Story 3:
When you watch top athletes soaring with phenomenal performances, are you fascinated by their physical apparatus?
Jerry Rice, one of the best wide receivers in US football history, has inspired many young football players with his self-discipline.
The former head coach of the Denver Broncos, Mike Shanahan, said that Jerry was not the fastest, strongest, or most talented, but Jerry rocked with daily routines.
Rain or snow, Jerry was always the first one to show up to practice and the last one to leave it.
He ran and practiced football every day during the off-seasons when other players were taking breaks.
What was the result of his daily routines after decades?
Most football players get tired in the fourth quarter, but Jerry shined with his incredible endurance on the field.
During his years with the San Francisco 49ers, he contributed immensely to three Super Bowl championships in 1988, 1989, and 1994.
He broke NFL records with 208 career touchdowns, 1,549 receptions, and 22,895 reception yardage.
His impeccable routines advanced him as one of the highest-paid football players in US sports history.
Lesson:
Your routines are your money.
Former pastor and leadership guru John Maxwell concluded, “The secret to your success is found in your daily routine.”
If you’d like to accumulate more wealth, have you been disciplined to invest time regularly, to learn, acquire, and manage money?
Money gravitates to the ones who have an affinity with it.
Like any notable skill, there is no free lunch with money. Since public schools will not teach you about money, it’s your responsibility to educate yourself so that you can become financially sovereign.
If managing money is a practical skill, routine practice of learning it will engender positive results, and the Bible story of teen David defeating Goliath serves as a perfect anecdote for self-discipline.
The nine-foot-tall giant was considered insurmountable to all troops in the battleground.
When he challenged King Saul’s army, the adult soldiers were all terrified, including David’s older brothers who followed Saul to the war.
But young David volunteered to fight Goliath for his people. He took a smooth stone from a creek, and with the sling in his shepherd’s bag, he struck down Goliath right on his forehead and killed him (1 Samuel, 17: 40-49).
Did David hold a magic wand for luck that day? How did he become an overnight hero?
It took him years behind the scenes to develop both courage and skills.
As the youngest boy in the family, David helped tend his family’s sheep as his older brothers were away in battles. While no one was watching, he killed lions and bears that attacked his flocks in the wilderness alone (1 Samuel, 17: 37).
Behind his one-time public acknowledgment of defeating Goliath, David had won years of private victories in the wilderness, unrecognized.
As a Chinese immigrant, I was the black sheep in the family for being more interested in an idyllic lifestyle and seeking who I AM.
Fortunately, on my spiritual journey, I discovered that money is spiritual. If you routinely give positive attention to money, it must bless you back in return.
Inspired by both Rice and young David, I slowly raised money consciousness by intentionally studying my money habits and watching my spending patterns.
I often reflected after a purchase and asked myself: Did I buy it because I really wanted it, or it was on sale for a momentary satisfaction?
I also routinely checked my emotions behind all my financial actions and asked: Did I pay with dread indignation, or joyful satisfaction?
Hey, if you want money, you need to at least like it, right?
Instead of feeling frustrated upon receiving bills, I’ve learned to thank God or the Universe for entrusting me with them. I thank money for providing me with all that I need for comfort.
The more I understand and appreciate money, the better I direct its use, and the more it flows to me.
Money is like a friend. It takes time to build a long-lasting friendship. The love between two friends is mutual. The more you’re disciplined to care and love money, the more your money friend will stick around you.
You can always welcome wealth with a routine of money affirmations.
Now, open the money door with affirmations:
I AM so happy for my money.
I AM blessed with an abundance of money.
I AM disciplined to use money for my highest good.
Let the money truth be engraved in your heart.
Your routines are MONEY.