The American Dream

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned or are not currently learning in church, school, home or at work. Let’s apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

The American Dream is still alive even though our government is trying hard to kill it!

The American Dream is still alive for those that are willing to put in the effort to get it.

The low hanging fruit is gone. We now have to climb the right tree if we want to get the fruit of our labor.

The biggest treasure is buried deep inside you. You must know who you are made of and know what you stand for because you will be tested.

The days of getting a formal education to get a safe and secure job with good benefits to live the American Dream at retirement are gone. The ship is no longer coming to you. You got to swim to it.

If you ignore self-educating yourself wealth will ignore you.

How does one go about chasing and living the American Dream?

1.      You got to have a dream. The dream has to be vivid and in pictures. We only get what we picture. Our past is not our potential. Don’t go to the past to get advice for your future, go to the future to get advice for your future. We must know our targets and goals and go after them. We can never hit a target we don’t have.  Go ahead and write your dreams on your freedom board and card. Proceed to the next nugget.

2.      You got to be self-educated. We must swim against the current until the current turns in our favor. Learn as you go. The idea of the American Dream initiated by self-educated people. They were willing to do whatever needed to be done to reach and live their dreams. They left a legacy and a wealth of knowledge for us to learn from. Learning is a blessing not a curse. Choose your habits and they will choose your lifestyle.

3.      You got to think and act as an entrepreneur. We must have initiative, imagination, integrity, ingenuity, innovation, and tenacity to chase our dreams. Grow your mind.  It takes courage to dream big, deep, and long. America is now full of dream robbers; watch out for them and run like you are running from a plague.

4.      You got to swallow your ego and serve others. Any dream worth chasing involves serving others. It is only by getting others what they want that we will get what we want. No one gets to the top and stays there by himself. Service is the common thread of those living their dreams.

5.      You got to build the right kind of business. The only way to know business is to build one. Get the information from those with fruit in their trees. You cannot learn business from a broke college professor that never built a business. Built assets that generate income for you.

6.      You got to master how to handle money. Be financially fit. Master the laws and principles of money. From neck down we are all worth minimum wage. Money is not the issue, thinking is.  It takes courage and discipline to obey the laws of money and the laws of success. Invest in yourself first, and then start putting your hard earned money to work for you. Money is a great slave. Never let your money be your master.

7.      You got to have the work ethic and leadership skills. It takes hard work, smart work and time to create wealth. Wealth here is defined as having your health, plenty of free time, more money that you can spend, and great friendships. Get a mentor if you want to get better. Give permission to your mentor so she can help you. All high achievers need to be coached and mentored. We all must become great leaders if we want to become wealthy. Leadership is the highest paid profession in the world. Choose to be a leader and lead something.

The best days for America are still ahead of us if we are willing to do the above and chase our dreams.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)