Ever since I was a teenager I’ve had a burning desire to one day own my own business and be my own boss. I believe this entrepreneur spirit was passed on to me by my father who for years has been a small business owner. I am often amazed how someone who comes from so little could work so hard to build so much, such is my fathers story. He has owned and operated Leonel’s Auto Repair for well over 15 years now and has built a reputation of being one of the most honest and trustworthy auto mechanics in our area. Although I am not quite where I would like to be, I do believe I am well on my way of achieving my dream. Today I decided to compile a list of 5 strategies or habits that have helped me get to where I am today, my desire is that by reading this you too will decide to start pursuing the call that God has put on your life whether it be starting a business, stepping up and taking a leadership role at work or school, or breaking away from the standard 9 to 5 to live out your dream. Lets get started!
1. DREAM BIG
I often find myself asking “Why not me?” I have never compared my success to the success of others but I do watch closely to what others in my industry are doing. I often found that it was those who decided to do things differently, that were making the biggest impact. When I started Dungeon Boxing Club my desire was to provide an outlet for our city’s youth where they could come and not only be transformed physically but mentally as well. For years we trained out of my two car garage and would be heartbroken when I couldn’t take on new participants due to space limitations. For years I dreamed of having a large facility that resembled the essence of legendary boxing gyms such as Stillman’s Gym out of New York. Today as you enter Dungeon Boxing Club that is exactly what you find, the feel and look of what a legendary old school boxing gym should look like. We have also been able to nearly quadruple out memberships with the upgrade in square footage!
2. COMMIT TO YOUR DREAM
If you truly desire to see your dream come to fruition you have to be willing to say no to people, things, and commitments that don’t align with your call. For instance, 3 years ago I realized that a ton of my time was being wasted on watching television so we decided to get rid of every single television in our home! You’d be amazed by how much time you actually have when you get rid of distractions. Now the 5 hours I was using daily to watch television are being used to run additional boxing classes and spending meaningful time with my family.
3. INVEST IN YOURSELF
Money comes and goes, it is how you spend it that truly matters. It’s amazing to me how someone could spend nearly $200 in one night on entertainment by going out to eat, watching a movie, and having a few drinks after and not even bat an eye! But you recommend a book that has transformed your life and they don’t have enough money nor time to read it! One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was getting rid of that TV, since then I have averaged 24 books read per year. My children have also taken to reading, I am currently in a competition with my eldest daughter on who could read the most books this year…I am on book #8, she just completed book #36…………..Its a close race.
4. SET NEW GOALS
It is crucial that you continue to set new goals once you have accomplished your current goals. There was a moment after we acquired our new building where I began to get bored with boxing, this wasn’t due to losing love for our mission it was simply because we had accomplished what we had set out to do. Without a new target to hit you’ll find yourself shooting blindly. Set goals, reach them, then set some more.
5. GIVE BACK
This last one I believe to be the most important of all. If you are doing something that only benefits you then you are really not doing anything at all. My wife and I allocate a significant amount of our time to develop the young men and women that come through our doors. Not only do we give them the attention required at the boxing club but we do our best to be as involved as we can in their personal lives. We help financially when we can but I often find that taking the time to show someone you care holds more weight than a bar of gold.
These are 5 of the most important strategies that we have used to build our dream, I pray that these become helpful to you in your pursuit of achieving the impossible!!
DUNGEON BOXING CLUB 