This article is one which was written by divine intervention. It is not one in which was to be written ahead of time or well thought out even. It is one which was written after looking at a check in sheet for a member at a local gym. This individual is overweight. She is not obese but could certainly develop heart problems if she already does not have them. She is middle aged and has much stress in her life. The schedule shows that last month she checked in only 7 times. This means in 30 days, she went to the gym for only one week.

The minimum recommendation is one hour of moderate exercise, three days per week. This is the minimum. This subject is well below the minimum.

The crazy part is she is moderately successful in a small pond. What I mean by this is that there are different levels of success. One who succeeds internationally such as Richard Branson or the founding families of the Federal Reserve are largely successful in what would be considered a very large pond.

If one is a star football player and perhaps mayor later on in life in a town of ten thousand people, he would be considered successful in a small pond.

This individual would in this instance be moderately successful in a moderate pond and it shows in all aspects of her life. From her family to friends to the way others view her, it is moderate.

When looking at ones life, one must fully understand their goals. Where do you want to be in 20 years, 10 years, 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, 6 months, 1 month, next week, today?

It is easy for many to simply say, "I want to drive a Ferrari and live in a mansion, not work any longer, etc". We have all seen the late night infomercials showing the fantastic promises. Some of these products actually do produce financially independent individuals. It comes down to what you are willing to do for what it is you want to accomplish.

Someone who purchases a product from late night tv, receives it and then is looking for checks will be thoroughly disappointed. One who actually applies all techniques, lessons learned and intertwines positive extra skills (which do not interfere with the basic instructions), will be one of those few who becomes financially independent.

I recently took over coaching a local high school baseball team. Their record in the past three years is 6 wins and a lot of losses. The kids do not know how to win. It appears they want to win and want to change but they act as if they are superstars already. Even superstars do not have large egos when they need to get better and improve. During a team building drill which was quite arduous, I explained to them that in order to have something they have never had before, they are going to have to do things they have never done before. Some got it and some may never get it.

What is the difference between a guy who is always between jobs or living off of welfare checks all his life and a guy who drives a Mercedes, not because of the brand name but because it is a reliable mode of transportation? The difference is vision and the willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed and actually doing it.

No matter if you are the best in your business at what you do or the world champion of something; somewhere out there someone is training and working harder and smarter than you. When you two meet, he will defeat you.

What are you willing to do in order to become the big fish in the big pond?