How You Ever Gonna Know?
Are you scared?
You don’t want to disappoint your parents by taking the road less traveled?
You are waiting for the right time?
You have the good fortune of a stable income that you don’t want to forfeit?
You don’t want to fail?
I am sitting here shaking my head. No. Read the headline again and let it pierce your unfulfilled spirit. Close your eyes and ask yourself.
How am I ever gonna know?
It is quite simple. Your dreams will never become reality if you don’t dare to try.
I never was an entrepreneur.
I wasn’t out there flipping goods. I didn’t have a paper route.
But - I am determined. I am goal oriented. Once my mind is set on something, I do not stop until I conquer it.
AND
I believe in the power of manifestation!
You have to believe it, see it, expect it. Speak of it as though it is already real.
Will it to life!
Hollywood, Ca.
I climbed the corporate ladder which in turn provided me with a comfortable salary.
That salary allowed me to travel the world. I met people and saw things that left lifelong impressions. I would come home and often be, for lack of better words, “grossed out,” that I would allow myself to get so stressed, or that I devoted so much of my life to a toxic work environment within a corporate system. These other-worldy impressions, they were changing my purpose. I was twenty-something, single, living on my own, empty. It was during this time that I walked over to my best friend’s cubicle and told him about my idea.
Me: “Dude, I want to buy a couple of shirts and hats and put the phrase Family Rich on them.”
T: “I’d rock that!”
Family Rich was inspired by visiting third world and developing countries, and seeing families who had little means, but were incredibly happy.
I didn’t act on anything then, my spirit was not ready.
Bali, Indonesia.
My cousin and I took an epic vacay right before I was about to start another high-end position in a corporate environment. We were laying in bed and I told her about my idea.
Me: “I want to buy a couple of shirts and hats and put the phrase Family Rich on them.”
B: “Heck yes, that is an epic idea. I’d rock that!”
I didn’t act on anything then, my spirit was not ready.
FUN FACT:
Both T and B have Family Rich tattooed on their body. B’s tattoo is in Indonesian.
Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador
On a whim, I decided to stay with the Hurroani Tribe, in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest. There was little power, the locals hunted their food, the kids were naked and barefoot, all of the insects and animals around us could’ve killed us. There was no TV, no cell phones, no malls, no markets, no gas stations, no cars. NOTHING! The people lived off of the land that they held so dearly. They had the land and they had each other.
I played basketball with one of the local kids, with a rock and one rain boot.
He was so happy.
His family was clapping and smiling with every shot he made.
This is Family Rich.
Universal City, Ca.
I came home from The Amazon with fire in my heart! My soul was ready. I had seen enough. Not only was I ready to act on my dream, but now I wanted to give back to those who inspired me. I wanted to be a philanthropist as well.
The power of manifestation:
Me: “I am going to leave here and launch the business, then find a job in the same field, but on a swing shift so i can run the business during the day.”
Osc: “You’re going to make it happen. You say the sh*t and it appears. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I mapped up a seven month exit plan. I formed Family Rich, LLC., launched a website and social media platforms, took my entire life savings, took the support of those around me and jumped, with ZERO entrepreneurial experience. I took a few months to get the business launched and stabilized, found a swing shift in the same, previous field, devoted time to both over a two year span, then left the corporate industry all together.
I am now living my dream 100%, I acted on it, and I push forward everyday, because I WANT TO KNOW!
Here are 7 soulful habits that I have formed in life, and in business, that got me here:
-BELIEVE
Baby, first and foremost, you have to believe in yourself.
YOU are about to head out on a mission of a lifetime.
YOU are going to make major, life-changing decisions.
YOU are going to jump and put yourself out there for all to see.
YOU are going to lose friends along the way.
YOU are going to lose money.
YOU are going to feel on top of the world somedays.
YOU are going to feel like you just got kicked in the gut somedays.
Throw your chin up, chest out, and STEP, because you got this.
You believe in this so much that you are more willing and able than ever. You live it and breathe it.
You believe in yourself to the point that people will have no choice but to believe in you too.
You put forth your best steps and speak with such confidence that you inspire others to believe in themselves.
Manifest. Meditate. Become one with your vision.
Shoot, put your ear buds in, turn up the Nipsey Hustle Victory Lap album, and feel it!
You can do this.
You can do this.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?"
-Marianne Williamson
-Stay Stoked!
You have an opportunity to achieve your wildest dreams. No, it is not going to be easy, and yes, sometimes it is going to downright suck! It is still an amazing journey because it is yours. You can’t let the process dampen your light. At the end of the day, work is work, but you are working for yourself, building your idea up on your own, with the support of your peeps.
THIS IS EPIC!
Celebrate your little wins! It is always best practice to want more, but the little wins still matter.
Attack your goals one bite at a time, eventually you will make an incredible amount of progress.
Look at the grand scale of what you have actually created.
Every other week, close your eyes, fly up into the sky and take 30K ft. view of what you have accomplished.
Did you come out with a new product or a new song? People bought it, and they love it? You are thriving!
Share your accomplishments!
Keep a few people around that get stoked when you are winning.
Give them a call and turn into cheerleaders together. This is so fun, and fueling, and addictive, especially when it is with your buds that were around to hear about your little idea before it became real.
“Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.”
-Frank Tyger
-Remain Grateful
If you enter into an opportunity with a grateful heart, then it will seldom feel like a chore.
Pursuing this dream is something you have the opportunity to do, because you are alive, because you have something special that was placed inside of you to touch the world with.
No dream became reality without the support of someone else. Family stepped in, friends stepped up, strangers feel your vibes.
Say Thank you to your supporters through words or gestures. They’re the ones spending their hard-earned money on the product you provide.
Your dream would fail without them.
Be constantly grateful for the people who support you!!
“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”
-Zig Ziglar
-Practice Optimism
There is good in everything; It all depends on how you choose to see things. If you make a conscious effort to see this journey with positive eyeballs, then I guarantee that you will have more good days than bad.
Your brain is so powerful. It is such an amazing gift to be able to feel so many emotions. Work on pushing optimism to the forefront of your thoughts.
Flip negs to positives every chance you get.
So many things go wrong, people let you down, massive mistakes will be made. When everything hits the floor, you have to rise up! Focus on the the things that are going right and put forth effort to fixing those that went wrong.
You can’t crumble.
That is not an option.
Remain positive during the daunting times. After all, you wouldn’t be experiencing difficult times if you weren’t living the experience in the first place.
“One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.”
-Lucille Ball
-Don’t Waste Your Time on Haters
You are going to do things, say things, attract things and accomplish things that will make people envious and insecure, which are the two main ingredients for a hater.
Haters are a sales tax for success. Congratulations? Ah, not really. I’m not fueled by hate like most people are, which is why I used to struggle with this so much, but alas I had a breakthrough.
It goes a little something like this:
This is your life and your journey. It doesn’t have to make sense to everyone, and not everybody within your circle has to support you in order for you to be successful. It is that simple.
People will talk behind your back, they will attempt to slander your name. Your mission is far bigger than them, and your time, attention and emotion should be unwaveringly focused on the things that feed your spirit and are making the world a better place.
Don’t hate back. When you reply like them, you become just like them, and that’s an ugly that you can’t ever wash off.
Don’t waste precious time.
You won’t get it back.
“No matter how good you are, someone is always going to be against you. But never let them be the limit of your success.”
– Terry Mark
-Remember Why You Started
Things become so real when the dream comes true. It becomes a daily process that can be so mundane, there will even be days where you will wake up downright uninspired, or just so tired.
Sit and remind yourself why you started in the first place. Let those thoughts be your compass while you’re out there winging it, or when things go wrong and you’re grimacing and WTF’ing.
I have no doubt that your reason is beautiful. Put that light up in a lighthouse in your mind. Search for it when the seas get rough, and find home. Adjust your spirit, then keep on pushing!
I was inspired by world travel.
There are so many memories and snapshots in my mind that I will never forget. When I started I felt like it was my duty to spread the importance of this Family Rich Movement, as an homage to those who I crossed paths with, to those who impacted my life.
I keep a photo on my computer desktop as a daily reminder of why i started. It is of a little Amazonian girl, standing naked, with her private parts covered by her belly that is swollen with parasites. Also photographed are her grandmother’s feet, where you can see that she spent her life climbing trees to hunt for monkeys. Her mother and ailing grandfather are in the photo as well.
This is a photograph from a world away, that seems to always bring me back home.
“If you can remember why you started, then you will know why you must continue.”
- Chris Burkmenn
-Remember Why You Are Doing This
What or who are your “whys?”
Is it your family?
Your wife/husband and kids?
Do you love money?
Want to leave a legacy behind?
There is no wrong answer.
Find your reasons why.
Follow through, for them.
Show up everyday and give your best, for them.
Remain focused, for them.
Move forth with love, for them.
ATTACK all of your wildest dreams, for them.
Shine bright like a MF’ing diamond, for them!
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
- Nietzsche
Fear of failure is the biggest reason people don’t chase their dreams. People would rather choose to live comfortably than take a leap of faith.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with climbing a corporate ladder that pays you well, provides great health insurance, stability for your family, and ease in your life. In fact, having a successful career is as admirable as can be.
There are other options though.
There are ways to bring visions to life during hours that you set for yourself.
You can be home for dinner every night.
Never miss your daughter’s dance recitals or your son’s baseball games.
Make a positive impact on the world with your Movement.
Grow your own businesses.
What if you fly?
How you ever gonna know?