My wife and I have been mentoring some young men for the past year.  Up close and personal.  They come from backgrounds different from what they get in our house.  

I have seen that my wife, my family, and I have “leverage” that these young men don’t have. “Leverage” is access to resources that give you an edge as you encounter the challenges of the world.  

As I reflect upon things, each of us are on a journey where we can gain leverage every single day.  

Leverage comes to you when you gain skill.  When you can fix your car or plumb your residence, you have leverage others don’t.  

Leverage comes to you when you gain an education.  When you have learned good solutions and strategies that help solve problems, people see you as a resource. That’s leverage.  

Leverage comes to you when you form friendships with people who can help you in a pinch.  You gain those friendships by being someone who supports others when they need it.  That’s leverage.  

Leverage comes to you when you save money rather than spend money.  The greater the financial resources accumulated through wise stewardship, the less likely unexpected challenges will cause financial disaster.  

Leverage comes to you when you have a record of good citizenry.  If you develop a record of recurring violations, you diminish the chances of someone giving you another chance.  A good record helps you get a break when you need it.  That’s leverage.  

Leverage comes to you when you are trusted by those who know you and work with you.  Trusted people get more responsibility, promotions, higher pay.  Those things lead to leverage.  

Leverage comes to the healthy versus those who haven’t pursued health.  Unhealthy folks don’t have the energy and endurance to fight back disabling illness or rise to a rigorous challenge in life or work. The healthy have leverage.  

There are countless examples of gaining leverage.  These are just a few.  

Here’s what I’ve learned.  I was born with leverage.  Many of you weren’t born that way.  

I’ve been surrounded by people at home, at church, on athletic teams, and at work where gaining leverage is what we do.  I’ve gained leverage as I’ve matured.  

But I didn’t realize that I was gaining leverage all these years.  Never really pondered much about how important it is to work on leverage.  I don’t stop enough to think about how fortunate I am to have some leverage.  

But, living with folks who haven’t developed leverage and don’t realize how important it is, is refining my mission.  

I’m interested in using my leverage to help others get leverage.  Get used to hearing about leverage. Developing leverage is a path to satisfaction and significance.