Look around you.

Have you ever wondered why you are where you are today? I have. It seems that, while truth comes in many shapes and sizes, it has once shone its bright lights in my general direction. These beams of light were a bit much at first; then I realized I had to open my eyes and see what was going on around me. It is amazing to meet the wonderful people I come across every day in my travels. Each and every person I come in contact with has some effect on my life that I would have never imagined. And by partaking in the very reading of this paper, you have affected my life by reading these words, if only for a few minutes.

Just recently I had the pleasure of being in the company of a mentor who instructed me to move forward in my desires of the mind. I was told to do a few things that would drastically change my life. And having just watched ‘Pay it Forward,’ I feel it is my duty to pay this favor forward to those who are willing to listen.

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Before I release these three things so your life too can be enriched, I would be remiss if I didn’t explain why this is coming out now. The short story begins with an encounter with a gentleman sitting next to me getting ready to donate blood. The conversation summary goes as follows: He had lived in several places, yet had never had the urge to travel farther than where he’d lived. Further inquiry unveiled that he, like many others I talk to, shared an issue with travel, among the other pleasures of life he had pushed aside, because of two things in particular: time and money.

You may ask what this has to do with getting to that next level. Keep reading.

What was shared with me is the same information that helped my mentor go from bankrupt to multi-millionaire over the course of a few years, and is now causing a similar set of changes in my life.

What you have to realize is that you have to get rid of the parasites in your life first. What are the parasites? All of the distractions that you allow to interfere with what you really want in life are parasites. All the people who bring negativity your way are parasites. They suck the positive energy you are born with out of you, but you let them. The vices – be’ it smoking, drinking, pornography, jealousy, greed, ignorance – are all parasites.

Once you realize you have parasites in your life, identify who or what they are, and begin getting rid of them, you are ready to take the three steps to get to that next level.

The first step: Identify your goals in writing.

The second step: Develop a written plan to achieve your goals.

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The third step: Work your plan every day.

Simple, but one of the many things you won’t learn after your college education.

Take some time, dream again, remove your parasites, and follow these three steps. If you need help, my door is always open. I can be reached at 618-536-0326.

Flowers is a senior studying biological sciences.