Setting My Foundation

I have quite a few things going on at once, My wife can go into labor at any moment, I work many hours for a company, and my part time company consumes most of my free time. I could not be more excited right now! My friends think I'm crazy and they could never do all of this at once but they are not me.

The company I just started working for is a ground floor company and a leader in a new industry that is booming right now in the U.S. The cool thing about a growing ground floor company is the opportunity to climb the ladder quickly. I will say I have big plans with this company. With my part time venture, we are adding new equipment and discussing actually hiring people within the next two years! Now that sounds like a long time (four years to hire from day one) but we started with $400 (debt free!) and a craigslist ad. This year we more than doubled in client base just by word of mouth. Most importantly my baby girl will be here within 48 hours!

Well now that I typed this out it feels like a lot but I'm hungry and I can take on much more. I am so ready for the next year because it will be a great growth year for me. It took many years of trial and error, tons of self growth, and many hours of praying but I finally have the blue prints for my journey to success. I would have saved time and work if I had a mentor of life coach, but that was not an option for me. I love reading and research and I have read a lot on Dave Ramsey's Entreleadership program and on Mark Cuban. They don't know it, but these gentlemen have played a huge part in helping focus my ambition. Now that I have my blueprints, it is time to put the hard work in and lay the foundation.

For any one that reads this post and is going through something similar, I would like to offer some advice. However, I would like to preface that college is not at all a useful tool for me, just a hole to throw $60,000 down. Recently after proudly announcing my new job I was asked, "What do you want to do?" Referring to my plan to advance my career. Without hesitation, I replied, "Own and operate several companies," which was followed by a chuckle and suggestions to finish college. When you hear something like this, just brush it off and stick to your guns.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to be weird!

Intro

Success Over Fear is a blog about my personal journey through success. I seem to have a unique experience in reaching my goals, part of which is my mindset and way of thinking. (More on that later.) The title of this blog is modeled after something I read in a book or heard in a speech. It is my way of expressing how most people are comfortable with failure, being a victim, laying in darkness - I could go on and on, but I won't. The fear of success can be crippling, and that's why we work our 9 to 5s and enjoy what little time off we have. You can't quit, because you have bills and obligations, so you just complain about work and sit on the couch at home when given any time off. I am NOT saying don't take time to enjoy yourself. I do enjoy a good scotch, fine cigar, and time to just sit and enjoy the quiet. However, I try to enjoy myself in moderation. I try to follow this wheel found here. This helps you measure where you spend your time. If you are lacking in one area, an uneven wheel can't turn to move life forward, so don't be stuck on the highway with a flat for 20 years.
I am constantly working to improve all areas of my life, and it is WORK. I just want to make it clear that I am not a professional life coach, a successful billionaire (yet), or an old, wise professor. This is simply a narration of my personal journey to success. I decided to write this to connect with others and show how the weirdos are the one that reach success and change the world.

A little about myself: I am a husband, I am a 25-year-old first-time expectant father, a college drop out (GASP!). I have had many many jobs (though I've never been fired); I'm an entrepreneur at heart. I own a part-time seasonal business, and I'm currently seeking full-time employment to help offset the loss of income in the winter. That's the nutshell - if you have any  questions about me, feel free to ask!

 

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My journey really began December 2013. I had what I thought was a stable job, with high pay at a good company. That lasted about six months before I was let go, thanks to cronyism. I got the word that I wouldn't have a job after the first of the year exactly two hours before I found out I will be a father! Thus began the roller coaster of 2014. I already had my business and a loyal client base, but the season was months away, and the savings account was looking smaller every month. I had a great resume and many promising job interviews, but week after week the rejection letters, overdraft notices, and bills kept coming in (not to mention our vehicles breaking down). Life was giving me the one-two punch and kicking me while I was down, but I kept getting up. I used my time applying for jobs, growing my business to three times the size of last year, and self growth and physical improvement. Unfortunately, I am only human, and it is difficult to push forward after 7 months of rejection and pressure of preparing for my little girl to get here. I don't even have time to worry about what people think about me, which has actually helped me grow. The past few weeks I have been in a dark place, so tired of everything going wrong. I gave up on self growth and just laid in bed binge watching shows all day, moped around the house, over-ate unhealthy food, and stopped working out, reading books, and looking for employment. I didn't have a good time when I saw friends. I just had no reason to smile. I HATE thinking that I fell into that darkness and depression. How did I get out? A good friend who is keeping me committed to be a work out partner (I had nothing else to do, or reason to get out of bed), a little faith, and the strength to pull optimism out of my gut and force myself to do better. It was hard, and it is still hard everyday, but rock bottom is no place for me. I am a winner and I am not mentally equipped to lose or live a "normal" life. I will show everyone how great I am, and I will decide what I am worth, not some human resources pay scale chart.

Life almost beat me down, but I got up on the 9 count. I am back, I am motivated, and I can take a lot more than what this life can throw at me. Watch me smile and overcome adversity, and be inspired yourself to take that step to own the boxing ring, to own your life. I look forward to hear your stories and take this journey together so we can keep each other inspired and moving forward as a community of success-seekers.