Roy's Revelation

Little Roy sat next to his mother watching their favorite t.v. show, The Cosby Show. During a commercial break, Little Roy's mom looked down at him with a smile. He knew what was coming. His mother loved to challenge him and make him think. Roy loved these challenges as well.

Before she could speak Little Roy returned her smile with a pleasant invitation.

"I see you thinking, mom. Ask me, and I'll answer," he said.

Laughing, his mother lowered the volume on the television and sat upright on the couch.

"O.k., my little brainiac. What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Little Roy, only eight years old hadn't really given that much thought. He stared off into space with his chin in his hand for a moments. Then, he'd began to speak, but suddenly stopped and went back to thinking. This happened two more times before his mother spoke up.

"I know your only 8 years old, but you need to think about this while you're still young enough to dream and be whatever you desire..."

As his mother talked Little Roy had several visions floating in his head. There were so many things he wanted to try, so many things he want to be. How could he pick just one thing. Why would he pick one thing he thought to himself. Tuning back into his mothers voice he caught only the jobs she named.

"....Doctor, lawyer, or even an architect. You can draw really good. who knows, we may see some big fancy building one day that you designed. I'll be showing all my friends and say, 'my son designed that building'!"

Little Roy laughed at the architect comment immediately. He thought designing buildings sounded pretty cool. However, it also sounded way to technical for someone who despised math class the way he did.

"It's not that I don't know what I want to be. The problem is I want to be a lot of things. A business man. I want to have enough money to do whatever I want to do, Take care of you and my brothers and sisters, and just travel."

"You can do anything you set your mind to. Just keep getting good grades, go to college, and you'll find a good job that will allow you to do all the things you want to do." his mother replied.

Little Roy didn't know why at the time, but his mom advice sounded contradicting. He couldn't understand why he had to get a good job if he wanted to be the owner of his own business. This would prove to be a defining moment for the rest of his life journey.

As Little Roy went on to middle school he began to observe people closely. He would analyze people from all different walks of life. Unfortunately, the only people on the level of success he aspired for he didn't know. Nor, were these people in his environment. He could only study them on t.v. and in books.

Around seventh grade Little Roy began to struggle in school. Ironically, he didn't struggle because it was hard. He struggled because he wasn't challenged and paid little attention to the things that were not of use to his life goal. Needless to say no many adults understood this at the time. It appeared to them he was lazy or troubled in some way that made it hard to focus in school.

At age sixteen, Little Roy found a part-time job just to have some extra money and help out with household expenses. Throughout high school he would learn quickly that a regular job just wouldn't cut it for him. He had uncles and friends that made good money working at Chrysler, or other major corporations. Still, deep inside he knew he'd hit a ceiling and that thought alone was enough to ensure he'd never be content with a 9-5 job of any magnitude. Little Roy knew before he actually understood that what he was aiming for was certain quality of life. He wasn't in search of a paycheck like most from his community.

Close to graduation time Little Roy was still procrastinating on college applications, toying with the thought of going to the military, and otherwise lost. He knew what he wanted, he knew why he wanted it, but he didn't know how to get it. He had no real life examples of an entrepreneur and all the knowledge he gained on wealth came from books. Discouragement would be become a stagnating weight on his beliefs about achievement.

One day, his mother found him in his room looking kind of sad and half-heart looking at all the stationary he'd collected about options after high school.

"Hey, son. I see you're still struggling with what you want to do for your career. Don't worry, son. You are very bright. Everyone always knew you'd be something big. If you don't want to go to college I'm sure you can get pulled in Chrysler or something like that. They pay great money."

Unlike when he was 8 Little Roy could articulate his feelings and understand very well.

"See, mom, that's the problem. I don't see the good money they make as enticing. I see the 90 hour plus work weeks. Even more, I see that a man that can pay thousands of employees 30 dollars an hour is definitely making far more. More importantly, while they slave for the money they barely get to enjoy, the owner is living his life and loving it at the highest level. He's not afraid to miss work for sickness, kids, school, or anything. Why can't I be him?"

Little Roy's question brought a bit of sadness to his mom. Deep down she knew life had began to place limits on him that were slowly killing his dreams. She knew because the same thing happened to her and just about every person she knew from poverty. However, she encouraged her son the best way she knew how.

"You can be like him son. But you're going to have to work for someone until you can build your business up. You need a back up plan."

Little Roy was again disappointed. He knew in his soul his logic wasn't incorrect. Out of respect he took middle ground on his stance with his mother.

"No disrespect, mom...but that's not true. I'll probably never make enough to just quit and start my business. I'll just end up in rotation like everyone else. I refuse to leave my life in the hands of another man or corporation that my work makes rich and I'm expendable to them the whole time."

After graduation Little Roy would go on to work one dead end job after another. Never understanding the concept of working for someone he grew more and desperate to become financially free. Eventually he found himself in jail for trying to take short cuts to his dream.

It was in jail that Little Roy had his life changing revelation. Never wanting to be back in jail, and never wanting to worry about his basic survival, he began to prepare himself mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. His time in jail would not be wasted time.

Little Roy read every book he could in order to find the difference in rich people, poor people, and the middle class. He noticed major differences in thinking, mostly. Many of the teachings pressed upon him while growing up were false. Then, he studied poor people he became wealthy and stayed wealthy. He learned what their obstacles were and how they overcame them.

One night, lying in his cell and staring at the ceiling in deep thought Little Roy had a revelation that forever changed his life. He realized he always knew the path to his goal from the beginning. He saw the flaws in elders thinking before he understood why their thinking was flawed.

The revelation had such an impact that Little Roy sat up and listed all the teachings he always questioned and now knew were wrong:

1: It takes money to make money

2: Work hard and save

3: You have to go to college

4: college yields a good job

5: Chances of being rich and/or famous are slim and you likely will never

be.

The last one he listed he listed he highlighted because he witnessed so many examples of it in his life.

6: Money is the root of all evil and their is some kind of virtue in poverty

Little Roy noticed one major thing in his studies. The world has been changed not by rich and powerful people, but by ordinary people who were bold enough to face the adversity of being ahead of their time. America was built by regular people. Cars, airplanes, physical fitness, television, etc. all come from regular men with a dream. In an unrelenting pursuit of their goal they overcame all obstacles and made the impossible possible.

It finally came time for Little Roy to return home. Walking out the prison gates he deeply inhaled the fresh air of a free man. Then, he made a vow to himself. There be no excuses, only solutions. He would now make his life an example of his beliefs and free everyone he could from the mindset of the disenfranchised.

Shortly after his release Little Roy released his first novel, "Limitless You." From there he decided that anything he wanted to do he was going to do. It wasn't long from that decision before Little Roy lived and represent his revelation. The only limits you have are the limits that you impose yourself!