The 1% co-written by Rocio Solaire Roca and James Paulino

Everybody wants to be successful. But most people don’t have the roadmap to get to the finish line. And as soon as they realize you do, they jump in and are excited to share the ride with you.  But they’re not willing to help you drive.  They just want the free ride and to enjoy the view from the passenger side. But they’re also not even willing to stay up, and keep you company while you do the driving so you don’t fall asleep behind the wheel. Rather, they fall asleep and wait for you to wake them up when you reach the final destination.

And that’s the reality of life. Everyone wants to reap the benefits but are not willing to put in the effort and share the risk. Someone close to me once said that the one thing we all have is the same 24 hours. So why is it that most of us never reach success? If we all share the same 24 hours, why do most of us go through life struggling? Because most of us are not willing to sacrifice the  now and do what it takes to get to the 1%.

In the wise words of Oprah “I believe luck is preparation meeting opportunity. If you hadn’t been prepared when the opportunity came along, you wouldn’t have been ‘lucky. 

JLO, Beyonce, Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Steve Gates, Oprah and even Trump and/or anyone who has reached high levels of success all seem to share the same common traits-strong work ethic, focus, discipline and resilience. You can outsmart everyone in your class but if you don’t have the discipline and focus you will not be valedictorian. At work,  you can be the best in your department but if you’re lazy you will not get the promotion. You can have the next million dollar idea but if you give up after a few tries, someone with more drive and discipline will steal it from under you and make it theirs.

Oprah had a rough beginning in life. But she kept pushing through and never gave up. Today she is one of the wealthiest people in America and has changed millions of people’s lives.

Barack Obama defied all obstacles and didn’t stop until he became the first black president of the United states.

Jlo was shut down many times but ultimately she broke many glass ceilings in Hollywood. She decided she was not going to let others define her and put her inside a box. She fought her way through Hollywood and broke many stigmas.  She is the first latina to get a starring role in a big Hollywood blockbuster and the first latina to get a million dollar  paycheck. 

When Beyonce started in show business nobody would dress her because they didn’t dress curvy bodies back then.  She didn’t drown in self pity. She started making her own clothes.

Most people don’t bet on themselves. If you don’t believe in yourself, then how will anyone else believe in you? Learn to Overcome adversity. If one door shuts in your face, keep knocking on the next door. And the next. And next. As Denzel says in one of the most motivational speeches I’ve ever heard,  Don’t fall back, Fall forward. But most of all, you have to put in the work now to reap the benefits later. 

Everyone wants to be part of the finished product but few want to be part of the struggle. 

Decide today who you want to be. Will you be part of the 1% or will you continue to live in the 99…

We all have the same 24 hours. You decide what you do with your time. 

The choice is always yours.