The Art of the Struggle

Copyright © 2016 Reggie Flowers       

All rights reserved by the author. No one part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the author.

Cover Art and Design: Adam Macri

ISBN: 978-1-937400-70-5

ISBN: 978-1-937400-71-2 (eBook)

Printed in the United States of America

Published by Manifold Grace Publishing House, LLC

Southfield, Michigan 48033

www.manifoldgracepublishinghouse.com

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my lovely wife and three children. Christine, your invaluable perspective, love, support and encouragement helped me throughout this entire journey. I am forever grateful for your patience during the rough times and I look forward to a life worthy of continuous celebration together.

Brielle, RJ, and Alex - you have been my internal driving force for accomplishing my goals. My goals have been centered around your futures and working to ensure each of you live an incredible and blessed life. Love each and every one of you.

Acknowledgments

Mom, thank you for everything. There isn’t enough room on this page for me to share each and every thing I’m thankful for. You have been by my side through this entire process. From childhood to manhood, you have always encouraged me to believe I am special, blessed, and will be a blessing to those around me. Thank you for giving everything you had with no expectations. I love you very much.

My mother-in-law, Gladys, who kept the family lifted up in prayer, cared for our children and never lost faith. Thank you!

Thanks to my family who did their part to help me get to this moment. I am very grateful for each of you.

Contents

Introduction

Progress is essential to your happiness and wellbeing. It’s one of the most gratifying emotions one can experience in a lifetime. Progress fuels desire. It suggests increase. It yearns for excitement. It attracts possibility. Progress encourages you to take on your next journey. It aids in your ability to feel as though everything you’ve sacrificed thus far was worth it. Progress is a required need of mankind. Investing time wisely becomes a priority to you. Ultimately, you have never felt more alive than you do when you’re in the presence of progress. We all have the potential to experience progress consistently in our lives. Progress isn’t just given to those who desire it; it’s given to those who deserve it.

What about regress? It is an opposing force of progress. When the markets crashed in 2008, millions of Americans were economically devastated. People, for the first time, found themselves unwillingly becoming regressive. 401Ks were reduced to 200.5Ks. Property values were significantly depreciated. Foreclosures were at an all-time high. When someone said job security in conversation, people would listen with anticipation for the punch line. This era validated the deconstruction of the American Dream. You and I were told to go to school, get an education, and find a great job. This was a strategy for long term job, and retirement; security.

Millions were dumbfounded. They couldn’t understand why they were being penalized for obedience. The hard-working couple that bought a home in the right community and saved their money or the single mother who worked two or three jobs to put herself through night school and graduate college; couldn’t understand. “The struggle is real” is a phrase that has now become a statement that described the experiences of millions.

Either you are moving forward or you are going backwards, what you are not doing is standing still. I think we both can agree; no one wants to experience constant defeats or failures.

It would be my pleasure to extend an invitation for you to join me on one of the most incredible, figuratively speaking, roller coaster rides from broke to riches and back to being broke while working back to riches - again. My ride began just before my 20^th birthday. During this time, I was a full-time college student attending Oakland University. I was your typical pre-med biology major, bombarded with coursework and studying which left very little time for a social life. My goal was to become an orthopedic surgeon; I often chuckled when people asked what inspired me to pursue being a doctor?

My answer was quite simple. My mother had two college degrees, so it was expected (demanded) of me to at least get one. I desired to be successful and I was pretty good at math and science so, I’ll be a doctor. I went online to do some research and googled the top five earning physicians in the medical field. (Yes it was teenage logic!) If I’m not mistaken, I think orthopedics was either number one or number two. Since I had an athletic background, the concept of working on bones just made sense.

I shadowed physicians at the beginning of my sophomore year and by the end of the year I no longer wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. What happened? Can you believe some of the doctors were working between 12 to 36 hour shifts? I thought to myself this is crazy, there are only 24 hours in a day and I will be working 36 of them. At this point I knew in my heart of hearts that being an orthopedic surgeon wasn’t for me.

Within a matter of weeks after the decision to change my career path, my mother received a phone call from a stranger out of New York. She had found my mother’s contact information online and gave her a call. Keep in mind this was in 2004, personal information wasn’t readily available like it is in 2016. Phyllis (the stranger) informed my mother that an article featuring her was on the front page of her local newspaper in New York. At that time my mother was living in the small city of Port Huron, located in Michigan. The local newspaper was just that, a local newspaper. It wasn’t clear to my mother, or I, how this article made it to upstate New York.

The article was titled “Ex-cop, Retired Social Worker Heavily Involved in the Community”. In the article, my mother was quoted regarding her concerns about Gen Y and millennials being unable to successfully retire with pensions and social security benefits. Phyllis (the New Yorker), felt compelled to reach out and see if my mother was open to an opportunity to earn additional money outside of what she was currently making. My mother explained to Phyllis that she was not interested at the moment, but she told Phyllis that her son was looking for something different.

I remember that Monday evening vividly. I had just returned from the Oakland Center; or the OC which was the hub of student activity; after studying for a biology test. After only being in my dorm room for an hour, this strange number with the 716 area code showed up on my caller ID. Typically I don’t take phone calls from numbers I don’t recognize, but that evening I was led by Holy Spirit to answer the phone and I did. After small talk, Phyllis asked me to join a presentation call in a couple of hours that evening. She recommended that I try to get someone on this call with me. I immediately called my best friend and told him to join the conference call. He did and we both listened to the presentation that evening. Before the call was even remotely close to being over; something was different. Instinctively I knew that my life would never be the same. Have you ever had that feeling you could not explain, but you knew everything about your life was about to change for the better? That’s what happened to me. I felt it deep down in my soul.

The information I received was so inspirational, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life. Feeling overwhelmed with excitement was an understatement. I didn’t have any doubts that God was answering a prayer. After my decision to discontinue my pre-med major I had prayed to God seeking direction and clarity.

On the call, I was introduced to two wealth principles: residual income and leveraged income. I also heard testi-monies from average people who were making more in one month than they used to earn in an entire year.

After the conference call I got back on the phone with Phyllis and she asked me a series of questions to qualify my interest. I told her that I loved everything I heard and wanted to know more. The only challenge was I didn’t have the initial capital to get started. She told me that wasn’t a problem, and the next step was to get on the phone with the presenter who happened to be a multimillionaire. This was the first time I’d had the opportunity to speak to a millionaire. I can’t deny that I was quite nervous, but Phyllis did such a phenomenal job introducing Mrs. Davis to me. It helped me feel comfortable getting on the phone and speaking with her.

The conversation between Mrs. Davis and I went from a phone introduction to a series of events and has transcended into a lifelong friendship. The events started with me looking for airfare from Michigan to California, which I only had 72 hours to book, all while doing it as your typical financially strapped college student. No job. No income. And definitely, no assets. I had to quickly find and employ a strategy to get the money. So I had to rely on a best-kept secret. The ATM at the bank of Mom. I asked if she would give me the money. For the first time in my life, mom didn’t have the extra money to send me to California. Now I’m worried.

As a matter of fact, she suggested that she could send me to Africa for less than California. I called Phyllis back, and with worry evidenced in my voice, told her my dilemma. I distinctly remember her saying this to me, “Boy…. don’t call me back until you find a way.” Phyllis proceeded to hang up on me. I thought, who does this woman think she is? Then I remembered that she was successful, I was financially broke and she was interested in helping me change my circumstances. I searched online for hours running multiple itinerary scenarios and finally I landed a round-trip flight leaving Detroit International airport and arriving in Santa Ana for $268. Boom! It was on!

THE RISE

I returned from the convention excited and ready to go. My mother was late paying some of her bills to help me get the startup capital. I enrolled immediately as a new distributor. I had a private business reception at my home with 19 of my closest friends and family. That evening 17 of my friends did not feel like this business was for them. I felt slightly discouraged, but I was determined to prove to them that this was what I thought it was.

After being in business for 18 days I was able to recoup my initial investment. By my 30th day, I earned an additional $1700. Over the next year everything seemed to be going well. During this time, I found out that I was going to be the father of a little girl. I found myself very frustrated because I wasn’t earning the type of money that would allow me to continue my business full-time and provide for my family. So, I quit. I didn’t contact Phyllis or Mrs. Davis, I just left, quietly. I was embarrassed and ashamed. They both believed in me deeply, but my belief in myself dissipated. I think that was the first, and only, time I attempted to give up on my dreams.

Seems like the newspaper always brought me luck, and so my search for a job began. Once again the local newspaper helped me. I found a job as a car salesman. Business at the dealership was going extremely well. I was earning more money than I had ever earned in my life. But, for some reason I didn’t feel fulfilled. After being exposed to the opportunity for both time and money freedom, it became hard to accept this job as my best option. So, after a year at the dealership I made a firm decision. THIS IS IT! I’m done working six days a week and 12 hours a day; away from my family. I mustered up the courage to give Mrs. Davis a call and ask her if she would reconsider working with me and she said yes. I returned to my home based business with a vengeance. I put it all on the line, my focus was greater than it had ever been, and I was non-negotiable about success. Within seven months I achieved the first senior position within the company. This positioned me to earn a multi six-figure income. By the eighth month I had generated more than five figures in one month. By the 15th month I was running a seven-figure business. By the time I was 23; I owned and operated a multimillion dollar business with all the benefits and none of the headaches of traditional business.

Everything was like I’d dreamed. I was able to help my mother out financially. I donated to two great causes. I took frequent vacations, sometime as frequently as nine times a year. I was living the dream. My family was no longer struggling emotionally, spiritually, or economically. I was on the fast track to a seven-figure annual income. So many of my colleagues had reached a certain level of success and I knew I wasn’t too far behind them. I was traveling all around the country coaching and training thousands of people on personal development and building a successful home based business. I strove for greatness and ultimately became a top producer, globally. This led to assisting my mentor at the convention, training 18 to 20,000 people. I had the honor of being featured on prime-time television. Money was flowing quickly and abundantly every single week. I believed I could take on the world. Little did I know how big the world truly was. There comes a time when you learn that your talent can take you places your character won’t keep you.

THE FALL

Typically, things go wrong when there is a consistent error in judgment or strategy. The challenge with “the fall” is, it slowly compounds over time before it exposes itself. At that point it is too late to reverse the outcome. It’s kind of like eating candy consistently, over a long period of time, eventually you’re going to get cavities. It doesn’t happen from the first bag a candy or even the second, however, when you consistently have a bag of candy each week - for 40 weeks straight, it’s going to wear down or destroy the enamel that’s protecting your teeth.

The candy that happened to ruin my teeth was my growing ego sprinkled with arrogance. It’s true, the person it happens to never believes it would happen to them. I was one of ‘them’. I thought all the rewards and accolades were because of my greatness. I felt like I had mastered success and taken complete ownership of it. That’s where I sadly made my mistake, success cannot be owned. It can only be rented, and each day rent is due. The rotting teeth started with an exorbitant amount of vacations, golf outings, and shopping sprees. I was working less and spending more which is the perfect equation for an emotional and economic catastrophe. Let me tell you, I fell hard; so hard. This round ball hit the ground and exploded. I lost interest in everything, lost focus, fell into debt and spiraled into depression. In the words of my two-year-old “what a mess” I was in. Before I knew it, I was back where I didn’t want to be. Face first in the mud of life’s jungle.

THE JUNGLE OF THE STRUGGLE

It’s ironic: I would have never thought that a guy like me would be subject to struggling. After all, I had a good childhood, a strong mother who loved me a lot and did whatever she could do for me. I was told early on in life that I was special, loved, and would help a lot of people. I believed it. I didn’t lack the confidence, courage, or ambition to achieve my dreams. After graduating high school, my vision was clear and concise. I could see all the success that was coming my way. In my mind, it was going to be incredibly easy. Thinking back, never in my wildest imagination would I think that what I went through over the last ten years, would’ve happened to me. I thought people who struggled usually had low self-esteem, poor morals, or a lack of direction. I soon learned I was dead wrong. Anyone can suffer from this illness and not one human being was safe from being affected by struggle.

While in the jungle of the struggle, I made a decision to document my experiences, how they affected me, and what strategies I would use to overcome my challenges. I knew that this information would soon serve and help others. It would have been selfish of me to keep it to myself. Whenever you’re going through tough times and experiencing hardships, your solutions will arrive in phases. The key to successfully escaping is your ability to identify and recognize which part of the phase you are in. Once you know where you are, then you can employ the 5 Laws to your benefit.

The jungle is a strengthening exercise full of pain, struggle, and minor defeats. Without personal development, I probably wouldn’t have made it out of the jungle successfully. I learned that we become whatever we think about. I had no idea that thoughts were actual things. Therefore, I had to choose my words and sentences carefully. I thought I had a great attitude until I was exposed to real issues and did not know how to cope with my failure. I quickly realized that I did not know nearly as much as I thought I did about life. If I knew as much as I thought I did, I would not be in the jungle of the struggle and could have avoided it altogether. I knew it was going be important for me to focus on growth. Becoming a student of life and a stronger person would equip me to outgrow my problems.

In the midst of the jungle of struggle, I developed The Law of the Five E’s:

1. Law of Embracement
2. Law of Engagement
3. Law of Equipping
4. Law of Empowerment
5. Law of Elevation

I moved through each of these phases sequentially. By moving through each phase, I gained a greater ability to effectively surpass my personal struggles. I know that no two struggles are the same and you may be thinking I don’t understand, or I haven’t experienced what you have. You’re right to some degree, but The Art of the Struggle provides a universal blueprint that can help you no matter where you are in your struggle. I’m going to teach you how to escape the jungle of the struggle and equip you to live your greater purpose.

The Law of the Five E’s will become the pillars upon which your empire stands. There are other fundamental skills that you’re going to have to master outside of the Five E’s, but these are the building blocks for the other areas you’ll need to master.

Get ready. What you are holding in your hand is a compre-hensive plan for radical transformation. This isn’t just another self-help, inspirational, how-to guide. The Art of the Struggle was derived from my very own personal need. As you read, you are going to observe over a decade of refined human potential, coupled with a proven strategy.

The 5 Incontrovertible Laws for Transformation, Achievement and Fulfillment.

Law of Embracement

For transformation to occur you must welcome it:

When something is enjoyable to us we pull it closer, when it’s not enjoyable we push it away. You must align yourself with the problems you firmly resent.

Law of Engagement

You must be a part of your own rescue:

The only person responsible for the overall outcome of your life is you. It’s your responsibility to make the necessary corrections and changes to live a great life. Your family, friends, and co-workers do not determine your quality of life, only you have that power.

Law of Equipping

You must have the right tools for the right job:

Becoming more than you already are requires new skills. These skills give you access to new possibilities within yourself. Every leader needs to welcome and add new skills to their human toolbox. These skills include:

Vision: Seeing beyond your current circumstances.

Mindset: Strengthening your mental muscle.

Standards: Demanding more of yourself.

Perspective: What’s true to you will become your view.

Law of Empowerment

You must fuel progress:

When you obtain new knowledge, skills, and philosophies, the worst thing you can do is not put what you know into action. Empowerment is: what to do + how to do it + why you do it. You must put these new skills to test, evaluate your outcome, and adjust when necessary.

Law of Elevation

Growth impacts everything around you:

When you are intentional about your growth, everyone and everything around you is positively affected.

Law 1: Embracement

For transformation to occur you must welcome it:

When something is enjoyable to us, we pull it closer, when it’s not enjoyable we push it away. You must align yourself with the problems you firmly resent.

Disadvantages are merely psychologically limiting beliefs about yourself and the circumstances you’ve experienced

throughout the duration of your life.

Chapter One:

Wonderful Disadvantages

Disadvantages Are to Your Advantage