Proverbs 13:20
"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm."
A friend whose financial capital is limited called me the other day with a new investment opportunity. My first reaction was to pshaw the whole idea with an educated guess. Being that it required no investment start-up, I was skeptical on why I should waste my time investing the Internet ballpark to theme my research. "After all", I thought, "It's a drop in the bucket." Obviously, she couldn't afford to spend money on the backbone of American ethics, hard work, and was looking for an easier way out.
But half way through the conversation I wondered, "Is she wasting her time?" This whole idea was framed for a mind who had experience in the field. We definitely did not. "No," I thought. She was expanding her vision, putting herself in a place where she could see herself successful. She was looking beyond where she was, and into where she wanted to be letting faith blossom in her heart.
She interrupted my thought process and said, "Look, I know God will help us. I have complete faith in him." At that point I thought of all the other ill-equipped individuals who made millions. The movie Jobs game to mind with a young Steve Jobs who had no college experience yet helped build an empire. And what about Bill Gates the Harvard University drop-out? He was driven by a passion for computer programming that set the foundation for the world's largest software company.
Perhaps that's something we all need - passion. Passion and a place to dream. Many of us stagnate each day afraid to listen to someone new or change our environment. It is more comforting to sit around feeling sorry about ourselves with the same knowledge and knowing how everything will turn out at the end of the day.
What we really need is to learn to dream again. Sometimes those dreams can be spurred through another's conversation. Begin to dream again and elevate your faith. Begin by getting into an atmosphere where people build you up rather than tear you down. Then allow your ears and heart to open when someone is challenging you with new information. Spend time with them. Let them inspire you with an idea that may take root and build.
Surround yourself with successful people. These people could be successful in business or in their faith. Let their enthusiasm become contagious, and you will catch their vision. Learn to stay in the atmosphere of victory to develop that winning mind-set.
Even when the circumstances don't go your way, keep your mind set in the right direction. If you do your part by continually contemplating the goodness of God, God will take you to those places you dream!