How Bad Do You Want It?
Many years ago, I lived
and worked in Guatemala. At the time, I owned and operated a woodworking
business. One of my customers was a guy by the name of Danny Owens and he owned
Danny's Pancake Shop. I did some work for him and when it came time to pay, he
said, "Well, why don't you just eat my pancakes until my bill is paid."
Needless to say, I had pancakes every morning for a very long time.
I met a small group of
other American businessmen at the same time each day at Danny's Pancakes and we
developed a friendship over the years. One of those men was Bob Merrick. He
told us about how when he was growing up in Missouri, the poor people used to
call his family poor and how when he was 18, he become fond of a young woman
who wasn't interested in him because he was too poor.
When I met Bob, he owned
five businesses in Guatemala and he told us about how when he flew to San
Francisco, Bank of America would send a limo to the airport to pick him up. He
was probably around 50 at the time and he told us how every year, he still sent
that woman a statement of his net worth...
My good friend and
fellow Team Beachbody Coach
Cale Dansbee is another example of someone driven to want it badly. He grew
up in the marshes of southern Louisiana, attending no fewer than 16 public
schools as his family moved to find work. He strove to escape that world and in
the process, earned a Purple Heart in the Air Force, became a highly successful
businessman and entrepreneur and now, most recently, has joined an elite group
of Team Beachbody coaches with his TOPSTONE
human energy company. He went after what he wanted to achieve in life.
Another individual that
had "determined natural ambition" is
Craig
Holiday. He writes that, "Living in the projects in Culver City,
California, I was a fat kid. At only 12 years of age and 5 feet tall, I weighed
about 180 pounds. I used to sit in a closet and feel miserable about my
situation." He says that, "even during the terrible times, there was an inner
conviction that told me I was going to do something great with my life. Without
money, without any worldly goods, I held onto the belief that if I could I
could accomplish remarkable things—and bring people with me". He, too, is
now a highly successful businessman and much sought after motivational
speaker.
Eric Thomas is
no stranger to the ills that plague our communities as he was born in Chicago,
IL and raised on the streets of Detroit, MI. His childhood and adolescent years
were difficult, and his life struggles and personal identity issues were
intensified because like so many, he did not establish a relationship with his
biological father until his early thirties.
At the age of 16, defiant
and hardheaded, Eric decided to leave home and drop out of school, choosing to
live on the streets of Detroit. By divine intervention at age 17, Eric met a
pastor who saw him a young man with tremendous unrealized potential. As a
result, their mentoring relationship was born which led Eric to complete his
GED and to prepare for college.
While in college, Eric started Break The
Cycle I Dare You, (BTC) a non profit youth development and special event
organization that focuses on developing programs for youth who have made bad
choices and most often have had family, social, and academic struggles along
with the lack of a father figure in their lives.
Eric is now referred to
as The Hip Hop Preacher and he is a youth activist, speaker, author and
motivator. Click on the image below to listen as Eric talks about wanting
success as badly as you want to breath. 
In closing...
How badly do you want
it? Do you have the "determined natural ambition" to achieve your goals? Start
wanting it more than you have ever wanted it and you, too, will achieve great
things. |
