Napoleon Hill reminds me that poverty and riches are the offspring of thought.  You are source energy.  If you're first plan doesn't turn out as you envision, you can try another and so on.  You may start with nothing, but you can evolve to create someting.  Eventually, you'll find a plan that works.  Be careful what you think. When you intend for things to happen, they will.  In order to start somewhere and develop a stronger sense of direction, you need practical, workable plans.   

At least two key kinds of people exist in this world: those people who follow their dreams and those people who choose to follow dreams imposed by others. What kind of person are you?

Lilia Mayagoitia is a significant inspiration for me.  She has had the courage and resourcefulness to follow her dreams and help other people to realize theirs.  I initially met her in October 2006 and recently attended a conference in Sydney, Australia where she was a guest speaker.  Here, she shared her success story speaking English for her third and fourth times in public. This effort revealed her determination to share her meaningful message and inspire even more people. 

She grew up in poverty in Mexico City. As a child, Lilia never knew luxuries such as Christmas presents or birthday parties, and rarely holidays unless relatived invited them.  She dreamed of dance and music lessons but couldn't afford them. Her parents feared her dream and tried to discourage her because it didn't pay well.  After dreaming of a theatre and entertainment career, at age 21, she finally took ballet.   Within a year, she was performing lead roles in professional musicals and theatre productions. Lilia struggled for years to make enough money to support herself, yet she refused to give up her dream. 

She met the man who became her husband Alberto when she initially played the role of his wife in a traveling soap opera.  While she became Roberto's girlfriend, she was aware he'd grown up in an American-Mexican middle class family.  She never forgot her desire for independence, her goal to to develop herself, and to be able to do certain things herself.  Much to Alberto's surprise and confusion, she broke up with him. During the next year and a half after the break-up, she built a business alone to prove herself.  She created her sense of a dream about lives of people less fortunate she wished to help change.  This motivated her to travel to remote places in buses with animals and use other basic means to promote her business idea, to share her own struggles and victories.  Over time, her business grew. She learned Alberto was promoting a similar business. They met at professional functions, rekindled their romance, and shared new success.  

The Mayagoitias remind me the true measure of a one's character is what you do with what you've got when you're on your own, after you read about or listen to people who have blazed their own trails.  Of course, without a dream, there's little reason to do what it takes.  We're each reminded that if someone else can achieve success, then we can create our own prosperity and become the best person we can be.  Never underestimate the power of your own plan and how you might touch a life.  Think carefully about how many lives you wish to change. Who might discover and build on opportunities because you empowered them to see differently?

To quote Lilia, "I have a life and it's a gift.  If there comes a day when I don't touch someone, then my life lacks meaning."

So, what price are you willing to pay to create wealth in your life and enrich the lives of others?  I think the price we need to be willing to pay is to exert effort and devote time to things we don't necessarly want to do when we don't want to do them.  We need to step out of our comfort zones and learn the value of sacrifices. Your mindset is your compass which will clarify your sense of direction. Learn to commit to what you believe in with a sense of responsibility.  You'll evolve and grow to reap unexpected benefits.