I decided early in my life that I could defy any obstacle, turn pain into triumph and adversity into opportunity, and inspire others through my own rich life experiences. I have experienced failure and adversity on a multitude of levels throughout my life. I have lived in my car, dug through trash cans, faced physical and mental abuse, insensible violence, mental ailment, losing everything, made millions and lost millions. But I am still here, I believe my story is of great value to others. My story – a story of persistence, grit, faith, humility, and gratitude. My description of my life will strike a chord in many. I’ve endured and prevailed over my hardships with courage, tenacious work ethic, prayer, passion, faith, and unyielding persistence to realize an otherwise incredible potential. Enlisted in the military, graduated from an esteemed university, and built several successful businesses.
“ADVERSITY IS NOT THE ENEMY OR DREAM KILLER BUT CHARACTER BUILDER AND PERSONAL GROWTH ADVISOR.”
It’s been my experience that everyone will come face – to – face with distractions, falsehoods, failure, and deception. My own rich life experiences are testaments that if I can overcome adversity, you can too. Because of my mental ailment, there have been many times when I felt lonely in a crowded room. But through it all, I’ve held my head high and sought the strength that can only come from humility, gratitude, faith, and prayer. I want others to know my story so that they recognize that it is OK to be different, unique, and take risks. I want others to see firsthand that by summoning up the courage and strength to talk about their adversities, they will be able to overcome their hardships.
“NEVER ALLOW ANYONE TO DEPRECIATE YOUR SELF – WORTH.”
Growing up, I was not like everyone else; I was different, and self – conscious about being labeled stupid, an also-ran, crazy, loser, or a failure. I wanted to better understand what pushed me, gave me the energy and willpower to rise above my circumstances. “As a kid, I knew that I was never going to be the smartest, biggest, fastest or richest. So I dedicated myself to the one thing—the only thing—I knew I was extraordinary at; work. I didn’t just work; I worked relentlessly! My value springs from my work ethic. It’s who I am and it’s what I do.
“If the competition works forty hours a week, I work one hundred. If they start at six a.m., I start at four. They start at four a.m. I don’t sleep.” this is not something I think about doing—it is the way I live! I will never be out worked!
Through all of my pain and suffering, I began to realize that I was better than I’d thought I was. That in itself gave me the confidence and courage to deal with and endure my adversities. I had to drastically change my focus, my drive and continually recycle my pain in order to maintain my daily disciplines. If I didn’t change, my circumstances would always remain the same, so I embraced my pain. I began to feel how powerful a changed mind can be; the tremendous volume of inner strength and knowledge it can possess. I learned that the gift of humility helped set me free to nourish my soul, spirituality, physicality, and emotions. It gave me a sense of greater value, released the power of me and better understand my own mental illness. What you need to know is that I’m speaking from personal experience—not based on something I read in a book or learned in a classroom. The hardships I’ve endured throughout my life have given me the strength to turn PAIN INTO TRIUMPH ~ ADVERSITY INTO OPPORTUNITY. Embracing pain and adversity not only changed my life, it literally saved my life!
I want to share my ‘rich life experiences’ in the hope that you too can tap into the magic of knowing that “you are your greatest asset.”
It’s been my experience that an extraordinary work ethic, faith, persistence, courage, prayer and the willingness to be of service to others is key to turning adversity into opportunity!