This weekend I treated myself to John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum. The movie did not disappoint, and I would highly recommend it. I love action flicks, especially when justice is meted out to bad guys who hurt good dogs! The movie centers on the fact that John Wick broke one of the assassin world’s rules and must now pay the price— along with anyone who aids or aided him. A recurring line used by various characters throughout the film is, "Every action has consequences." More valid words were never spoken, assassin, or not.

There are universal laws that govern our lives, as well. The law of sowing and reaping tells us that whatever we give out, we will have multiplied back to us. If you plant corn, you cannot harvest watermelons. Our choices are the seeds, and the consequences are the harvest (read 8 Attributes of Great Achievers by Cameron Taylor). We cannot live unhealthy lifestyles and not expect illness and a shortened lifespan. The laws of success and prosperity follow the same basic principles. If you want to retire wealthy, you need to save money. If you're want to increase your salary, you need to work harder. If you want more responsibility, you need to gain more experience.

John Segal’s book, Poor. Smart. Rich., outlines the necessary steps every person must take to stay out of poverty. Now for those of you who think it's too late, it is never too late. My father, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, was born into poverty and only had an eighth-grade education; yet he worked to overcome these early in life obstacles and did his best as a young person and adult male to not make mistakes that would keep him in poverty. He worked any job he could. He found a spouse who would build his respect and allow him to be a man. He listened to mentors who discipled and connected him. He became a member of a church so he could be grounded spiritually. It’s tough to get out of poverty, so why not follow the steps outlined by John to ensure you stay out of poverty? Life is tough enough without stacking the odds against ourselves. John speaks to thousands of young people all over the county. He notes, “They did not want to be told what to do, but there were very interested in learning about the consequences of their choices and actions in life.”

There is a human desire to be miraculously delivered from the consequences of an action. In my prison book clubs, some men thought that they would not get caught and punished as a result of their felonies. We incur massive amounts of credit card or student loan debt and somehow think this bondage is going away, and our slates wiped clean. Why that's even the promise of some political candidates, who prey on people's ignorance of where government money actually comes (working taxpayers). Rescue from consequences takes a large amount of work on our part. You can't ingest a pill that is going to shrink your fat cells overnight. I had to work to take off 50 pounds over the past 12 months after years of letting my caloric intake exceed my caloric expenditure (read It Ain’t Easy Being Fat, But That’s Your Problem by RJ Harris).

The best thing we can do for our young people is to share with them the universal principles of success. As John Wick stated, “Every action has consequences.” I don’t care how unfair or mad you get, universal truths far outweigh your emotions and willful or woeful ignorance.

Grab copies of these tremendous reads and help others reclaim their life! It sure beats having a bounty of debt or regret on your head, shoulders, or wallet! Don’t go excommuincado on your life!

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