The Secret to My Success...

I have been a little reflective in my quiet moments the last few weeks.

My life has been on a significant upward trajectory now for the last several years despite a number of major bumps in the road and I have been trying to understand what's been creating so much happiness, success, and opportunity.

As I have reflected on what's put me on this path I keep coming back to the same theme.

I started doing what I (wish I could bold I ) wanted with my life more and more.

Each and every time I take another step towards what I want and another one away from what society or others think I "should" do... My life gets better.

I spent my whole life being a people pleaser.

I was always trying to impress. Look cool. Make others proud.

I needed to be town mayor, life of the party, center of attention with my friends.. I wanted the approval and acceptance of my peers and friends...

The funny part is you become an adult and the popularity so many young people seek disappears.

We all settle into our lives and routines and have smaller circles we see far less often. Natural progression.

When l was younger I also needed to look and feel responsible, respectable, and like I had it all together...

I had perfect grades for a while and when I started leaning more towards partying I lied to everyone and told them everything was great even though I and many of them knew it wasn't.

When it was time to start my career I went after money. Never loved what I did but loved the idea of making money. Working jobs. Doing what others wanted from me in their companies. A hired gun. A grunt.

I changed what I did often. Hoping to find happiness and freedom and the ability to leverage my often off the wall personality and creativity.

I pursued "opportunities" and hoped.

No one wanted "me". Sadly if you're working a job, no one wants "you" either. They want a person to fit a job description.

A few years ago I stopped pursuing opportunity and created what I wanted.

And the moment I did that everything began to change.

I stopped listening to people. What I should do. What was safe. What was tried and true.

I was told I was crazy. I was told I would fail. I was told I needed to stick to working jobs.

I lost support from many people around me but persevered.

There have been major bumps along the road but today I own several companies that allow me the freedom, flexibility, creativity, and happiness I had chased for 15 years.

Out of thin air put together companies that never existed that leveraged my talents, likes, loves, and excluded crap I hated in jobs.

Companies that are desparately needed by the people I serve that no one had thought of. I created my own ocean to fish in rather than compete on an overcrowded lake.

The money has been good but it was never why I made the decision to pursue the path I am on.

I took the path I am on now because I wanted to be happy. Free. Flexible. Creative.

I took the path I'm on because I did not want to be told what to do, when or how to do it, or where I needed to be at what time.

The funny thing is each and every one of us in today's day and age are no longer restricted by anything other than our own fear of taking a risk.

Whatever you want from your life is possible.

The ability to create something from nothing is there.

The ability to live the life you want on the terms you want is there.

The ability to step into your own greatness and not be stifled by the bullshit others put on you is there.

It's all there.

You just need to be brave enough to do it.