I believe there are four stages of a successful lifestyle. Learn, execute, educate and harvest. First, you learn what you do best and learn the tools to do it well. Then, you execute it hard, like real hard. Then, you pass on knowledge and wisdom to the next generation about how you got to where you are. And lastly, assuming you build your future for wealth (financially or otherwise), you get to reap your harvest.
I’m in the learning stage of my life still. I feel like I am learning a lot about myself and learning how to operate at my highest potential. I’m learning about the work that I want to be doing for the rest of my life.
This is no excuse not to hustle, though. I am in a hole that would kill me if I waited around for everyone else to solve my problems. It’s up to me how hard I work and how hard I hustle in order to get to the lifestyle and future that I want for me and my family.
I don’t want my family to be burdened by the things that knock us down in this world. I want to affect the world, not be affected by it. But, in order to do that, I need to be active and create a lifestyle that scales beyond me.
I like the quote “People want to live like the 1% but don’t want to work like them.” It’s so true. People dream about the lifestyle they want, and then they complain when it isn’t handed to them. It’s like they just expect to one day be successful without doing anything different or meaningful.
As of right now, I make pretty good money. But also, as of right now, I barely make enough money. My debt-to-income ratio is absurd. My job is comfortable, plush even. I can show up, do what I do best, and go home. No high stakes, no risk, slow growth. This is what I am hoping to change. I want to work like no one else so that I can live like no one else.
The past several years of my life, especially at college, I was growing and learning at such an accelerated rate. Everyday presented new knowledge and chances to apply it. Then, after graduation, it all stopped. I stopped growing, I stopped feeling good about where I was headed, I began to grown stagnate. That’s where I found myself a few months ago when I began this hustle journey. I decided that my life is mine, and I am going to make it extraordinary.
Even though it’s a hustle, it’s still a long haul. You’ve got to be in it day after day. There are no excuses, no complaining, no wishing, just doing. That’s what it takes to be successful at anything. You reap what you sow, and if you sow excuses, complaining and wishing, that’s exactly what you will get in return.
Today is the best day to start your journey. Today is the best day to stop living affected by the things around you. Today is the day you being to make an impact and influence on the things around you. The only thing that is stopping you, is you.
Jordan