small goal, and set realistic benchmarks in order to achieve extraordinary results. Our lives would probably be a lot simpler, if we focused on one thing. Try to simplify your current goal. Create daily benchmarks with that one goal in mind. Focus. 

Finish Strong

Congratulations! You've set a goal. You've made a plan. You've raised your expectation. Now, all you have to do is make the first step towards accomplishing your goal. You have the end in mind, and you are ready to conquer the world. Many of us have all the enthusiasm in the world when we first start something. However, we tend to lose our fire before we actually accomplish our goal. I want to encourage you today. Don't let your fire die out. Re-visit the plan. Re-ignite your passion. Finish strong! 

The Crossroads

I'm sure many of you are beyond ready for 2016 to be over. This has been a year of great joy and great loss for many. We have seen many great entertainers transition this year. We have seen a historical political campaign to the White House. We have seen great tragedies and monumental victories. We are at a crossroads. We have a decision to make. We can face 2017 with great expectations or with wavering doubts. We can expect the same, or choose to see and do things differently. I hope you choose to see the glass half full. I hope you understand that there is a season for everything. In life, there are ebbs and flows, and there are mountains and valleys. More importantly, I hope that when you find yourself at a crossroad...you make the right decision. 

What's Your Legacy?

One of my financial goals is to build generational wealth. This is a foreign concept to many who have grown up living under the poverty line, or simply to those who live check to check. It always amazes me that people come from all over the world to find the "American Dream," but many Americans fail to achieve this dream. We do not educate ourselves financially. We do not insure ourselves properly, and we leave a legacy of spiritual, emotional, and financial debt. How do we rectify this? We can implement financial curriculum into the school systems. We can educate ourselves on how the rich build generational wealth through life insurance and other investments. We can teach our kids about credit and how to manage money. We can make a conscience decision to leave a legacy that benefits our children's children.