Everything I am I owe to the world and people around me. Motivation and inspiration are the necessary ingredients to build the person you want to be. Reading good books every day is a must; listening to awesome people share their story is a must; learning every day is a must.
Today I want to share part of my personal life. From a young age I started listening to Zig Ziglar; I have a picture on my wall in my office with Zig and I shaking hands. It was a highlight of my young life. Later I immersed myself in Tony Robbins. The internet, especially YouTube, allowed me to listen to massive numbers of happy, successful, achievers on a regular basis. Today I will share some of those videos I start and end my day with.
This blog owes its existence to Pete, the blogger at Mr. Money Mustache. My writing has been prolific for decades, but this is a blog with a far more consistent and serious undertone than what I have written before.
My novels and short stories tend to be very dark. I mean, so dark you want to get a rope when you are done reading the story. I am not my fiction writing which is why I rarely share who I am as a fiction writer. In my personal life I am very optimistic and positive.
When I started reading Pete’s work I could not help thinking ‘I want to be like him.’ We are all like that. We want to be with and like the people we admire. Pete is a laid back, intelligent, funny guy. He is dedicated to family and friends. My opinion is that he likes working on his blog, but loves meeting with his readers as often as possible. He loves what he does!
Then I had a business plan to offer Pete! It turned out different than what I expected. It was better! I knew people would want me to write a blog to share stories and ideas, so here I am. I soon discovered I really did not want to be like Pete. I wanted to be like me! Only now, ‘me’ was going to write a serious blog on taxes, personal finance, and lifestyle. Good thing there is no competition in those fields.
My goal is to provide the tools to learn and find who you want to be and then be that person.
Pete is a great guy! Over the years several people wanted to be like me. They want to emulate my business style or skills. They want to have the money I have. They think business is all fun and games. It isn’t! Business is a lot of hard work, but I love it; love it all the way to my bones. I wake every morning excited to get to work. The days off are hardest for me.
This blog felt the breath of life from a blog focused on early retirement. I have tried. I really have. Retirement is not in my vocabulary. My world may change, the work I do may differ, but in the end I will work to the day I die. It is what I love. I can, and will, share with you how to achieve early retirement and financial independence. I will also encourage you to follow your bliss; how live a fulfilling life while gainfully employed.
Of all the people you ever meet I am the least likely to have ever succeeded. I came from a poor family in a rural community. Hard work, dedication, and perseverance are what pulled me from the bottom and gave me wealth at a relatively young age.
Once the light started to shine I was kicked down hard. Most people would have quit. I did not understand what this quitting thing was. Someday I’ll share the full story. It is a bit long, but worth the time. If someone like me can rise from the ground and climb against all odds, what is your excuse?
Today I share one small piece of what I do daily. The videos I included here are some of my favorites. I surround myself with the messages I want to incorporate into my soul. My fierce loyalty to family, friends, employees, and clients comes from this training. I am equally fierce in protecting these important people in my life when they are betrayed.
Success is possible for anyone when the right message is instilled. I encourage you to view the videos here on a regular basis. Bookmark this page and return often. These videos will inspire you to be who you want to be. No more dreaming of being someone else, be the person other dream to be like.
Hope you enjoyed.