PhD. Critically acclaimed author. World famous speaker. Educator. Pastor. Son. Father. Husband. Inspiration. The legendary heights of success Eric Thomas has achieved did not arrive without enormous pain and hard, hard work. From homeless high school dropout to one of the most sought after speakers in the world, Eric Thomas has truly found the secrets to success. His words continue to impact millions of people across the globe and they have impacted me as well! If you haven’t heard of Dr. Thomas before, I’m hoping this blog post will be a great introduction to one of my influences. I will meet this man one day!
When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful!
The above video was how I was introduced to Dr. Thomas. I found it the first year I started attending university and have watched it on a daily basis ever since. As you’ll see by watching the video, he passionately shares his motivating story, along with the now famous “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful” statement, as he challenges students attending Michigan State University (MSU) to reconsider how committed they are to being successful. He shows how words can have a potent effect and can inspirit people to their core. I love this video so much I literally have it on my blog! There’s a lot of wisdom and positivity in what he says, this is one speech I don’t think anyone should miss.
Find your why
Why do I get up in the morning? Why do I attend university? Why do I write? Why do I draw? Why do I make music? Why do I do what I do? Originally, it was because I wanted to be good at everything I did and because I enjoyed it. Nothing wrong with that, but when I started to reconsider my why, I realize as long as I continue to put in the work, I would eventually be good at what I do. Then what? I completed my goal so why keep going? My answer to my “why” now is “I have a family and friends to protect and feed”. I want my niece to grow up well and have a better life than me. I want my mom to not work anymore. I never want to be in a position where I can’t do something because of the amount of money I do or don’t have ever again. I was listening to Big Sean’s verse on his song “Control” and some lines really stood out to me: “So now I’m talkin’ to the Reaper to reverse death/Yup, so I can kick it with my grandad, take him for a ride/Show him I made somethin’ out myself and not just tried”. That’s how I want to be with my grandma, if she was still alive, I would love to show her I was able to do what I said I was going to do. It’s fine doing what I do because I want to get good and they’re fun, but when it started to be for others, that’s FOREVER!
I Can. I Will. I Must!
Hm, it sort of reminds me of the veni, vidi, vici quote I plan to get a tattoo of. When pursuing my dreams and improving myself it’s not going to be easy, but if there’s something I will always remember… it can be done. No matter what anyone says, there is absolutely nothing out of my reach. If it was easy, everyone would and could do it. It won’t be, but it’s one of the reasons it will be worth it. I owe it to myself and the people around me to give my best and nothing less.
Treat every opportunity like it’s the last opportunity
Opportunities will not come my way every single day. To be comfortable and secure is not the worst thing in the world, right? It means I’m doing something right, and I should continue on that path. WRONG! Not wanting to move forward in life and advance myself is the most detrimental mistake I could make. I can’t let myself get comfortable and fall into the trap hole that is complacency. If I treat my opportunities like they’ll be the last one I’ll get then I know I’ll be putting in 100%. One of the reasons my blog posts have increased in quality is because I’m treating each blog post like it’s the last one I’ll be able to write!
Grind for the sake of grinding
There are 24 hours a day so what I do with these 24 hours are going to determine where I will be tomorrow and the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day *Mr. Krabs voice*. Grinding can’t be weekly or monthly, it has to be daily. So if I’m grinding on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, for a span of X amount of years, something has to come out of it! Success doesn’t happen overnight and I find it frustrating when people use “talent” as a crutch or cop-out of working hard at something. “I wish I was as talented as this person!” Trust me, a “talented” person owes far more to thousands of hours of work than to anything inherent. The training will bear fruit and it will be amazing to me what I can and will be able to achieve.
Be productive, not average
Like ET said “Don’t be average. Average people make a certain amount of money. Average people live a certain type of lifestyle. And I’m not disrespecting average people, I’m just saying if you have a choice don’t be average because in life, when you roll the dice, worst case scenario you’re gonna land on average. So don’t be average because if you don’t try, you will get to average. So let’s not shoot for average ’cause average is gonna be there”. I’ve listened and have been inspired by various videos by him to the point the word “average” is my least favorite word. I treat and think of myself as an amazing person and I love myself. It’s not haughty or conceited, I love myself and I want the best for the people I love.
I have no limitations
I actually recently discovered I can do anything. I always laugh whenever someone says “you can’t do this” or “you can’t do that!”. “Why do some people say this type of crap?” is what I used to ask myself, but then I found out it’s because they’re trying to foist their insecure baggage, fears and inabilities on others. “Because I can’t do it, I don’t want you to do it because you’ll succeed where I failed and I don’t want that!”. Whenever someone says such a thing, I just give back a smile and say “Just because you can’t do it, doesn’t mean I can’t do it”. I should always try and test my limits and they will lead me to grow and develop. Besides “average”, “can’t” is a word that is not in my vocabulary. It’s overwhelming to imagine what a different world we would be living in if EVERYONE listened to those who said it can’t be done. YOUR LIMITATIONS DON’T EXIST IN MY WORLD! I got into the university I wanted to get into. I can draw better now. I’ve been reading and writing at a college reading level since the eighth grade. I can speak Japanese. And as times goes on, I will accomplish more and more.
Thank you, Dr. Thomas. You exemplify what it means to be a winner. I’m glad I was able to discover your work and am happy I can continue to watch as you make new material. This world is a richer place with your spirit. Please continue to enliven, energize and encourage NFL, NBA and MLB athletes, children, college students, business people and me!
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