This Veteran’s Day I want to thank all of those who have served and are still serving and even those who plan to serve. I love speaking to soldiers because they truly understand life purpose and what it means to do WHATEVER it takes to accomplish a goal or hit a set target. Soldiers provide freedom to me and my family every day and I want to help them achieve the financial freedom they deserve. In March, I spoke to a room full of soldiers at Fort Benning after spending a few days in the life doing physical training, briefings, and really experiencing what kind of sacrifice is made every day to strengthen the troops. My favorite quote from Fort Benning was on a sign that said, “The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.” Everyone needs training because everyone will be in combat at some point in their life. Whether it is fighting for your family, for your rights or for your financial freedom—we all fight. In June, I went to the Pentagon to speak again to troops. I was able to see the level of purpose, respect, dignity and discipline that a group of people who are committed 100% to their cause have. You must have a purpose and you must commit fully to the accomplishment of that purpose. Without purpose, it is easy to become distracted, be held back by obstacles, make excuses and not hit your goals. At 57 years of age, it is such a compliment that others use me as an example of work ethic, positive attitude, and energy level. A recurring question I get from people is, “How much sleep do you get each day or what time do you wake up?” Some people seem to think that I work 24 hours a day and deprive myself of both sleep and family. The truth is I get 8 hours of sleep and have been known to love naps and I probably spend more time with my family than most. Interestingly enough I don’t use any of the popular energy drinks ($18-billion sold annually), yet I do seem to produce a lot of energy. Veterans, active duty, and civilians all have their own battles with energy and purpose. I used to depend on the energy drinks that were loaded with sugars and caffeine for that afternoon lift, but I found that they made me crash soon after using them and didn’t really add to my production—or the type of energy I desired. What helped the most in producing energy for myself was understanding the definition of energy. Energy is defined as, “the capacity or power to do work, such as the capacity to move an object (of a given mass) by the application of force.” When I got that full understanding I realized it was me in charge of producing energy by getting things accomplished. Nothing makes me more energetic than completing a job well done. We all know the importance of sleep, water hydration, exercise, diet, fruits, veggies, and grains to the body’s ability to produce energy. I try to drink water but I am terrible at it and I don’t always eat right. I get eight hours of sleep every day by controlling what time I go to sleep at night. Every day I try to juice a combination of fruits and vegetables with my favorites being: ginger, apple, kale, carrot, cucumber, and fennel. These five simple things have helped me the most in producing energy to maintain my purpose:

1. Understand energy as the capacity or power to do work. You can’t buy that in a container.
2. I took on the position as the manufacturer (or source) of energy production rather than the receiver of it.
3. I show up each day and do the work, no matter how I feel about it. I always do the stuff I don’t want to first so I get them out of the way.
4. I stay close to my purpose by writing my goals and purpose daily and the long-term reach of my goals. I know immediately when I am off my purpose because I become very tired. This is so important to me that I created an entire program for my employees on how to stay with purpose, stay focused, and maintain motivation and energy. It’s called 100 Ways to Stay Motivated.

Let’s face it, if you can’t control your energy it will prove very difficult to control much of anything in life or in business. As I have been quoted, “If you aren’t known for your work ethic than you probably aren’t known by enough people.” And if you are a Veteran—or know one—let them know we have a tool for them, a set of training, that will help them transition and maintain a life or purpose, dignity, and responsibility in the civilian world. Go or send for FREE ACCESS to http://cardoneuniversity.com/vets/. Be great and thank you for your service, Grant Cardone