Week 41. What It Has Actually Taken To Do What I Love

Day 286. Good evening wonderful people, I made a mental promise not to miss one more week of these after my long hiatus in mid-August, and man did we let this procrastination session last to the final bell. But we freakin did it, so I am fired up before bed and that is awesome. I want to do more of a weekly recap in these intros and build a real relationship with all of you, intelligent people. Many of you have had no idea until today that what you are reading right now is the product of a simple idea & high school nickname I created 7 years ago....a lot of you will find out for the first time today (or on this week's episode of the podcast) , that I have worked in hospitality, real estate, 3 startups, launched & scaled 2 offers past $10,000 per month, watched them both hit 0, interviewed over 100 entrepreneurs without making a dime and 2 years ago I started sharing parts of this journey with the entire world...

So without further ado, this week's written word, favorite entrepreneurial newsletter and soon to be the most creatively ambitious thing you order to your doorstep on a weekly basis;-)

Market Open

We’ve all heard the phrase “walk the talk,” but after years in the trenches of entrepreneurship (and dodging a few hurricanes, both literal and figurative), I’ve learned that doing the thing is a whole different game from talking about it.

Let’s dive into the difference—and trust me, it’s bigger than you think.

The Early Days: Dabbling Isn’t Doing

At 17, I started my first business, selling stuff for people out of their own garage for a commission. 18 months and over 6 figures made for other people. Fast forward to 21, I graduated college a year early, and I found myself at the same crossroads most young good-looking entrepreneurial degreed legends face: should I go the “safe” route, get a stable job, and build my career? Or should I go all-in on what I loved—my business, my passions, my dreams? Take the shot.

I wanted to go all in. But instead, I found myself juggling everything. I had a valet job, was getting my real estate license, and tried to keep my brand alive by posting on social media. I thought I was “doing the thing,” but honestly, I was just dabbling.

Here’s the truth: dabbling isn’t doing. You can’t give 10% to five different things and expect 100% results.

Living It: What It Really Means

So what does it mean to really live it? It’s about intentionally trying every day, focusing on that ONE thing that moves you closer to your goals. It took me a while to figure that out.

By 2022, I found myself working multiple jobs—none of which I was fully committed to. One was a social media gig for an NFT company, and while it taught me valuable skills, I wasn’t fully “living it.” My heart was still split between that and my own business.

Living it means going all-in, eliminating distractions, and aligning your actions with your ultimate mission. In my case, that was sales and entrepreneurship. I had to stop lying to myself about being “all-in” when I was really still standing on two sides of the fence.

The Conflict of Interests: Learning to Let Go

Here’s where it gets tricky. While I was growing my business, I also worked for two startups. And every time, the same thing happened: conflict of interest. I wanted to grow my thing, but I was also tied to helping grow their thing.

I’ll admit, I didn’t fully understand the concept of loyalty—to my own dreams, to my own goals. The startups I worked for didn’t see me as competition, but they did notice when my priorities weren’t 100% on their vision. And that’s when I realized: you can’t grow someone else’s business and your own at the same time.

Ultimately, if you’re going to do your own thing, you have to be prepared to leave other opportunities behind. You’ve got to bet on yourself. That’s exactly what I did.

Going All-In: No Plan B

By 2023, I hit the reset button. I stopped working for other companies, paused my personal brand, and locked myself in my room to focus 100% on my business. I went deep into sales and online marketing, worked 10-12 hour days, and finally, I felt like I was doing the thing.

Going all-in means having no Plan B. It’s the moment you stop looking for safety nets and focus entirely on making your dream a reality. For me, that was working in sales, scaling my offer, and helping businesses grow through LinkedIn marketing.

It was tough, but the clarity and confidence I gained from finally living it? Priceless.

The Payoff: Access to Opportunity

By the time 2024 rolled around, everything started to click. I’d spent a solid year working on my business—LinkedIn growth, podcast placements, and scaling my offer. I’d learned that opportunity doesn’t just show up; it’s something you create through confidence and persistence.

I also learned that relationships matter. The people who helped me along the way (shoutout to Dylan and Braxton) showed me the importance of leveraging your network and using your brand to grow both yourself and the companies you’re aligned with. And when I left their startup, it wasn’t bitter. They understood that it was time for me to fly solo, and that’s what made all the difference.

The Delusion of Thinking You’re “There”

Looking back, I was never really “there.” I thought I was living it when I was juggling jobs and side hustles. But the truth is, I was just preparing for the real thing. And that’s an important distinction.

Imposter syndrome comes for us all. You feel like you’re doing it, but something inside tells you it’s not enough. And honestly? That’s part of the journey. It’s necessary. That doubt pushes you to grow. It pushes you to finally go all-in.

Today, I’m doing the thing. I’m actually living it. I’ve built my business, scaled my offer, and every day I wake up with intention, knowing that I’m on the path that aligns with who I am and where I want to go.

CLOSING BELL

So, Are You Living It?

If you take one thing from my story, let it be this: If you’re still dabbling, you’re not doing it. You’re close, but you haven’t committed. And until you do, you’ll always feel like you’re missing something.

Here’s your wake-up call: Stop straddling the fence. Whether that means leaving the job that’s holding you back or cutting out the distractions, you need to lock in on what matters most. Go all-in on the thing that brings you fulfillment, and trust that the rest will follow.

Living it is a choice you make every day.

Now go and do the thing.

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?? Got a story about your journey to living it? Drop it in the comments below—I’d love to hear it. Let’s build each other up as we move closer to doing the thing every day.

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