A Decision
I hit rock bottom on the day when I got kicked out of my parents’ house, dumped by my girlfriend, fired from my grocery stocking job, and the muffler fell off my old jeep from middle of the undercarriage during a winter storm in Maine. This was all in the same day!
To make matters worse I applied to Wendy’s where they said the only job they had was working the drive-thru Friday and Saturday night. I declined and opted to live in my broken-down jeep for the few months during the winter because all the kids from high school went to Wendy’s drive-thru Friday nights.
It would not be until 2 years after high school where I went through even more failures that I made the decision to change. I had dropped out of community college since worrying about the next meal or where to sleep was more pressing. I also attended a university where I got all F’s and a W my second semester.
The decision I made was to clean my act up and join the Navy. I stopped hanging out with bad influences and focused on leaving for boot camp. Once I decided I was going to change, everything did start changing in my life.
Changing Environment
It would not be until later until I realized that environment plays a major role in how your life takes shape. If someone you associate with regularly has a bad habit, guess what—you probably will inherit that bad habit. The urge to conform is powerful and can consume people.
Instinctively I kind of knew that I needed to leave my hometown and a lot of my friends and family behind. I was broke and a joke. I was not strong willed and if I stuck around I would see more of the same: failure.
I told my recruiter that I wanted to take an undesignated airman position because it would ship me out in less than 30 days. There were better jobs offered but it required being on hold for 6 months or more. I told him that I would not make it 6 months; if he wanted me to join it had to be ASAP.
Luckily I got the spot and tried my hardest to stay out of trouble. The change of environment has led to some great successes that I or anyone that knew me would not think possible:
- 2 deployments around the world on the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier
- NASA Internship designing antennas for the Space Station
- NASA Publication on hydrogen generation for future energy applications
- Electrical Engineering Degree
- Solo flight as a pilot
- Commissioning as a Naval Officer
- Managing over $50 million in construction projects
- Platoon Commander leading over 100 troops at times
- Learning another language while working for a US Ambassador in Micronesia, setting up humanitarian projects
- Owning a home and a business
- MBA in Finance
I am sharing to show what is possible and that no situation is permanent. The situation I had gotten myself in early was not good. Many of my parent’s friends even told me later they thought I was done for after high school and counted me out.
I still make a lot of mistakes and still have failures, but I keep learning and keep pushing forward. I have a long way to go but am optimistic for the future.
Reading
After making the decision to change and having an environment with a fresh start, it was like hitting the reset button. Although my failures are a part of me and it is embarrassing when applying to schools or jobs when they go through them with a fine-tooth comb, it was liberating to be able to redefine myself.
I accredit a lot, if not most, of my successes in the previous section to reading. I still had a lot of growing up to do when I was 20 but for some reason I cannot remember, I became obsessed with reading and learning. I read so many books that my friends in the Navy would complain when they helped me moved barracks rooms because my boxes of books were heavy.
“Why can’t you watch movies like a normal person?”
One day a friend suggested I read Rich Dad Poor Dad and that book set me on a strong financial track. I kept reading more personal finances books and soon started teaching other people about personal finance.
I personally like reading books about real estate, business, and finance. A lot of those books also have to do with personal development. To this day I still read about a book a week with the help of audible. Whatever you are reading pours massive ingredients into your life.
