A Five-Year Journey to Independence

It was the summer of 2019 when ‘D’ and I had lunch together.  We had met a few years earlier and he immediately impressed me as a young man with a vision and, potentially, the fortitude to see it through.  During our lunch together ‘D’ peppered me with questions.  I could see he was hungry to learn and to grow.  ‘D’ told me that he was going to change the trajectory of his life.  Instead of working for others, he was going to be a business owner.   Little did he know the tests that life was going to throw his direction.  Amazingly, he never took his eye off the ball and, five years later, he is a business owner.  If you want a wonderful story of stick-with-it-ness, read ‘D’s’ post, below.

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After a five-year journey, I am officially a small business owner!! When I first learned about entrepreneurship through acquisition, it lite a fire within me I cannot explain. I began obsessively consuming books and podcasts, befriending business owners and investors, attending seminars and retreats. All to build the knowledge, skills, and monetary means to execute my dream.

Through my journey, I experienced a painful divorce, unexpected employment changes, loss of friendships, relationships, and financial setbacks. Enduring this with an attitude of radical acceptance, I slowly built the mental and emotional strength needed to change my life.

Over the past few months, I sold my home, investment properties, and possessions. I moved across the country, quit my corporate job, and liquidated my retirement in preparation for this moment. This is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done; but today, I have acquired my first business!

On February 24th, the day before my 39th birthday, five years of hard work have paid off in the form of more hard work; but for my own business, employees, and community in which I serve. I am dedicated to earning more to give more, to mentor and be mentored, to accept what is. The love and support of the many people in my life is both motivating and inspiring. Thank you all for sharing this journey with me and I wish you the best in yours.

Words that got me through it all:

1. “Sometimes, when we are in a dark place, we think we have been buried. In reality, we have been planted in a perfect place for us to grow.”
2. “If you want something you’ve never had, then you must do something you’ve never done.”
3. “The purpose of a goal is not to get the goal. It’s who we become in the process of achieving it. What you get will never make you happy, who you become will define your life.”
4. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
5. “There are two pains in life, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret

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Please join me in congratulating ‘D’.  He had everything thrown at him but never took his eye off the ball. Not only did he gain the ‘mental and emotional strength needed to change his life’, he developed the strength required to achieve new levels of success.  Congrats ‘D!