Ep. #37 - Be All That You Can Be... and RICH!

It's sad... Most people never achieve anywhere near their full potential. Now, even knowing one's full potential is an impossible task - and how is that even to be measured? But its often readily apparent when a person was likely capable of doing more with their life - as its relates to general achievements and level of success - which unfortunately is most often measured in MONEY.

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Intro...

Welcome to Episode #37 - Be All That You Can Be… And NO - NOT necessarily by joining the Army!

So let me start this by saying that I am fully aware that MONEY or so called "Material Success" / Prestige or any of that are NOT (and SHOULD NOT) be the sole or even primary means of determining someone's level of achievement and success. So don't anybody call or email me saying anything about that.

YES, a person CAN rightly pursue happiness and experiences and matters of spirituality and any number of other life pursuits - having little to nothing to do with MONEY. But I have found (from my one man's limited prospective) - that having MONEY (the more of it the better) makes anything else you may wish to do in life a LOT easier. And you can be a blessing to a lot more people when RICH than POOR. If you can, you owe it to yourself, to those you know and love, and to the world - TO BE RICH! Keep listening and I'll tell you why its actually SELFISH on your part (when you can be) to be anything less than RICH.

Now in this episode, I'll be using two words often - RICH and POOR. And I'm going to count anyone who isn't RICH as someone who is by default POOR - even thought I'm fully aware that a middle class exists in between these two that accounts for a substantial number of people in this country - and likely most of my listeners.

And I know that RICH and POOR can be measured in ways other than monetarily. For example, I'd argue that health and youth are the greatest riches - as what old or sick billionaire wouldn't trade it ALL to be young and healthy again - especially with their current knowledge intact (because they'll be RICH again in no time). If Steve Jobs could have paid someone $100B (more than he even had) to make him healthily, he certainly would have.

I'm also aware that a truly POOR person in the United States is still in a completely different circumstance (really deserving a different word) than a POOR person in most other countries of the world. Maybe that word is "Poverty" - but even that is different when in the United States versus other places. So again, don't anyone call or email me saying that just because your not RICH it doesn't mean you're POOR, or any of that - I KNOW!

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Now all to often, the main difference between a RICH person and those who are NOT - is that it has never really occurred to the POOR person (outside of maybe winning the lottery) that they even can be RICH. Its a mindset thing. And most people really never even consider that greater things are within their grasp, or at least one day can be with the right focused effort NOW.

Ideas are what make people RICH - or should I say rather, effective execution on ideas. And POOR people tend to be both lacking ideas and fail to effectively execute on the few that they do have. You have to have an idea... You need a vision / a dream! Something that maybe you didn't do yesterday, that you will do today and consistently tomorrow and beyond into next week / next year - to make your days yet to come, better than those that have passed.

I'm not yet the best or "All That I Can Be", and will probably die (hopefully 50 years from now) - with that still being true. But I'm really excited about the coming year, as 2020 is set to be the best year of my life. Can you say the same? I asked this question in a prior episode... What do you have in works, that stands to make 2020 a better year for you than 2019? And I'm not just asking that question in terms of MONEY.

I'm likely to have some amazing experiences in 2020. I've got great friends that I'm planning to spend a lot more time with. I've made a promise to myself to connect with family members that I see and speak with far too infrequently. More travels are on my calendar. And lots of things are in works for my career, existing businesses, new businesses (I'll tell you more about those later) - plus lots of personal and professional endeavors, including areas of improved health / body, mind, spirit. God willing - Next year's me will be the best version of me to have walked the earth.

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A little background on myself for context...

I really started to focus on personal development back in 2015 at the same time of getting into Real Estate. That's when I came to the conclusion that I had not YET achieved anywhere near my full potential. And that's also when I realized that I was my problem... I'm so much different of a person than I was then.

Going back to childhood... I'm fortunate that I was born and raised into an environment where I always knew that I would do well in life. "Success" (whatever that was from a kids prospective) for me was my forgone conclusion. And not many people doubted that, especially as I got older and came into myself. I was a pre-teen saying to everyone who asked anything about my future plans, that I'd be RICH (whatever that meant to me then) by the time I was 40 (sometimes I would even say 35 or 30). And for a young back kid in the 80's, that was not exactly a realistic expectation - but still I had no doubt.

My father was a truck driver - who eventually came to own multiple trucks. I believe I mentioned in a prior episode that he earned 6 figures at a time (70's and beyond) when most Black People struggled to earn 5 figures. But he worked hard for that, and would be gone on the road for weeks at a time. But when he came home, it was to a large house that he and my mother had built on a corner lot, literally right across the street from a lake on one side and a golf course on the other - with a pool in the back yard. So when I wanted to fish, all I had to do was walk across the street. And the ocean was only 10 minutes away. This was not the average life for a black family in the late 70's and early 80's. So I knew that I was blessed to have this start - that most people don't have.

This allowed me to have big dreams for my future, as that was my floor (my starting point thanks to my parents) - so the sky was the limit (as the saying goes). Whenever someone would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up (at age 9 or 10) if my father was around, when I would go on the road with my father during Summer breaks - he'd answer for me... "He won't be a truck driver!" - Because even though he did great with it, it was hard work (even more so back then when trucks had to be unloaded manually by the driver box by box). So he wanted better for me, and knew that I'd have more options than he did.

And I always showed an inclination towards technology. My mother bought me a computer when I was 7 - and I was born at the perfect time to leverage the Internet for money. I started my first online business in 1996 when I was 24, and was quickly making $60,000 a year with little effort - which was nearly twice what I was making on my day job as a Cellular Phone Tech (back when Cell phones only made phone calls).

Now my reason for saying all this about myself, is that I completely realize that my starting point made things easier for me than for most people (regardless of race) - but especially for the average Black Person. I've got a father who pulled in 6 figures per year; was raised in a very nice two-parent home (married 57 years) - when many people may not even HAVE a father in their life. So its easy for me to say that YOU should have big dreams and execute on ideas that will improve your coming days.

Like I said, it may never even occur to many people that they can be RICH. Their start in life, the people and circumstances around them and their experiences up to this point - may not even allow that thought to enter their realm of possibility as to what their life could be. I've been blessed to always know that I'd be RICH. It's just in how I think from childhood. My only question is will I stop at high 7 figures or 8? And don't be mad, but I don't rule out 9 or even 10... What's a Billion Dollars these days anyway!?

I've got ideas for more ways of making money than I can possibly pursue myself, which is why I'm starting another business now where I'm a minority investor - and my partner is the principle driver of the business... Like I said in last week's episode, "You Can't Do Everything Yourself". And even thought that episode was about leveraging VA's and building a team to get more done - that team can also include partners in multiple businesses.

So YES - its easy for me to say "Be All You Can Be" - and that "You Need To Be RICH" - when I think this way by default. As stated, you need to effectively execute on an idea to become RICH - and I've got lots of ideas and have learned better how to execute on them. So my purpose here is to get you to realize that you CAN BE RICH. And if you already know that - Congrat! Because most people don't or just can't believe its true - so for you I hope to offer an idea and tips on execution to make it happen. Also to inspire you to influence those around you to this same outcome. This same belief. This same mindset.

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That's one reason why it's SELFISH of you to NOT become RICH if you have it within you to do so - and most of us do. Who do you help by being less than your best self? And don't give me any of those excuses and clichés about money. I don't want to hear any of that BS about "Money Being The Root Of Evil" or any of that... If you want to go there, listen to Episode #33 - "How Do You View Money".

By being less than your best self - YES, unfortunately in this context measured in MONEY (recall my earlier disclaimers on that) - you are being selfish. Because you are then unable to aid and inspire others around you to the greatest degree. You're also being selfish because you are possibly then needing aid of others - instead of being an aid to others yourself.

If you fall out of a boat in shark infested waters and can't swim - but you're Michael freaking Phelps... I'm pissed that I may now have to risk my life to save you, when it was within you to be an Olympic all-time winning swimmer. You wouldn't need my help if you had lived up to even a portion of your potential... Selfish to do otherwise.

That is how I feel whenever a family member or friend asks me to borrow money. You've known me for years - maybe most (if not my entire) life. You know what I do... You know what I know... Yet the only question you have for me is "Can I borrow some money"!? Not can you direct me in starting a business? Not can you help me create a website? Not how can I improve my credit? Not how can I buy a house or rental property? Not anything that will help long-term that I'd likely be thrilled to do. No, "Can I Borrow Some Money" - something that may be harmful to me, while doing nothing transformative to aid that person long-term.

Now whether I may choose to allow the person to borrow money or not is irrelevant, as being RICH may allow you to be a blessing to others in that way. I've certainly paid my share of light bills for relatives. And "Borrow" (as I do air quotes) is a subjective term, as I'll never get that money back. But you never know what influence you may have on others who are witness to your accomplishments.

And your results may be better than mine at influencing others, if you're coming from a more difficult start than me. The further you have to travel to reach a point of "success" (again with the air quotes), the more obstacles you have to overcome, the more inspirational you'll be to others. But you inspire no one by being and remaining POOR. And your a potential Michael Phelps who can't swim if you have greater things within you (we all do) - but never reach inward to pull them out.

And I'm not saying you need to be a record holder for all-time Olympic medal wins... But to continue the analogy, how about just learning to swim and having a pool in your back yard that you can enjoy with friends and family. Or going on vacations and being able to get into the water without fear of drowning. But I'll end that analogy now, as I don't want there to be any confusion... What I'm saying is that you don't have to be all-time great to become better than your current self - and inspire others in the process. And to do less when more is possible - is selfishness.

As the clichéd saying goes, "if you aim for the moon and miss, at least you're amongst the stars". I've got a successful tech company, but I'm not Mark Zuckerberg. Am I a failure because I didn't create Facebook or Google or Amazon, Uber or AirBnB? None of them existed when I started my company, so I could have - but I didn't have those ideas. I wasn't even smart enough to invest in the stock. Also didn't buy any Bitcoin - and I'm a tech guy. Yet the ideas I did have, made me millions - and I will be making millions more... and I'm good with that. I don't compare myself to those people. I compare myself to the ideal image and accomplishments of ME - now and in the future.

What do I believe I have within me - Greatness, by whatever measure? What do you believe you have within you? Your future self will be pissed if you don't dream big, get an idea and execute it effectively - to Be The Best You Can Be.

My ideas are Tech, Real Estate and other Businesses. I'd argue that whatever your ideas, they should also eventually involve Rental Real Estate - that's why this is called the [… and Landlord!] Podcast. But regardless, get an idea!

Hell, start an Amazon business and get your merchandise from a drop-shipper until you can go custom and private label. Create something unique and sell it on Etsy. Start a local business... My Nephew started a bounce-house business in Florida, and he's killing it! He also has a car detailing business with his brother - so proud of them! If you need to, go back to school. Or determine what you're good at that someone might be willing to pay you for on Upwork.com... Just knowing how to use certain software like Excel, PowerPoint or QuickBooks is potentially something that you can get paid for.

We're living in the greatest time to be alive in the history of man kind. And your race - your sex - your nationality / sexual preference... While these things still can be obstacles, you can't deny that they're less so than ever before.

There are more ways to make money than ever before. Its easier to start a business than ever before. You can literally put up a website for few hundred dollars and have a global reach. You could never do that at any other point in history... AND YOU"RE BROKE!?! And you're anything less than striving to be RICH!? TODAY!?! With all that we have available to us?

Go slap yourself in the mirror if you don't realize that opportunity is all around you. Maybe it will wake you up and you'll see the opportunity in the reflection... Regardless, Life's a journey - so just make sure that when its over for you, that your not damn near in the same place where you started and that you leave a legacy... You were born for better things!

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Outro...

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