Work. Hustle. Time. Dedication. Grit. Willingness.

These are some things I believe are needed to succeed.

But I also believe in thoughts, prayers, meditation, vibrations, and positive energy.

Sadly – these are words not typically associated together. Most of the time, you are either spiritual, or a hustler.

And to me – this is a big miss.

Yes – your mind, your thoughts, your entire world – manifest itself for you, not to you. Anyone and everyone has a piece of our beautiful creator within their soul, and we are one with the maker – and that should drive all of us to consciously (and subconsciously) watch the thoughts and energy we put out in life. I believe this to my core. And in the world where the science of epigenetics, energy, and quantum physics are finally catching up with the hippies that have believed this since the beginning, I believe that the world is on the verge of having an army of thought watchings, love giving, bliss receiving people who are ready to take control of the world and get whatever they want in life.

And while all this spiritual mumbo jumbo is legit and real – it still is only one piece of the puzzle. The other piece?

You have to work.

You have to hustle.

You have to put in the time.

You have to have dedication.

You have to have grit.

You have to have the willingness.

Or else you have nothing.

You cannot just sit there and think the world will present itself to you. You have to go out and grab it.

Enter Lebron James

If you aren’t familiar with who Lebron James is, he is one of the most prolific basketball players to ever play the game. He consistently is in the same groups with Jordan, Kobe, and others for the greatest player of all time.

Some may say at 6’8″ tall, and 250 lbs, his sheer size gives him the advantage to put him to where he is at today. And while that helps – there is one thing he has that puts him over the top in his ability: WORK.

Lebron James spent hours in the gym, every single day, for nearly his entire life. Literally, dedicated his life to getting better every single day, perfecting his craft every single day, to get his dream accomplished.

Sure – his size helps. But I know people who are taller and stronger that don’t have the work ethic to make it to the NBA, much less be the force the Lebron is.

Did Lebron dream of the NBA?

You bet.

In fact, I think if given the opportunity to ask him, he would reply he spends countless hours dreaming of being Michael Jordan, holding up that trophy, hitting that game-winning shot, being the leader a championship team needs.

But just dreaming of it wasn’t going to take him there. He had to put in the work. The gritty, dirty, sweaty work that most don’t do. That got him to the top. That got him to where he is today.

Seeing the dream is important. Visualizing your perfect self, perfect day, perfect life is important. But the work needs to be along with it.

As you work, as you develop yourself into the person you want to be, opportunities open up. The universe starts putting the pieces into place to help you get to where you need to go. The more you work, the better you get, the more opportunities unfold.

Put In The Work

Your dreams won’t work unless you do.

The work is part of the package – the framework. You need to have the dream/visualization, the goal, the steps, and the action. It all goes hand in hand to get you what you want.

But it works if you do.

And more than likely – if you do it right – it is less work than you think it is going to be.

When you have a dream in your mind, and you visualize that dream, and you write down the goal and steps to get there, you will see the right action to take. You will do the right work. You will focus on what you need to focus on, instead of running around from one shiny object to another. You will stay focused, driven, and successful.

The universe will show you the way – but you have the show the universe where.