Hey guys,
My name's Ed. Found you guys a long while back, but have recently started lurking again. I've read The Millionaire Fastlane , but haven't read Unscripted yet. Figured I'd make an intro and start posting.
I started my first official business about 9 years ago at age 21, but ever since my childhood, I'd always been fascinated with the idea of self-sufficiency. As a young kid, I'd sell pencils, toys, drawings, pictures, pokemon cards, flowers I picked from other people's gardens, and at one point started a car wash with my neighbors. Never bored. Never stuck. Never confused. Just kept on at it until things worked in my favor.
As I grew older though, my idea of self-sufficiency began to shape and shift. The culture I was going up in took its toll on me. The fact that I lived in a lower-income class household took its toll on me. I began to adopt the widespread myths of our culture. I stopped my entrepreneurial pursuits, started working at various jobs, graduated high school, and began my journey towards a college degree at a community college. I was just 4 classes away from transferring to a university when I dropped out and started my business. But it wasn't a smooth ride--it's never really been.
I was hitting major lows in all aspects of my life. Financial, family, health, friendships, romantic relationships, all of it. It was like my personal hell, filled with despair, blame, and humiliation. The worst part is, I saw myself as the victim and felt completely helpless. That was until I came across Napoleon Hill's Laws of Success. That book shined some light into my life, but more importantly, it put me on a path towards becoming a seeker. I began reading and listening to lectures like a mad scholar. Any self-development book/lecture I came across--business, philosophy, psychology, religion, communications, marketing, influence--anything that I thought would teach me something. I'd immerse myself...And it paid off big time.
My $160 start-up money continuously reinvested turned into a 6 figure import and distribution business within just 2 years. I quit my job and started working for myself full-time. I was making more money than ever, but still lacked any sense of fulfillment and meaning--after getting the minimum amount of work done, I'd rush to the gym to get my workout (Brazilian Jiu-jitsu), then distract myself with social events and other escapes. It wasn't long until those lows crept back up and things became significantly hard again. It all magnified when I suffered a shoulder injury needing surgery.
It was during my recovery after the operation that I realized my values had completely shifted. The business became less important, and my attention was drawn towards the finer things in life, the simple things. I decided to start writing a book.
That was 3 years ago.
Today, I'm waiting to receive what I hope to be the final revisions from my editor. My business is still around, but I haven't put in more than a 15 hr work week since my surgery. It's definitely not producing anything near what it used to, but it's kept me fed and paid my bills while I did the research+writing for my book. It's been a tough journey, but looking back, I'm grateful for all the setbacks and difficulties--it's almost as if they were specifically for me, to keep me on this path.
Now, I turn the pages to the next chapter in my life as I connect with you all in this forum and decide what's next for me.
TL😀R - Seek wisdom before wealth, follow your heart, try things, and don't be afraid to fail. Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do so you can end up doing the things you want to do later. The difficulties you face are designed specifically for you. Cool things happen when you don't give up.
That's about it for now. Looking forward to pleasant exchanges with y'all.
My name's Ed. Found you guys a long while back, but have recently started lurking again. I've read The Millionaire Fastlane , but haven't read Unscripted yet. Figured I'd make an intro and start posting.
I started my first official business about 9 years ago at age 21, but ever since my childhood, I'd always been fascinated with the idea of self-sufficiency. As a young kid, I'd sell pencils, toys, drawings, pictures, pokemon cards, flowers I picked from other people's gardens, and at one point started a car wash with my neighbors. Never bored. Never stuck. Never confused. Just kept on at it until things worked in my favor.
As I grew older though, my idea of self-sufficiency began to shape and shift. The culture I was going up in took its toll on me. The fact that I lived in a lower-income class household took its toll on me. I began to adopt the widespread myths of our culture. I stopped my entrepreneurial pursuits, started working at various jobs, graduated high school, and began my journey towards a college degree at a community college. I was just 4 classes away from transferring to a university when I dropped out and started my business. But it wasn't a smooth ride--it's never really been.
I was hitting major lows in all aspects of my life. Financial, family, health, friendships, romantic relationships, all of it. It was like my personal hell, filled with despair, blame, and humiliation. The worst part is, I saw myself as the victim and felt completely helpless. That was until I came across Napoleon Hill's Laws of Success. That book shined some light into my life, but more importantly, it put me on a path towards becoming a seeker. I began reading and listening to lectures like a mad scholar. Any self-development book/lecture I came across--business, philosophy, psychology, religion, communications, marketing, influence--anything that I thought would teach me something. I'd immerse myself...And it paid off big time.
My $160 start-up money continuously reinvested turned into a 6 figure import and distribution business within just 2 years. I quit my job and started working for myself full-time. I was making more money than ever, but still lacked any sense of fulfillment and meaning--after getting the minimum amount of work done, I'd rush to the gym to get my workout (Brazilian Jiu-jitsu), then distract myself with social events and other escapes. It wasn't long until those lows crept back up and things became significantly hard again. It all magnified when I suffered a shoulder injury needing surgery.
It was during my recovery after the operation that I realized my values had completely shifted. The business became less important, and my attention was drawn towards the finer things in life, the simple things. I decided to start writing a book.
That was 3 years ago.
Today, I'm waiting to receive what I hope to be the final revisions from my editor. My business is still around, but I haven't put in more than a 15 hr work week since my surgery. It's definitely not producing anything near what it used to, but it's kept me fed and paid my bills while I did the research+writing for my book. It's been a tough journey, but looking back, I'm grateful for all the setbacks and difficulties--it's almost as if they were specifically for me, to keep me on this path.
Now, I turn the pages to the next chapter in my life as I connect with you all in this forum and decide what's next for me.
TL😀R - Seek wisdom before wealth, follow your heart, try things, and don't be afraid to fail. Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do so you can end up doing the things you want to do later. The difficulties you face are designed specifically for you. Cool things happen when you don't give up.
That's about it for now. Looking forward to pleasant exchanges with y'all.
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