“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” These words spoken by the great Eric Thomas have transformed my life not just as a student or an athlete, but also as an overall person. From being homeless and a high school dropout to being CEO and founder of his own company, Eric’s story has inspired me to take advantage of every opportunity and always follow my dreams. When I first heard about Mr. Thomas, I personally was experiencing a reality check that no one knew about. I turned off anything that would distract my thinking and asked myself, “What’s my purpose in this life? Why do I treat people so negatively?” and the most impacting of all, “What actions am I doing to make this world a better place for my family and others?” These questions haunted me that entire night. I decided to write down all my goals, no matter how grandiose they were. I realized that my maturity level was still developing since the first goals on my list were materialistic. The first things on my list were: Multimillionaire, qualifies Junior Nationals Volleyball Championships, and is the MVP in every sport. As the list kept going, I noticed that I got deeper and deeper in my thinking: be happy, be healthy, love and forgive others, and become the best person I can be. I made the decision to put aside the first things on my list and focus on what really mattered; which were at the bottom. During this rugged three-year progress, I put together three principles on how to be successful. The three principles to success were based on the advice I received from Eric Thomas; develop vision, become a producer, and trust in the process.

Part of having vision on what exactly you want must be rehearsed everyday. You must never have doubts on what you’re chasing. Eric Thomas taught me that normal people have sight but only leaders have vision. You must believe within yourself that whatever it is you are dreaming can in fact become a reality. A producer discovers that if you want to achieve something you have never had before, you’re going to have to do some things that you have never done before, that philosophy of being: comfortable being uncomfortable. Staying up all night studying, missing that party because you had to work, surrounding yourself with the right people with the right mindset will lead you to be your best. There might be times that you have worked and worked, you’ve put in the hours but still see no progress. At this moment you must trust the progress, you must fall in love with it. The rough path of success is the road least traveled by, but remember that at the end it makes all the difference. Trust yourself that if you put in the hours, you put in the work, you go to class, you give it your all, your dream will come. You can become a better person and you can live your dream.

Having vision, performing hard work, and never giving up can be three broad principles but once understood correctly, can have profound effect. Acknowledging Eric Thomas’ advice, I have been able to change my outlook on life. Success is a long and lonely road but very few are brave enough to outlast the treacherous journey. Those that do are the ones that impact the world: Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa. These are the ones that inspire others and truly make differences in the world. I see Eric Thomas as one of those people because he has inspired and impacted my life to study these figures, their habits, and their priorities. No matter who it is, everyone chasing their dreams must have a mentor or someone to look up to as a source of drive and inspiration. Don’t be afraid to change your values in order to become the person you want to be. As Eric Thomas says, “To be able at any moment to sacrifice what you are, for what you will become.”