Have you ever wondered why some people are successful and others are not? Some believe it’s because they just got lucky, or because they have the right background or the right opportunities. But the reality is, it has nothing to do with your personality, where you grew up, how educated you are, or whether your family is successful or not.

You cannot sit there and tell me that people are successful because of their background or personality, because there are millionaires and billionaires who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, in the wrong families, surrounded by the wrong people, who didn’t go to college, and some even dropped out of high school! The only difference is how they choose to live their lives. They made a decision and followed it through with action.

You can make a decision and take action on that decision, or you can sit there like 98% of the population and say, "It’s too hard to make money!" "It’s too hard to build a successful business!" "It’s too hard to get a promotion!"

It’s a fantasy to think that you are going to become wealthy overnight or build a successful business in 30 days. Unfortunately, that’s what a lot of people expect. They have this idea that they can skip the beginning stages and go straight for the part where they are making tons of money and having success.

But no matter what you do, you must master the basics of your industry and profession. There are basics to EVERYTHING! Marriage, parenting, your job, building a business, communicating with people, managing money, managing your time, having a fulfilling spiritual life. But if you do not master the basics, you will never truly succeed.

One of my favorite things to talk about when it comes to mastering the basics is Michael Jordan. See, when I was younger, basketball was my ‘thing’. I played from the time I was 6 until I was about 20. One of my favorite players to watch was Michael Jordan. He was phenomenal!

He did not have a great start in his basketball career. He was cut from his high school team. He was overlooked for not being good enough. But he persisted! He practiced, and he got good enough to make it to the NBA. Today he is one of the most famous basketball players in the world! Kids all over the world (myself included) wanted to fly through the air like Michael Jordan, but they couldn’t even dribble, pass, or shoot!

I want you to think about how many free throws Michael Jordan has shot in his lifetime. How many layups has he done? How many dribbling and passing drills has he done? You can’t even count them!

How do you think he got so good at basketball? How do you think he is able to slam dunk the ball? He first had to know how to dribble, pass, and shoot. He had to master the basics before he was ever qualified to fly through the air and slam dunk the ball.

But most people want to put on their favorite jersey, tie their shoes, and get out on the court and fly through the air. That’s where they’re missing it. You must have the right foundational skills before you can even think about doing the hard stuff or the "fun" stuff.

You can’t just know what the basics are. You can’t just know how to do them. You can’t just do them once or twice. You have to MASTER the basics!

And here’s the bottom line – EVERYONE has to start from the beginning and build up. Everyone has to pay their dues. Everyone starts with the basics. The millionaires and billionaires in your industry did not get to skip the basics. They started with the exact same basics you are starting on! But they made a decision, and they followed that decision up with action. And where did it start? The basics.

So today, no matter what you do or what industry you are in, make a decision to master the basics. I promise it will pay off! Do not get bored in the basics. Do not settle for "good enough". It’s time to truly master the basics!

It would be a great idea to share this message with your co-workers or business partners today. This will help get everyone on the same page and solidify the need for people in your company or team to master the basics in order to help the organization grow. It would also be a good conversation to have with your friends and family, because as I mentioned earlier, there are basics in everything from business and career, to family, finances, and relationships. Simply print this letter and pass it around or post this link on Facebook and Twitter.

I also wanted to let you know that because of my family’s travel schedule, we will be taking the summer off from the Wednesday edition of The Dani Johnson Show and the Spiritual Equipping Broadcast. As always, the archives are available for you on our website. It would be very wise to keep plugging into the countless hours of recorded radio shows and broadcasts so you can continue moving your life forward! Don’t worry, we will still be connecting every Sunday night for our nationally syndicated radio show!

In great faith,

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