Here is a little secret that no one likes to talk about with regard to success. It doesn’t matter whether you went to college.  It doesn’t matter if your parents are rich or poor.  It doesn’t matter if you are fabulous looking or funny looking.  It doesn’t matter if you are young or old.  All of those things can hurt you as much as help you on the path to success.

The reality is that there are a lot of college educated, attractive people out there who aren’t using the skills and talents that God gave them. They’ve been handed life on a silver platter, but they aren’t accomplishing anything.  Why?  Because, when it comes to success, the only thing that matters is this: Are you willing to work for what you want?  If you are, then nothing can stop you.  So if you want to achieve something in life, simply start from where you are.

Don’t spend your time worrying about what you don’t have.  Focus on what you do have – a goal.  If you want to be a musician, pick an instrument to learn, save your pennies to purchase the instrument, find a good teacher, and practice!  If you want to become a doctor, find a job that will pay for some or all of your tuition and start studying.  Today.  If you want to accomplish something badly enough, there is always a way.  But only you can take that first step.

Starting from where you are requires you to give up the excuses. “I’m not smart enough.”  “I don’t have enough money.”  “I don’t have the right height/skin color/weight.”  “I’m too old.”  The list of excuses goes on and on.  If God placed a dream in your heart, He has done so for a reason.  It is for you to fulfill that dream and to bless the earth with your gifts and talents.  Making excuses doesn’t serve you, and it certainly doesn’t serve God.

Of course, you may have to make some sacrifices. You may have to work harder than your neighbor to achieve your goals.  You may have less “free time.”  That is OK!  You have more important things to do than surf the Internet or zone out in front of the television.  When you have big goals, your time is a precious commodity.

You may have some naysayers. If you are on welfare, and your goal is to own your own business, you may not have many supporters.  People may say, “How can you possibly do that when you have no money?”  Don’t listen to them.  Similarly, you may want to go back to school and get your college degree.  I don’t care if you are 28-years-old or 80-years-old, that goal can be accomplished.  Don’t let anyone tell you that what you are trying to do is out of your reach.  I am sure that every famous person has been told, “You don’t have what it takes.”  They simply ignored those comments and kept moving toward their goals.

If God has placed a mission or goal in your heart, it is for a reason. He has a purpose for your life.  And He has equipped you with the skills and talents to accomplish that purpose.  Don’t worry about all the things you don’t have.  Instead, work with the gifts that God has given you today, and He will take care of the rest.  Just start where you are.

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.”  Psalm 138:8