There is a young man with whom I have had the privilege of working, and who seemed to have every disadvantage: His father died when he was a child, his mother is an alcoholic, addicted to drugs, and he was a high school drop-out. Rather than making excuses for the cards that life dealt him, this young man returned to school to get his GED, and he recently enrolled in college.

It takes him an hour to get to school on public transportation, and an hour to get home after he leaves the library. About a month into the semester, I asked him how he was doing in school. He said that he was doing well, but that he didn’t have any books for his classes. He couldn’t afford them.

So you're asking, "how he had been keeping up with his homework assignments?"  He told me that he had been staying in the library until his homework was finished, sometimes leaving campus at nine or ten o’clock at night, then catching the bus home.

Rather than making excuses about why he couldn’t complete his homework, this young man went to the library every night to use the books in the library, and then caught the late bus home!

He took responsibility for his own success.  He didn’t blame his mother for being on drugs. He didn’t even blame society for the fact that he couldn’t afford books. Instead, he took ownership of his situation, and decided to change it.

I was so pleased to hear that because of his hard work, this young man received a full scholarship that pays for all of his college tuition and books. To take responsibility means to recognize that you have the power to choose how you will respond to whatever comes your way.

In between every action and your response to that action is a space- a gap- where you have the power to decide how you are going to respond. After the stimulus, and before your response to that stimulus, you have the power to make a choice about how you are going to handle or address the situation.

In other words, don’t blame anyone else for your results or situation.  That's not going to solve your problem.  Take action, make a decision, change your life!

From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.

Get your copy today by clicking HERE.

You probably could not tell by looking at me now that I used to play football in high school and college. In fact, throughout high school, I won a few all-state awards in football and in track. Over the years, while playing on several different teams, I have noticed that every team has at least two groups of people on it.

There are those who are on the team so they can wear the uniform, attract guys or girls, get into games for free, or some other reason. People in this group stand out because, during practices, they are the ones slacking off, they are usually at the back of the bunch, complain the most, give up the fastest, make a bunch of excuses, and ultimately end up on the bench. People in this group gossip about what is wrong with the team, but don’t do anything to make the team better. These people are mediocre at best.

The second group of people, however, is just the opposite. They are the ones who are focused during practice. They push themselves to their limit. They are the ones working during the off-season, running routes, shooting baskets, doing cheers, lifting weights, watching tape, listening to the coaches, studying their opponents, and sharpening their game. People in this second group do not want to settle for merely being on the team; they want to win. As a result, they take action to get better every day.

In life, those who are successful don’t just LOOK the part, they ARE the part.

Which type of person are you? The one who is just going through the motions or the one who is giving it your all? Be Your Best!

From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.

Get your copy today by clicking HERE.

In high school, a friend of mine was selected to run the 800-meter race in a track meet against our cross-town rival. The problem was that he had never run the race before that day. The person who was supposed to run had injured himself, and was unable to compete. So my willing and eager friend, positioned in the starting blocks, heard the gun, and burst out of the blocks like he had just stolen something. He sprinted, leaving all the other runners in the dust.

Literally, he was at least 100 meters ahead of everyone else on the track. Once he had run one lap (400 meters), he threw his hands in the air in total victory! The problem was that he had another lap to go! So we all began screaming at him, urging him to keep running. When it finally hit him that he needed to run another lap, he did his best to make it around the track one more time, but he was too tired to do so.

All the other runners flew by him!

It took him about four more minutes to make it to the finish line. While he was a fast runner, he failed to pace himself for the race that was at hand.

In your own journey to achieving your dreams, you need to pace yourself. The race to your dreams is not going to be easy.

In fact, the word for race in Greek is where we get our word for “agony.” Your race is going to be challenging. Sometimes you are going to cry, want to give up. However, when the going gets tough, remind yourself that the race to success is not a sprint; it is more like a marathon.

You may want to put this book down today with great enthusiasm and begin “sprinting” toward your goal. You’re saying in your head, “I’m going to lose 10 pounds this week; I’m going make one thousand dollars every day. The problem with trying to do too much too soon is that you will soon burn yourself out, and you will end up where you started off.

Too many people are lying on the side of the road to their dreams because they started too fast. You must condition yourself for the long haul, because the difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is the difference of their habits. Good habits are the secret of success. Therefore, form good ones, and become their slave.

If you want to lose weight, start off realistically, and walk 3 days a week. After you have developed a good consistency, then try to pick up the length of the exercise, and the intensity. The habit-the consistency- will benefit you more in the long run than a spurt here and there.

Your Race is Not a Sprint; It's a Marathon. Pace Yourself!

From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.

Get your copy today by clicking HERE.

If you want anything in life you have to work for it.  You have to "press" for it.  One of my role models often talks about, "pressing toward your goal."  Pressing involves not merely unloading any unnecessary weight, but it also involves straining forward to attain your dreams. It involves perseverance, it involves heart, and it involves tenacity. It requires that you set your eyes on the goal that is in front of you, refusing to waver until you have reached that goal.

The point that I want to make is that your goal must precede your pressing. That means that you must have your eyes on the goal before you begin pressing in that direction.

That might sound like common sense to you, but you would be surprised at how many people are busy but don’t have any clear destination or goal in sight. They are just busy pressing without any clear direction. It is important to press toward your goal on a daily basis, or else someone else will have their own goals for you to press towards.

If you are not careful, you are going to burn out. There are so many things today that are being used to wear you out. There are people pulling you on your job; clubs asking you to do something; people pulling you to do this; other people pulling you to do that. If you just pay attention to what you hear and see in the media for one day, you will see that music is telling us to do one thing, television another, and internet still another.

The tragedy is that we are getting pulled in so many directions that we end up burning ourselves out. We are so busy pressing in all kinds of different directions, that we don’t realize that we are not pressing in the direction that matters.

In life, if you are not clear about your goal, then you will be running aimlessly, shadow-boxing a fake target that will wear you out. So I ask you, in love, what are you pressing towards? You ought not run aimlessly, or like someone boxing the air, without a clear target, or a clear goal. If you don’t have the right goal in mind, then you are going to end up at the wrong destination. So, my question to you is, towards what goal are you pressing today? In what direction are you headed? Are you headed toward the goal of being what you were created to be? After you are done reading this chapter, figure out what you are going to do today to move you one step closer to your goal, and DO IT! Take massive action.

From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.

Get your copy today by clicking HERE.

I was once driving my family from Denver, Colorado to Sterling, a small, rural town in the northeast corner of the state. It was my first time driving to Sterling. Because I had ridden to Sterling as a passenger many times before the trip, I didn’t really think the drive would be all that hard to get to Sterling. We had been on the road for about an hour when everyone else in the car had fallen asleep. Since I am an adventurous person, I found myself appreciating the beauty of the scenery and the tranquility of the ride.

After a while, I was running low on gas, so I pulled over, filled up the gas tank, and went inside the mini-mart to grab some snacks. While paying for my items at the counter, I let the cashier know I was driving from Denver, and asked him how much longer I had to drive before I got to Sterling. Looking at me in disbelief, he blurted out, “Sir, you’re in Nebraska!”

I thought I could make it from Denver to Sterling on my gut feelings, so I never bothered to get a map, and didn’t stop and ask for directions. As a result, I ended up in a place that I did not intend to be.

In the same way, if you want to turn your dreams into reality, you need to know that having a dream is not enough. You need a “roadmap”- a plan- to get you from where you are to where you want to be, so that you can maximize the use of your time, energy and resources. Most people have a dream; few people have a map to get there. In fact, most people never take their dreams out of their minds and hearts, and break it down into practical, realistic, written goals. That’s called a plan, and that’s what you need. Your plan is your map that will get you to your desired destination.

Plan your Work and Work you Plan!

From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.

Get your copy today by clicking HERE.

There is a moment in the Bible where God asks Moses, “What is that in your hand?” When God asked the question to Moses, God was not trying to gather information. God knew exactly what was in Moses’ hand. It was a staff. The reason God asked the question was to let Moses know what he had in his hand.

To Moses, it was probably just a little stick, but to God, it was so much more. I ask you today, what’s that in your hand? What dream, what gift, what skill, what talent? I don’t ask for information; I ask to let you know that you already possess more than you realize. You possess more creativity, more ability, more power, and more greatness than you realize. Take what’s in your hand, and use it with all your might.

You Already Have What You Need To Get You Where You Want To Go! Use It!!!

From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.

Get your copy today by clicking HERE.

I have learned that you success leaves clues, and you thus need to study those who have done what you want to do. You can save yourself years of experience, and mistakes, by taking the time to read about the experiences and mistakes of others.

If you want to be a great singer or rapper, then you need to study the lyrics, beats, riffs, runs, and techniques of great singers and rappers; if you want to be great, you have to study, and learn from those great people who have gone before you.

Who has done, or is doing, what you want to do with your life? Name three or four people who are doing what you want to do, and write their names down in the margins of this book right now. Have they written any books that you can buy or check out at the library? Have they made any DVDs or CDs that you can study? Have they done any interviews that you can watch, and learn from? Take time to research what they have done, and make time to study them. Their hard-earned wisdom could save you a lot of time, hurt, money, and energy. 

Success Leaves Clues, Search For Them!

From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.

Get your copy today by clicking HERE.

There is a proverb that says, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” The word “commit” literally means, “roll.” In the Middle East, thousands of years ago, when someone died, and their body was laid to rest in a cave, people in those days would roll a big, heavy stone in front of the cave’s entrance, to secure the body. They would “commit” that stone to the cave’s entrance.

Sometimes our day-to-day duties seem so heavy, our responsibilities seem overwhelming, sometimes the little things you have to do every day seem so laborious and difficult that you don’t have enough time in the day to get things done. You have to do your homework, memorize your playbook, go to that party, buy new clothes, pay your phone bill, exercise, cook, clean, wash, change the diaper, pay the bills, exercise, spend quality time, study, go to class, go to practice, find time to eat, pick the kids up, drop the kids off, pay the mortgage, grade papers, discipline kids, fix a sink, wash a car, an important appointment…your weight just seems too heavy!

I want to encourage you to push our daily “works” to God. To roll our works to God means that you are doing it with God’s will in mind. I believe that if we ask anything according to God’s will, God will hear us and help us. If the boulders you are rolling are according to His will, He will establish your plans. He will bring them to pass, He will make them successful. If you are rolling your works to God, and your works are according to God’s will, your plans will succeed. 

From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.

Get your copy today by clicking HERE.

I often hear people say, “experience is the best teacher.” While I believe that experience can be one of your best teachers, I do not believe that it is always the best teacher. Yes, if you want to become masterful at something, you have to keep working at it.

For example, if you want to become a great speaker, then you need to find opportunities to speak, or create them. If you want to become a great musician, then you have to constantly practice your instrument. If you want to become a great entrepreneur, then you have to work at running a business. Having said that, however, you need to remember that experience is not always the best teacher. Rather, other peoples’ experience can be your best teacher. 

It is so important that you find someone who has already achieved the results you want, find out what they are doing, and do the same thing. The fact is, if we plant the same kinds of seeds, we are going get the same kinds of results. It doesn’t matter if you are black, white, mexican, asian, poor, rich, or none of the above. What matters is that you accellerate your growth by learning the mentalities and methods of others who are successful at what you want to do.

Experience is Not The Best Teacher; Other People's Experiences Are. Learn From Them!

From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.

Get your copy today by clicking HERE.

In 1964, there was a war taking place between Malaysia and Indonesia. And the Malaysian government asked a group of Gurkhas (a people are known for their aggressiveness in battle, the strength, and courage) from Nepal if they would be willing to jump from transport airplanes into combat against the Indonesians.

However, the Gurkhas had never been trained to jump out of planes. But the Gurkhas agreed to jump from planes under three conditions. “What are they?” asked the military officer.

First, they said they would jump from the plane if it flew at a slow speed. Second, the land had to be marshy or reasonably soft, and nowhere near rocky mountains, because Gurkhas were inexperienced at jumping from planes. Third, the planes had to fly only 100 feet from the ground.

The British soldier said that the Gurkhas would be dropped over a jungle, so their landing would be soft. Second, he said that the planes always fly as slowly as possible. Third, however, the British soldier said that it would not be wise for the planes to fly 100 feet from the ground because that would not give the parachutes enough time to open from that height.

The Gurkhas said, “Oh, that’s all right then. With parachutes, we’ll jump anywhere. Nobody said anything about parachutes before.” The Gurkhas were willing to jump from planes without parachutes in order to win the war!

COURAGE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF FEAR; IT IS THE DECISION THAT WHAT YOU WANT IS GREATER THAN WHAT YOU FEAR. 

If you ever want to make the most of your life, you have to be courageous enough to try something that others would consider to be crazy. You need to be willing to take risks, and put yourself on the line. 

From Take Matters Into Your Own Hands: Dream Now! by Manuel Scott.

Get your copy today by clicking HERE.