A Few Tricks Up My Sleeves

Here’s a trick about this thing called life, "Lots of hard work and little play." My father always told me I have two choices in life. He said, "You can work hard and play later or you can play now and work hard later." Let that sink in for just a moment. Which route have you chosen for your life?

In high school I played, so this made college very hard. I don’t have the normal college stories of parties and sororities. I was on my last leg of chances since getting expelled my senior year of high school. This meant I had to come up with a plan to get into school if I wanted a college degree. It's by the grace of God that I made it. Today, I vow to work hard at everything I do. The trick is to factor in only a little 'play'. This will take you a far.

Let me remind you of another trick- volunteering. There is surpeme power in volunteerism. If you have never volunteered your time I suggest you try it. There was a woman I recently met from the Harvest Center. She was on drugs for years and lost everything. When she finally got clean her only goal in life was to help others get clean as well. She volunteered her time every single day at the Harvest Center for over a year. She said, “I went to work early and stayed late as if I was clocking in and getting paid.” Can you imagine going somewhere everyday for free? The following year she was offered a full time job with benefits.

If you don’t have a job pick a place to volunteer once a week for an hour. Pick something that is heavy on your heart and reach out. I promise doors will open, simply because you decided to help others at no cost to yourself. You may one day find yourself working that dream job you’re eager to wake up to every morning. What a treat that would be!

If you're on the other side of the spectrum and have a job that you hate (Like most) try volunteering your time at work. When your boss asks the office to stay late majority of people complain. (I do too) Now try taking a different approach. Show the boss that you are eager to help in any capacity and that you would gladly stay late. It’s positive “Go-Getters” like this that get the promotions.

Think about the choices that made you get to where you are right now. No blaming of friends, family or your environment. Make the choice today to work hard so you can earn the chance to play later. This trick will enable you to enjoy your successes. By volunteering your time you will be able to experience pure happiness in the most simplest things life has to offer. These are my treats to you... Enjoy.