How Did A Homeless Man Become an Overnight Millionaire?

Would you like to be Ted Williams?

A homeless man living on the streets of Columbus, Ohio, has caused a major traffic jam, not on the Interstate, but on the Internet.

The name Ted Williams has generated more than 6 million hits on the Internet, and has become an overnight household name. Not only is his name swirling in cyber-space, at record levels, he has joined the ranks with Jim Harbaugh, becoming one of the most highly sought after candidate, not to coach a team in the NFL, but to be one of the top voices in radio for the NBA, NFL Films, and the voice-over world. Not bad, for a homeless guy, right?

How would you like to be in his shoes—an overnight success story? Most people would say, “Yes”, emphatically. But, hold your horse…is this sensational story about overnight success? Or, is about something more substantial? Is this about the prize, or is it about the process?

Real success is never about the destination, it is always about the journey, and what you become—by the many experiences along the way. Because life is an energy that constantly moves, destinations sometimes are short-lived. It’s the experiences on the journey of life that last a lifetime!

If you think Ted Williams story is as an “Overnight Sensation”, you are terribly mistaken. I hope I didn’t lose you, there? Just hear me out for a minute.

Upon first glance, it does appear that Ted Williams shed himself of poverty and leaped right into the hands of prosperity, overnight. But, if you were to take an in-depth look at the bigger picture, you will see that this is not the case.

According to a recent report by CTV News Staff, Williams said, “He began to struggle with alcoholism in 1996 while working at a jazz radio station…and would often show up late for work. Then he started using drugs like marijuana and cocaine…”
Now, you do the math—1996 to 2011. I calculated 15 years? That’s a big difference in my book—“Overnight Success vs. The 15 Year Process”.

Do you now see how easy it is to be mesmerized by the prize, destination or the results, and not the 15 year journey?We didn’t see the struggles—having to decide whether to buy drugs or buy food, the nights in the bitter cold, the growling stomach, and the embarrassing moments—asking for money, food, a hot cup of coffee or left-over’s from a wasted meal. We don’t know what it feels like to have to carry all of your worldly goods—everywhere you go—every single day of your life! Oh what a journey!

Do you still want to be in his shoes? Your answer maybe, “No” at this point…But, what if I told you that you are in his shoes, and/or have the same opportunity?We’re all on a personal journey, with struggles, too! No, you are not homeless. You don’t have a drug problem. But we still have struggles.

Our struggle is deciding whether we will continue on the journey or quit in the middle of the race. This is the one thing I admire about Ted: He did not give up! And as I analyze this story, there are five things that come to mind.

I call this the 5 P’s to having a Prosperous Life:

· Preparation

· Perseverance

· Persistence

· Passion

· Prayer

Ted implemented all five.If you would implement these five principles, you can have the same success story as Ted Williams. Let me go in-depth in explaining each of the five:

Preparation—Is the planning stage. You have to first know where you are in terms of your life, in order to devise a plan (or make a sign that reads, “I have a God Given Gift of Voice…”) that will get you to where you need to be, as it relates to your purpose. This is the time that you will take to evaluate your purpose for life—preparing for greatness. Having a clear vision as to who you are and why you were created. And in the case of Ted Williams, it was his God-given Voice! “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail”

Perseverance—Is the will to push through obstacles from within—those obstacles that are mostly self-imposed—such as fear, negative emotions, negative thinking, drugs or alcohol. It may even be an illness of some sort. These are only some of the things that you will have to persevere through.

Persistence—Is the will to push through obstacles that are caused from outside forces—such as negative people (be it family, friends or foe) limited resources, homelessness, joblessness, failures. Normally, these are things that are out of your control. However, you do have control over how you respond, what you say and how you think, and sometimes—“How you sound”.

Passion—Is what creates the energy that’s needed to push you beyond your physical abilities or limitations. It’s what you feel when you are pursuing your God-given purpose. It’s the thing that makes your purpose seem easy to onlookers, or six million Internet viewers!

Prayer—Is the only language that God understands and responds to. True prayer is saying and doing what the “Word of God” says. God is not moved by your tears, your poverty, your pain, your failing marriage, your time in jail, the sickness of your mother, living on the streets or any other problem you got going on in your life; the only thing that moves God, on your behalf, is prayers that come into agreement with his word, for your life, through the faith you display. 

Prayer is saying something like this: And I know that all things work together (even being homeless or jobless) for good, because I love God and called unto His purpose.

Applying these five principles to your life, will cause you to experience a transformation within your soul, mind, body and spirit; a transformation that will give you the aptitude to finish your purpose for living.

If you think “Life” is hard…try dying before realizing your purpose and your dreams: Oh what a miserable death that would be!

Finish what you start; and God will give you more things to finish.

Your Coach,

Demetrius Sandridge

www.dsandridge.com

Your comments are Welcomed…

Email at: D.Sandridge@Yahoo.Com 

Thanks!