Ambition: The Power to Reach Your Dreams

By Greg S. Reid

As a foster child, Sam Mason was no stranger to adversity. He didn t have a family, but he did have a lofty dream Sam wanted to be a professional singer and recording artist. However, after encountering rejections and closed doors, Sam became discouraged and was tempted to give up. Follow Sam s journey as he finds mentors in unlikely places and receives the counsel, wisdom, and support to fuel his dream. Let the principles of success from the entrepreneurs, mentors, coaches, and celebrities in this parable rekindle your dreams with the ambition to make them reality. There is no better time than the present to take action toward your greatness!

Featuring insights from co-authors and experts such as: Mark Geroux, Scott Utterback, Jim Blakemore, Wayne Nelson, Mark Scuderi, Angel Rivera, Paul Frederick Alexander, Marshall Melton, Stephen Carson, Sandra Kipnes, Chris Clothier, Matt Theriault, Greg Tastsch, Kyle Baumann, Heather Putnam

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781939078131

Greg S. Reid

Greg S. Reid is an action-taking phenomenon; his strategies generate fast results, and relationships are deep and rich in the space he orbits. Published, coauthored, and featured in more than 50 books, 28 bestsellers in 45 countries, five motion pictures, and featured in countless magazines, Greg demonstrates that the most valuable lessons we learn are also the easiest ones to apply. Recently, Greg has been hand selected by The Napoleon Hill Foundation to help carry on the teaching found in the bible of personal achievement: Think and Grow Rich.

Book preview

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1

MUSIC WAS SAMUEL’S LIFE. As a boy, he’d spent his life in foster homes, and later, as a teenager, he spent a lot of time at the youth center. He’d never had a family to call his own, but he always had music and his prize possession, a guitar.

Sam was now 21 years old and on his own. His job as a server at a popular restaurant and club paid the rent, but it was just that—a job. He didn’t mind hard work and was happy to do whatever was necessary to make ends meet. But he wanted more than a job; Sam wanted a career.

His dream wasn’t common. Unlike his high school classmates, he didn’t want to go to college and become a businessman, doctor, lawyer, or accountant. Sam wanted to be a musician. He was in his element when he played his guitar and wrote songs.

In their senior year of high school, he and a few friends formed a band. They’d performed at local events and festivals, but as a group, they didn’t have any aspirations to make it big. When two members of the band went away to college, the band took a hiatus, only playing in the summer and during semester breaks when they could.

The band had no aspirations, but Sam sure did. On occasion, he played the songs he wrote for a select few, but he had only shared his dream of being a professional singer and songwriter with a few people. It was a lofty goal and one he was certain others wouldn’t understand, thinking he should do something more constructive with his life—something with a stable, secure income.

In the meantime, he worked at the restaurant and volunteered at the youth center. It was a counselor at the center who had taught Sam to play the guitar. He was a quick learner with a natural gift and even had some success with a couple songs he posted on YouTube. It was just enough to feed his dream and keep it alive.

But Sam was quickly learning that the music industry was exclusive. When he sent an agent, artist, or publisher a CD for consideration, it was marked unsolicited and returned or, more often, he got no response at all. If he could get some interest in his songs, it would be the break he needed. But unknown musicians and songwriters were a dime a dozen, and producers made no secret of the fact that they were only interested in working with those who had already made a name in the industry. Some record labels had their own songwriters on staff, some artists will only record their own songs, and nobody wanted to invest in someone who didn’t already have a strong following—it was a closed-door industry that Sam couldn’t figure out how to crack. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try.

2

EVERY YEAR, THE YOUTH center held a music and food festival to raise funds to provide kids with activities, counseling, and experiences that would benefit them. When Sam was in high school, he and the other kids who frequented the center were asked to assist with the event. Now that he was an adult and on his own, he continued to do so on a voluntary basis—it was a good cause, and he felt indebted to give back.

His fondness for the youth center and desire to volunteer could be attributed to the influence of one man—Mark Geroux. Mark owned a construction company and a real estate investment company. He was also on the board for Arts 4 Peace and the advisory board for Global Teen Wealth programs. On top of his many endeavors, Mark was also a life consultant, who helped people understand the goodness in their world, especially when they are going through difficult, challenging times.

Mark was a very visible figure at the youth center and truly related to the kids who went there. During the years that Sam attended the center, Mark became a mentor to him. It was Mark who showed Sam that he understood being a foster child could be considered unfortunate, but with the right attitude and outlook, it could actually be something to be grateful for.

Mark’s words really hit home with Sam, mainly because Mark knew what the foster system—he had also grown up in foster homes. The victim of physical, mental, and emotional abuse, Mark openly admitted that he didn’t know what love was, so at the young age of six, he turned to God. As he grew and learned, he started to really understand deep, unconditional love. What matters most to him now is surrounding himself with people who are supportive to him so he can be supportive to others and help them.

Early in their relationship, he shared his advice with Sam. I’m thankful for the blessing to grow up the way I grew up. There are many people who have hardships in their lives, but they can learn from it and help others who can relate to them. When you have a commonality with others, they can relate to you and will want to work with you. When you’re going through tough times, you have to seek out counsel and share your feelings and emotions. Open up. Don’t close yourself off to people or the world. The reason you’re going through such a tough time is because you feel alone—you feel broken. But you’re not alone; we all go through something tough. If you open up and share and ask for advice, the odds are you will get the advice to get through it.

Mark explained to Sam that he hadn’t found success or happiness until he applied that philosophy.

When I first started in the construction industry, I had a roofing company. I was very ambitious and not afraid to take the opportunities that presented themselves. However, I wasn’t as successful as I hoped to be. I wasn’t surrounding myself with people who knew more than me, so I never had an opportunity to learn from people. I could only lead from what I had learned, and I was learning the hard way.

"I partnered with someone who was very good and smart in the construction industry, but we still didn’t have the business sense we needed. He lost his ambition, and so did