It’s no secret that I’ve enjoyed success in life. I’ve got a beautiful home, a beautiful wife, three lovely children, and the best dog that a man could ask for. I have a good life, and for that I am very thankful. But I’m not lucky. The idea of “luck” introduces an element of chance — of uncertainty. I’ve had some lucky moments, sure, but every true and meaningful stride that I’ve taken in my life has been a direct result of hard work and perseverance. At a young age, I realized what I wanted out of life, and I’ve spent every day since then working tirelessly to earn it. Some men are content to put in the bare minimum amount of effort, and just hope that somehow everything just happens to work out in their favor. These guys are gambling their lives away. Maybe one day you wake up and see that your holdings in the market have skyrocketed, and that you’re finally as rich as you’d always hoped to be; or maybe one day you wake up and realize that your stocks have tanked, you’re deep in debt, your life is in shambles, and there’s no way out. I didn’t want to roll the dice with my own life. I evaluated my goals, made a plan of action, and executed it with animal-like perseverance. There’s no big “secret” that’s going to get you to where you want to be in life. There’s only one choice — and it’s a choice that you have to make for yourself. Are you the kind of man who sees what he wants, and then does everything in his power to earn it? Or are you the kind of man who closes his eyes, and just prays that everything will work out? The kind of man who is content to roll the dice and hope for the best — to leave his own livelihood up to chance.

I had a job offer on the table from Google at the age of 21. I hadn’t even finished college yet, and already the most powerful tech company in the world wanted me to join their team. Needless to say, I didn’t get to that point by putting in a half-assed effort at the various tech and web development-related internships that I held throughout my college years. I worked like a dog to make the most of every opportunity that I got, and Google saw that. Google saw the kind of man that I am, and knew instantly that I would be an invaluable asset to their company. That’s something that luck will never get you. Maybe you’re in the right place and the right time, you just happen to know the right guy, and somehow you’re able to land your dream job at a place like Google. What next? You eagerly accept the job, and hey, maybe you’re a completely adequate worker, but let me tell you what — it’s never going to feel right, because you’re going to be living a lie. You didn’t earn that job. Not in the way that I did. Google saw my credentials, saw my work ethic, got a sense of my relentless spirit, and knew instantly that I was the right man for the position. I wasn’t even nervous going into the interview. I knew that the job was mine, because I had already earned it.

Maybe that’s why I decided to walk away from Google’s offer. It wasn’t about the job for me. It just served to prove what I already knew deep down — that with hard work, dedication, and persistence, I could achieve anything. I don’t want to just be a corporate drone at a multinational tech company. No, I want more than that. I want to change the world. I want to shake up the order of things. I want to touch people’s hearts. I want to be remembered as a man who did something meaningful. Maybe that’s why I started making art. I don’t know. The one thing that I am sure about now is that I can achieve anything if I set my mind to it. I’m not a gambler. I’m a worker, and I’m not going to stop working until I see my dreams become reality. That’s just the kind of man I am.

Do you have any special insights for those struggling to achieve their goals and ambitions in life? Let me know in the comments section below.