The election night was a big night for America. Millions of people across the nation were glued to the TV, news sites, and Facebook, eagerly waiting for the outcome of the presidential election.

And whether your candidate won and you were ecstatic and in tears, overjoyed that President Obama made it back into office, or you were one who was sickened and overcome with anxiety, the reality is, what happens in the White House ultimately does not determine what happens in your house.

I have to tell you, you impressed me. I watched you interact on our Facebook page last night, and I was amazed by the level of maturity I saw. There is so much diversity when it comes to politics. People seem to get offended so easily. People get so judgmental. But I am so proud of you, that you don’t have a 6th grade level of maturity. You didn’t attack those whose opinions are different than yours. You didn’t judge them or get offended. You have an unusual level of maturity.

We all watched immorality all over TV and the internet and Facebook, not just last night, but throughout the entire election process. We all saw some people dishonor each other, provoke arguments, or reject others because they assume they are part of a certain way of thinking. Most people don’t extend the same respect they expect to get from others. We expect honor, we expect freedom of speech. But how often do we honor the opinions of others? We cannot expect more from others than we are willing to give.

But what I experienced last night on Facebook and what I heard on our radio show today was maturity. What I saw was fruit of what we teach here at First Steps to Success and Creating a Dynasty.

What I saw was a safe place. A culture of honor. A place where you have the right to speak what you believe, without fear of being attacked for your opinions. Because when we become the kind of people who are afraid to speak up about what we believe, then we have totally put our freedom aside. Yes, always honor and always use wisdom when you speak, but speak freely!

We are to embrace each other’s differences. We don’t have to agree with them or take on their opinions, but we can appreciate their opinion and honor them for it. And we can learn from them.

Ya know, I’ve gotta be honest with you. Leading up to elections in the past, I was filled with fear and anxiety. I felt that who’s in office is the determining factor for my life. But for the first time in 2 decades, I didn’t have anxiety, worry, or fear throughout the election process. I do not feel heavy or distraught. Because I know that I know that I know that we are all here for a purpose. I know that I have been called for such a time as this, just as you have been called for such a time as this. We’ve been born for right now. We’ve been raised in this life, in this culture, in order to make a difference.

I have such an intensified vision, whether the next 4 years go down the toilet or things get better. Either way, I’m still gonna do the same thing.

I’m still going to make money and give it to those who are in need. I’m still going to provide jobs for people. I’m still going to help in my community. I’m still going to groom my children for success and help them overcome adversity and challenges.

Because the bottom line is this: We all woke up this morning in the same house, driving the same car, going to the same place of labor. We all woke up this morning and we still have a life to live, a family to take care of, bills to pay, work to do, and people around us that we love.

Not much changed between last night and today. And not much is going to change if you don’t change. Your financial life will not get any better this week unless you take the appropriate steps to advance your skill, improve your attitude, and learn new strategies to pay off debt, make more money, grow your business or career, and to help your family to have a stable future.

We, the people, have got to grow up and mature, get out of our own personal debt, and restore the entrepreneurial spirit in ourselves and in the next generation. We have to become better workers…ones who give it our best…ones who go in every day saying, let’s grow this thing, instead of what can I get out of this?

We have to become people who help other people. Like with what happened with Hurricane Sandy…we must step up and be about something bigger than ourselves. We must take care of those who cannot take care of themselves, like the orphans, the widows, and the sick.

We must live the way we expect our government to live. We must set the example, instead of expecting them to change how we live.

So, be hopeful! Be encouraged! There is more opportunity in the world today than ever before. Not because of who’s in office or who’s not in office, but because the people are going through hard times and trials. And when people are squeezed, that’s when they get desperate and know that they must step up and make a change.

I know. I’ve had hard times. I was raised on welfare in a violently abusive home, with drug-infested parents. I was pregnant at 17. I was a broke, homeless cocktail waitress. And those experiences are what pushed me to start a business. Those hard times are what caused me to never want to return to that place again. I know that there’s no way I would be who I am today or where I am today if it wasn’t for those hard times.

It all comes down to you establishing who you will be, what you will stand for, and how you will live out your life.

Choose to succeed. Choose to mature. Choose to honor. Choose to not judge people because they don’t think the way you think. Choose to embrace real, true unity, which is diversity in harmony.

I’m looking forward to the coming years, to you and I working together personally to change the world, one life at a time. I am so excited to see you at First Steps to Success this weekend in Los Angeles. We have just entered into a new season, a new opportunity, and that is to set an example for how every human should live.

God bless, and I’ll see you bright and early Saturday morning!

In great faith,