The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University released a study which showed that, in most cases, male children (within the bell curve) make the same amount of money as their dad. For example, if you’re a boy and your father earns $30,000 per year, that’s how much you’re likely to earn. Or if your dad makes $100,000, your income will probably land in the same range. Of course there are exceptions to this (J.D. Rockefeller, who we talked about yesterday, is one of them), but for the most part, the standard holds.

Naturally, our first inclination when we hear about a study like this is to wonder why. Many people say that the findings are proof of an unjust system in which the poor stay poor and the rich stay rich, but I am convinced that there might be another reason. You see, I believe that a young man earns the same as his dad does because he has internalized a false reality that that’s what (or all) he must make to be respectable. There’s an unspoken expectation he has of himself that he will make what his father does; it’s a way of thinking that often goes unchecked or unchallenged. Without realizing it, men put a ceiling on their potential and sometimes never break out of the cycle. This is because the only way to “kick against the goads” is to intentionally change embedded thoughts.

Friend, I know I’ve hammered on this a lot, but my point is to convince you beyond a shadow of a doubt that in order to have the life you want and to achieve the goals and dreams God has put in your heart, you must change your thoughts. Whether it’s your finances, your relationships, something you want to build, or a personal task you want to undertake, everything begins with the way you think! If you desire to be a better parent, a better spouse, a better grandparent, a better citizen, a better Christian, and most importantly, a better disciple of Jesus, you have to train your mind. When your thoughts are aligned with the Kingdom of God, you can live every day relaxed, unhurried, honest, and full of integrity and confidence. In other words, you can be saturated in the life and love of Jesus! Isn’t that an awesome thought?