Have you ever been driving to your place of employment, sitting at your desk, or even been in a meeting at work and think to yourself that there has got to be a better way? There has got to be a better way to make a living? If you are like me, I bet you have. I have sat in meetings listening to the "so called" expert managers discussing ways to save money for the company, what cut backs are going to take place, and how many people are going to lose their jobs in feeble attempts to save the company money. I thought to myself that if I would put as much energy into saving money and thinking of ways to generate money for myself and my family, as I do for this company, I could generate more income than this rat race W2 job is paying me.

Now stop right there. You owe it to yourself to hear me out, let me give you the rest of the story.

One day after feeling like the rat race was getting the best of me, I started looking at other options to generate income. Very few jobs would provide an income to match what I was already receiving. So another job was not the answer. I asked myself what I wanted to have that I didn't already have, my wish. I came up with the following, just to name a few:

1. More freedom.

2. More time with my family.

3. The ability to see my income reflect my efforts.

4. The ability to provide for other family members.

5. The ability to give to others in need, to make a difference.

After looking at these, I quickly determined that a job would not allow me to accomplish what I truly wanted to achieve in life. If I bury these desires that I have for my life, my entrepreneurial spirit, I could be holding back from being a blessing to others feeling guilty and selfish. If I think of life as a chain of dominos lined up. If I was not in place where I was supposed to be, fulfilling my destiny, then the line of dominos could not continue to flow and others could then be affected by my actions or lack there of. It is true, that giving to others and seeing the surprise, an emotion of thankfulness on their face is truly moving and completely rewarding. So much better to give then to receive.

After determining that another job was not the way to go I looked around at different options, businesses franchises, home based businesses, etc. I determined for myself after reading many books and articles as well as spending many evenings of research, that investing in real estate was the initial way to go for me. It would allow me to move towards achieving my wish list and was something that just seemed to fit - it filled the void for this season. For example - I looked at a real estate deal just the other day that will provide me with a net profit of $25,000. Now how many of those types of deals do you need to meet your families needs? Real estate is truly a great investment vehicle of the past, present and future. There will always be a need for real estate investors. That doesn't' mean that I'll be investing in real estate forever, it does mean that it is the vehicle for this season to achieve our personal short and midterm goals. The future is bright and holds many things most of which if I had full knowledge of I would be scared speechless. Take it one step at a time and fully live the season you are in to the fullest.

Here are a couple important things to keep in mind:

1. It is ok to have gone to school succeeded in a particular career field and still not feel complete. If you are one of those people that has been educated and climbed the ladder, to only feel that void inside of you, there is a reason for that. There are endless examples of people that have gone to advanced schools, spent tons of money and successfully climbed the corporate ladder of their earlier dreams, yet to find another career path to walk in. No where is it written that a person can't succeed in several arenas of life. There are seasons that each and every one of us go through in life. Each season can bring different opportunities to us. It is our task to look at those opportunities and determine if that is the opportunity for this season in our life. I recall years ago a friend of mine offered to give me two rental homes that he needed to physically move because he sold the property to some big developers who were going to build hotels there. Being nervous and uneducated in real estate at the time and being focused on my career building that I went to school for, I rejected the offer! Yes, I know what you are thinking and you are right, I was very stupid. Now I look back and use that as an example, a learning tool for what not to do and I no longer reject any offer until I fully examine it. I have also realized that it might be, that it just wasn't the right season. I could have made thousands of dollars with that generous offer from my friend and embarked on a totally different voyage. In those days thousands might as well have been millions! It was my friends way of showing me there is another way and trying to give me an opportunity. In that season I was so focused on my career and climbing that proverbial ladder that I didn't want to look at anything else. Now the seasons have changed and I see the light, the opportunities, and the ways to my goals which I desire in my life. Each of us need to listen to that small voice inside of us, to dream dreams, and to never stop reaching for them.

2. Each and everyone of us has some sort of purpose in life. I don't care who you are, where you have come from or what your bank account balance is. Look around you and see all the different people that are sitting, walking or working. They are all different, all unique and they all have different things in life that they are good at. You may say but I'm not good at anything. Hush - yes you are. You might not be a Walter Payton or Clint Eastwood or a Rembrandt but if you examine yourself closely, you will find something that you are good at. Keep in mind - that to be successful you must erase the bad things that have happened to you as well as the mistakes which exist on your life memory tape and replace them with the good things that are in your life, focus on what you desire - your dreams for the future. You can't and won't get far in life by looking through the rear view mirror while trying to drive through life. You must determine what makes you happy, what gives you that warm fuzzy feeling inside when you think or do that particular thing and focus in on that. If we find that particular thing that makes us tick then we will succeed in it and find true happiness.

In conclusion, if you are hearing that small voice inside of you say "there has got to be a better way" then start by: asking yourself what it is that you are good at, what it is that makes you feel good inside when you think of it and what it is that will accomplish the things you wish for in life.