Episode 1197 · Oct 24, 2025

Making a Living vs. Creating a Life: The Decision That Changes Everything

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Most people go through each day busy, productive even, and still feel like something is missing. In a powerful solo episode of The Daily Mastermind, George Wright III cuts to the heart of it with one clarifying question: Are you making a living, or are you creating a life?

This episode is not about tactics or step-by-step strategies. It is about something more fundamental: the decision to stop drifting and start designing the life you actually want to live.

Are You Living with Intent or Just Going Through the Motions?

George opens with a challenge. Think about your average day. Are you waking up with a clear sense of purpose, or are you running on autopilot? George points out that up to 90% of our waking behavior is governed by subconscious patterns, and most people never stop to question whether those patterns are serving them.

The difference between drifting and designing your life comes down to intent. Are you operating from a game plan, or are you just winging it? Do you have a dream you are actively pursuing, or are you waiting for clarity to arrive on its own?

These are uncomfortable questions, but they are the right ones to ask.

Why the Decision Has to Come Before the Plan

One of the most liberating insights George shares is that you do not need a complete plan before you begin. You need a decision.

It's never too late to start living the life you were meant to live. It's never too late to start living your best life, but it only happens if you choose that.

The moment you make a genuine decision, something shifts in your mind. George points to the reticular activating system (RAS), the part of your brain that filters the flood of inputs you receive every moment. Once you commit to something, your RAS starts scanning for opportunities, resources, and connections that support that direction. You begin to see what was always there.

The plan does not create the decision. The decision creates the plan.

What a Poem About a Penny Can Teach You About Life

George shares a poem he keeps in his office, one that speaks directly to the question of expectations and what we ask of life:

I bargained with life for a penny, and life would pay no more. However, I begged at evening when I counted my scanty store. Life is a just employer. He gives you what you ask. But once you've set the wages, why, you must bear the task.

The message is direct: life gives you what you ask of it. If you ask for little, you will receive little. If you have spent years settling for less than you truly want, the problem is not life. The problem is the size of the ask. Raise your expectations, and you raise your results.

How to Build a Foundation for Your Best Life

George references a framework he developed over 25 years of working alongside top thought leaders in personal growth: the 12 Prosperity Pillars. These are not abstract concepts. They are a practical creed you can live by.

A few of the pillars George names directly: "I create my life," "I take personal responsibility," "I act in spite of my mood," "I surround myself with positive people," "I focus on solutions," "I create an attitude of abundance," and "I attract success." These principles work together to build the daily operating system for a fulfilling life.

Alongside these pillars, George emphasizes the importance of daily rituals. When your motivation fades (and it will), your rituals carry you. Discipline built through consistent daily habits is what sustains progress over the long term.

Why the People Around You Matter More Than You Think

Your environment shapes your thinking more than any book or course. George makes a point that resonates deeply with anyone who has been around high performers: you are the average of the top five people you spend the most time with.

This does not mean you have to physically be with those people. You can surround yourself with the right mindset by choosing which podcasts you listen to, which voices you let into your head, and which communities you invest time in. The goal is to be around goal-oriented, productive, and optimistic people who pull you forward rather than anchor you in place.

The Poem That Ends With a Promise

George closes by sharing a poem that motivational speaker Les Brown uses to end many of his talks:

If you want a thing bad enough to go out and fight for it, to work day and night for it, to give up your time, your peace, and your sleep for it, if all that you dream and scheme is about it and life seems useless and worthless without it...

The poem builds to a powerful conclusion: with enough desire, focus, and faith, you will get what you go after. George encourages you to print it out, keep it close, and return to it when your motivation dips.

Action Steps

Ask yourself honestly each morning: am I making a living or creating a life? Notice your answer and use it as a compass.
Make a decision about one area of your life you want to change. Write it down. Do not wait for the perfect plan to take shape first.
Review the 12 Prosperity Pillars and identify one you can begin practicing today.
Build one daily ritual that supports your long-term goal, something small enough to start immediately and consistent enough to create real discipline.
Audit the five people you spend the most time with. Are they lifting you toward the life you want to create?

The best version of your life does not begin when circumstances align perfectly. It begins the moment you decide. It's never too late to start living the life you were meant to live.

READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT

Welcome back to The Daily Mastermind, George Wright III with your daily dose of inspiration, motivation, and education. Are you making a living or are you creating a life? That's the topic that we have for today. But before I do that, I want to give you the Daily Mastermind quote of the day. And the quote of the day today is, treat others as you want them to treat you. It goes back to that Bible verse, right, in Luke, which is do unto others as you'd have them do unto you. And in business nowadays and in life and in the marketplace, that is not as common as you would think. And so I really encourage you to take that quote to heart. Now, today isn't really about strategies. Now, for those of you that know me, you know that I love to give strategies and things that you can apply in your life. But my goal today is really just to inspire you. And I want to inspire you to ask yourself a few questions. So when you get up every single day, I want you to ask yourself, are you making a living? Are you just busy making a living or are you creating a life? Ask yourself that question. Are you just living or are you creating a life? Are you living with intent or are you drifting? In other words, are you just going through the motions, doing the same thing every day to the point that 90% of your waking life is run by your subconscious? and you know the bottom line is that a lot of us get these patterns in our life that we continue to do so you have to ask yourself are you are you operating from a game plan or are you just winging it you know so many of us are just winging it every single day we don't have a schedule we don't have a plan we we just do the things that we know that we have to do rather than the things that we want to do and ask yourself this question do you have a dream are you searching for clarity in your life or are you just drifting? So you've got to ask yourself these key questions. Are you looking for clarity? Are you chasing your dream? Are you creating a plan? Are you living from intent and intention? So today is about focus, right? Today is about the rest of your life. It's about making the rest of your life the best of your life because it never too late to start living that life that you were meant to live It never too late to start living your best life but it only happens if you choose that It only happens if you make the decision because it does take a decision right You don't need a plan. You don't need the specifics of what you're going to do, because the plan comes after the decision. So many of us don't realize that you've got to make that decision before you can truly engage all of those senses and things that you have inside yourself. And you do have those inside yourself to help you to create your best life. Because what the decision does is the decision is going to start to create awareness for you. It's going to start to create focus for you. That's when that reticular activating system in your brain kicks in. We've talked about that in the past, that your mind just, it's consumed with tens of thousands of thoughts at any given time. and this reticular activating system in your brain is what helps you to sort through all those inputs and all those thoughts that you have. It's why when you purchase a certain item, you start to see it everywhere because it's on your mind. Get that RAS kicking in for you. Make the decision. Create the awareness because it takes specific intent for you to create the best life that you want. You know, there's a poem that I have in my office, and it's one that every once in a while I'll read, and it's one that I think might inspire you today as well, because it talks about life is going to give you what you ask of it. And it's, let me just read it to you. In fact, it says, I bargained with life for a penny, and life would pay no more. However, I begged at evening when I counted my scanty store. Life is a just employer. He gives you what you ask. But once you've set the wages, why, you must bear the task. I worked for a menial hire only to learn dismayed that any wage I had asked of life, life would have willingly paid. And I think we know that. I think each of you know deep down in your soul that you have the ability to create what you want in your life. It's going to take hard work. It's going to take discipline. But more than anything, it's going to take a decision and a commitment to get started today. So where do you start What is it that you need to do in order to create this best life for yourself Well I suggest you start with Prosperity Pillars The Prosperity Pillars if you go to the prosperitypillar prosperitypillars website you see that But also in the mobile app, we've got that under affirmations. And these are the foundations of what you can do to create your life. The 12 pillars are the pillars that I put together after 25 years of being around some of the greatest thought leaders. things like I create my life I take personal responsibility I act in spite of my mood I surround myself with positive people I focus on solutions I create an attitude of abundance I choose to be happy I always think win-win I'm committed to lifelong learning I create daily rituals I attract success and I visualize and manifest my life those aren't just amazing principles those are literally a creed or an MO that you can use in your life to build your best life so start with those and then create daily rituals I highly recommend that you create daily rituals so that you can begin to create discipline in your life because the discipline is going to take over when your motivation wears out and motivation is a limited resource for sure also I suggest you surround yourself with the right people. Surround yourself with similar goal-oriented, successful, happy, productive producers. Because when you hang out, look, you're the average of the top of the five people you hang out with the most. Just think about who it is that you hang out with right now. Are those the individuals that are going to take you to the next level? And it doesn't have to be physically hanging out. You can be listening to podcasts. You can be watching YouTubes. You could be doing things that surround you with that mindset. But I also recommend that you commit some time. You've got to make a decision and a commitment to make this happen, but set aside some time. Get clear on what you want. Hold yourself accountable. Find ways to set up boundaries and barriers to hold yourself accountable. And then find common ground with these people in your life. Be teachable. You find that if you start learning studying growing you going to find the path and then you gonna realize ironically enough that the path is happiness Because when you start appreciating what you have you heard me say that before start to want what you have rather than chase what you want. When you do that, that's when your best life is going to start to appear. That's when it's going to appear. Now, I want to leave you with a poem that an individual that I have gotten to know really well over the years, Les Brown, usually ends most of his talks with. It's a poem that you've probably heard before, but it's an amazing, amazing, motivating type of set of words and poem. And I want to read it to you real quick. It says, if you want a thing bad enough to go out and fight for it, to work day and night for it, to give up your time, your peace, and your sleep for it, if all that you dream and scheme is about it and life seems useless and worthless without it, if you gladly sweat for it and fret for it and plan for it and lose all your terror of the opposition for it, if you simply go after that thing that you want with all of your capacity, strength and sagacity, faith, hope, and confidence, and stern pertinacity, if neither cold, poverty, famine nor gout sickness nor pain of body and brain can keep you away from the thing that you want if dogged and grim you besiege and beset it with the help of God you'll get it I think that's an amazing poem I'd even encourage you to maybe print that out and have it around you you've got to get that inspiration and motivation in your life I want to encourage you to go figure out what it is you want and go get it you have everything you need to be able to get what you want in life. Just make the decision and go after it. That's what the Daily Mastermind is all about. It's here to inspire, motivate, and educate, but inspire and motivate you to make decisions and do something with your life that you want to do to help you start living the best version you can possible and become the best version of yourself. That's my message for today. I hope it inspires you to start thinking about what you need to do, but remember, it starts with a decision. So figure out what you want and go get it. This is George Wright III, and this has been the Daily Mastermind. Have Have a great day.