A wise woman once told me “you can do anything for 6 months”. This woman is my mother. There are times in our lives that we don’t think we can ever make it through. Severe debt, crappy job, Divorces, deaths of friends and family, etc.  These things can be so overbearing and consume every aspect of your life forcing you into deep depressions, anger and fits of rage, and possibly much worse.

During a hardship during college, no money, late hours to get my grades back up, early class schedules, you know the drill.  I felt it all to be too much. During this time I called home a lot and in one of my phone conversation my mother enlightened me to the this concept.

When you think about it, 6 months is really not that long in the grand scheme of things. 6 months is spring and summer, it is less time then it takes to have a child (woman can do anything for 9 months after being pregnant!!!), if you live to be 80 it is 2.25% of your entire life. If a day is 80 years, 6 months is the equivalent to roughly a lunch break (54 minutes of 24hrs).

There is a catch though, there is always a catch.  You must work to change you circumstances within those 6 months. If you are at a crappy job and tough it out for 6 months without looking for a new job or learning a new skill, 6 months later you will still be in the same miserable position. If life doesn’t show you a light at the end of the tunnel, keep digging (hopefully upwards!) and the light will appear. If you just stare at the end of the tunnel the light will never appear and you will still be stuck in the dark, damp, tiny tunnel.

Is that enough metaphors for you all? This concept incorporates another post I have written that emphasizes “the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary”. Six months or less of hard work, a goal and even just the tiniest bit of motivation to change your routine, even a fraction, will get you through any hardship that life throws at you.

So stand up, get away from your computer for an hour or so, and do something different. Hopefully something positive that will break your daily routines and shake things up just enough to allow the glimmer of change, hope and happiness break through your daily grind. In turn, allowing you to eventually break free and be consumed by the warmth of positive change. I know, kind of cheesy and cliché, but at the same time, nothing is closer to the truth. In 6 months you will reminisce on the moment you initiated this change and feel all warm and fuzzy when you realize you have made it through in one piece.

There is this quote I found on the web, it had no reference or author.  I found it to be enlightening and embodies my very own work ethics. Humans started off with this mentality and as society grew only about 1-5% of the human population still maintain this discipline. 5% is being generous.

“The only place success comes before work is in the Dictionary”

Truer words have never been spoken. Some how the majority of the Human race developed this mentality that they deserve everything and need not work for anything. I get up everyday, I drive 60 miles to work and 60 mile back home. I go to work on time and I stay until the jobs (goals) for the day are completed. If I have to stay late, I do. If I have to leave and work later that night from home, I DO. I do not get paid over time, I only demand that others around me work as hard as I do, or at least half as hard as I do (I can’t expect too much).

I pay my taxes, I pay my insurances, I pay my mortgage and everything else you need to pay to live within society. I come up a little short some months and others, I come out on top. I live on the edge of my means, no more, no less. Things could be better, but things could be a hell-of-a-lot worse.

The one thing I do not do is… Blame the person next to me, expect the person next to me to pay for my expenses, my life style, my means. I know if I do not get out of bed every day and go to work, learn something new, advance my skill set, network within my industry or studies, I will not succeed. I will not sulk at the fact that Bill Gates makes more in 1 month then I will see in my entire life. I will not hate the person driving next to me in a Bently or the owner of a house down the street with more bedrooms and garages than me. They worked their asses off for it and deserve to spend their hard earned money any way they seem fit to do so.  So do I.

It is not up to anyone else to decide how I should spend my success. If I choose to donate to charities, then that is my right. It is not up to the government, my community, my fellow man to tell me how to spread my wealth, my success. Yes we are obligated to help our fellow man, HOWEVER, as my father so eloquently  puts it…

“I will not help you hurt yourself”

Giving my “success” to a mother of 4 going on 6 currently receiving tax dollar funded welfare, unmarried and unemployed by choice,  is not “helping” her. Teaching her a trade/skill, donating to a nursery school or school with before and after care programs, giving her a box of condoms even, is helping her. My money will only hurt her, her children and this society more (insert Him if you take offense to me using a woman as a reference). Equip these people to contribute to society and pretty soon you will have an epidemic of growth and success. Like… I know!!!! my God, what would we do if that were to happen???  I don’t know, maybe colonize mars, the moon, discover a new source of energy, etc., etc.

Now you may ask me, Is success just money to you? how do you weigh “Success”?  NO it is not just material, success is a goal or objective that you set to achieve for yourself. Whether it is quitting smoking, earning 100 dollars a day or donating some spare time to teach our youth. No matter what it is, when you set a goal you must work to achieve it and then and only then shall you succeed. Start with “Baby steps” set a daily goal, then set a weekly, monthly, yearly, etc. and work every day to succeed. You will gain confidence, strength, and happiness that could Inadvertently effect and change the world for the better. One success at a time.

I’m not kidding. Take these words to heart, for they are the hard truths of human-ish societies and will be the downfall of our species.