Never limit the vision you have for your life
based on your current circumstances or competencies. I found this picture of me
back when I was bankrupt, having lost it all trying to figure out how to share
my message with the world, sitting in my girlfriend's apartment where I had
moved because I was broke and busted, the fold-out 'desk' borrowed from my
mother's old sewing room, the dwelling so small that the bed was my only real
working space and always piled high with bills and notes and fears. I had no reason to believe that I could one
day live my dream as a writer and trainer; no reason to believe, I suppose,
except that my heart told me it was my path, except that my mind invented
dreams that felt so real, that faith said all the struggle and the hardship and
the toil would be worth it. One night I watched my girlfriend walk into the
bedroom and, trying not to disturb me or my papers, quietly slip beneath the
covers. I saw my woman sleeping under the weight of my bills. I decided to get
more committed in every area of my life; I decided to stop letting my
small-business make me small minded; I decided to marry that girl. Years later
there would be #1 New York Times bestsellers, stages with world leaders,
millions of views and subscribers, and, finally, no more cheap noodle dinners.
Please, my friends, believe in your heart and your voice and your mission no
matter what, no matter how small it all feels now. Growth and greatness often
come from those seemingly endless, fruitless days of discipline. Keep working,
keep at it, believe.
