You want to be in control. You desire control over your surroundings and over all your outcomes in life so you work hard and put in long hours. Sleepless nights and caffine are the rent you pay and rent is due every day.

Hustling is important. One of the many traits that turns up time after time when studying the successful is that they run at a different pace than everyone else around them. In short, they hustle. No matter the field and no matter the role get after it.

To acheive your dreams and accomplish your goals, you are going to have to work extremely hard but be careful not to buy the lie that everything rests within your grasp.

You can't force results. No matter how many hours you put in or how hard you work you can't force success to happen. Many things are beyond your control. You can do everything right and the deal still doesn't go your way and that's okay. As I've said before, the power is in the process.

You are responsible for the process. You are accoutable for doing your part. Do the things that accompany success. Order your habits, attidudes, and character. Show up early, remain diligent and stay late if you need you, but remember that those things are just part of the process.

Find rest in your limits. Labor hard and hustle but also rest in the knowldege that results are ultimately outside your control. There is a certain level of peace that comes from knowing that you have given your all. Give your all and lay it all on the line every day and you'll be able to hold your head high whether the results come or not.

Your decisions are immensely powerful. Circumstances and situations do not have the power and sway we often to believe. By and large your outcomes are determined by the choices you make.

To reach the ultimate outcomes you desire out of life you have to consciously make determinations to get you there. To reach your goals and achieve your desired outcomes there are two primary things you have to decide what you will do with.

1. The thoughts that go through your mind

At some point I will have to devote greater ink to expounding on this area but today I want to focus on a few thoughts regarding the life of the mind.

What will you fill your mind with? You woke up this morning with thoughts swimming around inside your head, many of them weren't positive, and you have to decide what you will do with them. Will you dwell on them? Will you begin to believe them? Will allow those thoughts, that did not originate with you, to determine how you approach your day? Or will you take control of the thoughts in your mind? Will you take those thoughts swimming in your mind through the truth test? Will you weigh them and compere them to truth? Today you have the opportunity to determine what your mind dwells on. As a man thinks, he will become. I encourage you to fill your mind with thoughts becoming the person you want to be. What thoughts will you choose to dwell on today?

Our thoughts drive our actions. How we think and what we believe will determine the direction our feet move. Wherever your mind is, you will end up. If you think the mountain is too high to climb, you won't climb it. If you think certain obstacles in your life are insurmountable, they are. If you believe you are lacking in dignity, worth or value, you will behave in a manner that reflects it. However, if you will set your mind on good and positive things, you will act in accordance with those thoughts.

Your attitude is a choice. Earlier I stated that circumstances and situations held far less sway over us that we often image. I specifically had this point in mind. While circumstances are real, we ultimately have the power to choose our attitude. We have the ability to choose to remain positive when hard times come. We have the power to choose to joy when the ground is shaking beneath our feet. We have the opportunity to have an attitude of service when all we want to dwell on are our difficulties.

2. The opportunities before you

Each day we have to decide what we are going to do with the opportunities before us. These opportunities can be condensed to the question of how you will steward your time, the people who cross your path, and the resources you have.

Each of us has 24 hours to steward each day. Your day, my day and your neighbor's day is 24 hours in length. Since our time is limited we have to make decisions about how we will utilize each moment of the day. You can spend your time on mindless activities, and non-productive tasks or you can choose to invest your time in productive, positive, life giving tasks. How do you allocate that time? What do you do with your lunch break, or your commute? How do you leverage the seemingly small number of hours in the day towards effecting your desired outcomes?

You will meet roughly 80,000 people in your lifetime. Studies have stated that the average person will interact with roughly 80,000 people throughout the course of their life. Each of those interactions is an opportunity to make a difference. How different would the outcomes in your life be if you viewed each new interpersonal interaction as an opportunity to add value to the life of another?

You are wealthy. If you are reading this post, you are immeasurably rich. You may not pull down a six figure salary or drive a fancy car but you have resources beyond measure. Your income, your home, your vehicle, your relationships, and your talents are all resources latent with opportunity. I want to challenge you to look at each of the resources you have as an opportunity. The decisions you make regarding the wealth of resources at your disposal not only puts your heart on display but directly impacts the outcomes you achieve in life.