One of the fun things about my life is I continually get to have great conversations with people who many times know more about certain things in life than I do.  For instance, sitting with Bjorn Borg and hearing him talk about playing tennis with John McEnroe at Wimbledon.  Or talking to Pharrell (the rapper and fashion icon) about how to make beats.  You see in life, success leaves clues.  And if you look, listen, and follow these clues it can many times lead you to your pot of gold.

I remember one night, I was invited to the home of Stevie Wonder.  I’ve loved Stevie Wonder since I was a kid; from songs, “Isn’t She Lovely” to “Superstition”…Stevie Wonder is truly an icon.  One night after a long, and beautiful conversation about what was right and wrong in the world, Stevie got inspired and decided to sit down on his piano bench.  With just me, him, and his bodyguard there, he went into a mini concert of slow ballads that lasted over an hour.  I admit it was a touch of heaven.

After he began to talk to me about success, and how important it is for someone to be willing to pay the price to be good at something.  He said to me that night, “Talent is not enough Tim.  You’ve got to be willing to go the extra mile.” He told me that’s why there’s so many ‘one hit wonders’.  The one hit record was easy, but the second one never comes because they aren’t willing to pay the price.

The word willing means: consenting, given to, to cooperate.  The opposite of willing is: to be unwilling, to not cooperate.  The question I have for you is, “are you willing to cooperate with the great plan that life has for you?”  There are three things you have to be willing to do to live your finest life.

You have to be willing to change direction.  When I say direction I mean your path, your road, your stream.  Sometimes the way we see life is not always correct.  Great people change their course of direction when they need to.

You have to be willing to submit to a higher plan.  The word submit means: to abide, agree, to flow with.  I believe there is a master plan for you, and if you look deep inside– your dreams will talk to you.  Make sure you are willing to agree with the great dreams that are inside you.

You have to be willing you go into foreign territory.  The word foreign means: unfamiliar, unknown, different.  A territory is a space or a block, like a new neighborhood.  Stevie Wonder, as a blind man could have said that he’ll never play piano because he’s blind, but he ventured off into foreign territory and was willing the pay the price.  And now with just one touch of the keys, we know it’s one of his songs.

It’s time for us to decide, determine, and be willing to live our finest life.  Don’t let life do something with you.  Go do something with life.

“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there. “–Stevie Wonder