As I was surfing the web today, looking for new advertising opportunities for my business, I stumbled across something that gave me a big slap in the face. It helped me realize that I haven’t been thinking big enough!

Dream Bigger – Get Rid of that Small Thinking

It’s funny how sometimes we can get so fixated on one thing that we put on the blinders that keep us from seeing the bigger things right next to us. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing I guess. It just means that we’re being super focused. But what if that one thing that we’re focused on is keeping us from getting something much, much larger?

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Earlier today, I received an email that contained some disturbing text that I’d like to share with you.

But before I do….

…answer me this: Do you believe that everyone, regardless of race, religion, gender, physical appearance, circumstance or political preference deserves a shot at creating success in their life?

With that question in mind, allow me to take you back to that email I received this morning. But before I paste the text of the email, let me throw out a quick disclaimer for the person who composed this email. I hope that by the time you finish reading this article, that you will understand this concept, that everyone deserves their shot at success. I share your words, not only to teach you, but to help others who may be struggling with this very same principle. With that said, I do this with my best intentions.

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I am a firm believer in hard work. If there’s a job to be done, and I’m the one responsible for doing it, then it’s time to do what it takes to get it done. That’s what makes the world go round. However, there are those who think that their job is what defines them, and makes them who they are. And that’s a pity. It’s just your job, not your life!

Let me explain.

In my small community, most people are known by the place they work at, such as Joey from Haralson Tires, Aaron over at Case, Dave at Freeport or Larry at Farmers Insurance. This is how a good portion of this valley’s population knows and refers to each other.

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To continue on with my ten post series which stem from my recent post, “9 things I have learned,” this is the topic I struggle with the most. Well, that and number three on the list, “It is not my place to condemn others.” Maybe it’s because I don’t really care to find the good in some people, or maybe I’m just too impatient? Not sure. Or maybe it’s because I’ve watched “The Punisher” one too many times!

We live in a world of hatred, greed, selfishness, disease and death. It’s easy to see those things and how the world keeps getting worse. But we also live in a world of love, service, selflessness, miracles and the beauty of life! And it is also very easy to see those things as well. Everything must have it’s opposite, otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to choose one or the other. We wouldn’t know what joy really was because we had not experienced misery. But once we had experienced it, we would, without a doubt, know what true joy was.

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As my family grows older, things seem to get busier and busier. The more they learn, the more excited they become, and as a result, the more they want to experience. And that’s a good thing, as long as that excitement is directed towards something virtuous. At times, it takes hard work to support a family, and that hard work takes time.

It takes Hard Work to support a family

During a leadership meeting I recently attended, helping our youth was one of the topics we received instruction on. During that lesson, we discussed what our youth think about work, and were they learning the value of it. The conversation went down a road that involved teaching our youth how to work hard. With today’s technology and all the modern conveniences we have, kids really aren’t required to work hard, physically. This is especially true for kids that live within city limits. With homes stacked on top of each other like Legos, there’s not much physical labor needed around the homestead.

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Recently I received some priceless advice from an Uncle of mine, who in turn received it from a highly respected friend of his. His friend had recently been involved in an accident and passed away. The month prior to his passing, he and his wife celebrated their 50th anniversary and at that time, he shared, “Nine Things I Have Learned,” with his family.

So just as my uncle was impressed to share this nine things with me, I now share them with you.

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