With These 3 Foundational Principles…
Success takes shape through a multitude of avenues. Some individuals venture into investing and stock markets, embrace entrepreneurship, or explore the world of real estate. Others opt for a more structured path, dedicating their careers to corporate settings, gauging success through accomplishments such as promotions and advancements.
No matter the path you choose to pursue success, one thing remains constant: it’s built on a solid foundation of core values.
First and foremost, work ethic stands tall as the most crucial element. I often tell my team, “If you’re here for a paycheck, you might as well go home, because we’re here to get things done.” This means when you step onto my job site, you must be prepared to work, be self-motivated, and be a self-starter. Act as if you’ve done this a million times before, and let’s make progress together.
Secondly, approach life with an “I can” mindset, not an “I cannot” attitude. I firmly believe that when faced with new and challenging situations, many people tend to retreat and declare, “I can’t do that.” They become accustomed to using this as an excuse, avoiding new tasks. Maintaining a positive mindset can pave the way for success by believing that you can manifest successful outcomes.
Then there’s the concept of staying committed, whether to yourself or others. The discipline required for success arises from a strong work ethic and a positive mindset. If you possess discipline, showing up for work becomes second nature. Yet, discipline isn’t limited to your job or career; it extends to your personal life. It means waking up on time, maintaining a healthy diet, engaging in physical fitness, managing your finances, paying bills, and more.
With these three foundational principles—work ethic, a positive mindset, and discipline—you’re already on the road to success. All you need to do is set cruise control and navigate your way to your destination.
I won’t deny that it’s a challenging journey. I’ve been putting in hard work since I was 15, and I never shy away from an opportunity, always affirming, “Yes, I can do that.” However, discipline often seems to elude me. Nevertheless, I believe that these three principles, when combined with applied knowledge, skills, and contributions to society, are the deciding factors in whether you’ll attain the success you desire.”
- Montbello vs. Northfield: A Tough Football Reality
Football Saturday didn’t go according to plan. After chasing the game across Denver, I finally watched Northfield hand Montbello a tough 49–0 loss. But football—and life—isn’t only about winning. Sometimes you get knocked down. The real test of resilience is learning, adjusting, getting back up, and coming back stronger. - Not Every Hard Fight Ends in Victory
Resilience doesn’t always end in victory. When the Riverdale Ravens faced the Colorado Lions, both teams were tested until the final whistle. The Ravens fought back from adversity, while the Lions refused to surrender their lead, proving that true resilience isn’t measured by the scoreboard—it’s revealed in the fight. - Game Recap: 13U Riverdale Ravens vs. 13U Colorado Lions
Resilience doesn’t always end with victory. When the Colorado Lions and Riverdale Ravens met in Denver, both teams discovered that lesson firsthand. The Lions fought to protect their lead while the Ravens refused to quit, turning a youth football game into a powerful reminder that resilience is revealed through adversity. - Full Circle at IHOP
The author reflects on a challenging period when IHOP served as their workspace, and a kind waitress regularly offered free food. After gaining stability, they encountered the waitress again in need, prompting them to pay her kindness forward. The experience underscores themes of gratitude, growth, and the cyclical nature of helping others. - How Work Ethic Led Me to PurposeThe Road Wasn’t Straight By Kenneth Hopkins | The Resilient Mind People ask me all the time how I ended up working at The Road Called STRATE. Some assume I had a plan. Others think I knew someone who opened a door for me. The truth is much simpler. I just kept working. Not because… Read more: How Work Ethic Led Me to Purpose
- It’s A Marathon – Ice Cube Agrees – …if you’re not ready to grind, don’t start!
I think one thing that people have to start realizing is that it doesn’t happen overnight.
We keep hearing all these Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube gurus say they can help you have your business up and running, making millions by next week.
That’s just not realistic.
It’s not really that easy to start something today and be successful at it by tomorrow. So, you have to stop believing that and stop clicking on the buttons, every time that they come up on your screen.
Most of them don’t even have millions themselves. Your clicks are how they generate their income. They just learned how to read the script, perform the script, and feed the script to you.
Years ago, me and my brother would go to these real estate conferences. We were looking into flipping and wholesaling real estate. So, every time we had the chance, we would go to these real estate conferences that would pop up at the local hotels.
They would hire these actors that were really good speakers and really adamant about what they’re talking about. One day at the end of one conference we pulled the speaker aside and he told us, this is just a script. I’ve never flipped a property. They hired me to come in and get people’s contact information, so they could sell. I was sent a script, I learned it and I’m just really good at giving speeches. That’s it!
These gurus on the internet are just those same people that learned the script to get your information and sell you something.
So, you have to stop thinking that there’s this instant gratification with success. You are going to have to be willing to put in the work, the grind, the hustle and sacrifice time with your friends and family.
“If you’re not ready to put in 5 years of grind without making a quarter! Don’t even get started.”
Ice Cube
Some people can do it in a year. Some people can do it in two maybe three years, but give yourself some grace to fail. It’s a trial and error situation.
I’m not saying everybody that’s on the internet are full of shit.
I’m saying use some discernment and don’t rely on paid ads to guide you to success. Don’t be gullible. The internet today is designed to know what makes you click.
All you have to do is Google something or make a comment on a Facebook post and within seconds ads appear.
And, because we are looking for this instant gratification, we get to clicking! We click, we watch and we subscribe to this, “I’m gonna be rich by tomorrow” mentality.
We think we’ve found the answers.
Realistically? It’s just not going to happen like that!
You have to put in the footwork, the hustle, the grind, all that stuff to get to where you want to be. You have to make sacrifices. And that’s just the fact of the matter.
Should you listen and take the notes? Absolutely! Take what you can and apply it to your hustle. We are all unique on this grind and what works for one may not work for another. But the bread crumbs some people leave can guide you.
Take what you need and stick to your path. And most importantly… D.O.KING(S)HIT.
The Resilient Mind 
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