Kimanzi Constable's Blog, page 38

Why I Chose to Start an Online Business

Haifa, Israel. There is an audio version below.

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When I thought about what I wanted for my life—and especially from my work—there was one word I couldn’t shake: freedom. I wanted to live life on my own terms; I didn’t want to answer to a boss or company. I wanted to set my own schedule.

In 2012, I traveled the world speaking in cool countries like Israel, England, France, Australia, but had to do it on the weekends because I had a day job. All week I was a bread man, delivering to grocery stores 60-hours a week. Once Friday afternoon hit, I was on a flight to speak at a difference conference. It felt like I was living a double-life.

When I first heard someone talking about making money on the Internet, I thought they were lying. I was a blue-collar guy who never touched computers, I thought you made money from your hands.

When I self-published my first book and it made no money, I was convinced my initial thoughts were correct. It took eight months before I ever saw money from what would become my online business. I remember getting that first real check from Amazon; it was a little over $2,300. I was speechless and so was my wife.

That check helped tame the doubt, fear, and voice of some negative people in my life. I finally had proof I could make money online. I had proof that my dream was possible. I just needed to work hard and make more.

What do you want for your life?

In 2013, I was free. I made enough in 2012 to quit a job I hated. I was living the freedom I worked so hard for. When I traveled to speak in 2013, I made money passively from my online business. I did coach people, but there were books and products on my website that people bought 24/7. I loved it and still do!

I had the freedom in my schedule to do the things that were important to my family and me. I had the freedom to work as hard or as little as I wanted. After trying several things, this was it.

An online business is my dream, but it may not be yours. If it’s not, you shouldn’t try to force it because passive income and traveling—while making money—sounds easy and cool. Too many people waste time on other people’s dreams.

Not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur. Some people are better suited to work a regular schedule and get a steady paycheck. If that’s how you’re wired, great! I’m happy if you’re happy. You can create freedom in a 9-to-5 job. Tim Ferriss talks about it in, The Four Hour Work Week.

The key is to figure out what you want for your life. You have to get really honest with yourself and your loved ones. This may take time and a lot of conversation. It should definitely take some testing of the waters to see if your dream is really what you want for your life.

Despite my online business not making any money, I was convinced it was my dream. I tested the waters and got confirmation.

Don’t turn a dream into a nightmare

When we try to push, when we try to force a dream, we risk turning that dream into a nightmare. We risk pushing our family away because they can see what we can’t. When you’re so close to something it’s easy to miss what may be obvious.

Everyday, we see and hear blog posts, videos, podcasts, and social media ads from “six-figure” bloggers. We see pictures of lavish vacations and what seems like an amazing life. If they are actually true, they are the exception, not what most people will experience.

It took three and a half years to build this a business that generates what I make today. This is how my income breaks down monthly (these are averages, each month fluctuates somewhat):

Coaching (I’m currently working with eight clients one-on-one): $5,588
Consulting (I currently consult with two companies): $3,500
Speaking: $5,000 (I just booked two $2,500 events)
Group classes (I have three groups classes that I partner with others to teach. This number is my half): $1,970
Books: $525

Don’t get me wrong. I love online business. I think it’s an amazing opportunity for us. I just want you to approach this realistically and determine to be in this for the long haul. It starts with figuring out what’s best for your life.

Audio version:

What is your dream and why?

4 Creative Ways You Can Make Money

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The job market is pretty bleak these days. Everyday you hear stories of another company laying off thousands of people. Even companies that we thought were untouchable are feeling the effects of this economy.

The days of working at a company for 40 hours and retiring with a pension are over. Job security is a thing of the past. If someone wants security today, they have to create it themselves.

We do however, live in an incredible time where you can create your own opportunities for success. No longer do we have to depend on the old school gatekeepers to do the things we want to do financially. Here are four ways you can create your own financial freedom.

1. Start a service business. In 2001, I started my first business, it was a service business in the vendor industry. At the height of the business I had five contractors in three states. I saw an opportunity and created a business from it.

Around you are many opportunities to make money that you’re probably not thinking about. Whether it’s a landscaping business, a car washing business, a house cleaning business, or something more advanced like working on cars at people’s homes, (They actually do that here in Maui) there are many opportunities.

Identify things that you’re good at, things that you enjoy doing, and things that people always ask you about. Somewhere in there is an idea that you could start a business from. The beauty is that these businesses don’t require a lot of money to start.

2. Start an online business. Online business is what I’m really passionate about. Location independence really appeals to me, all I need is a laptop and an Internet connection, and I can make money.

I will warn you up front that there are a lot of online businesses, and a lot of them talk about the same things. You can stand out despite the competition because everyone is different.

Starting an online business means taking an idea you have, or something you’re passionate about, and packaging it into digital information products or services.

There is an audience for anything online, and with 2.5 billion people logging on everyday, a potentially huge customer base. With today’s technology it’s easier than ever to put all of this together.

Here are some steps to take:

Pick an idea.
Set up a free website through WordPress.org.
Set all your information up on your website.
Create some great free content on your website, the free stuff is what draws people in.
Create something to sell, it can be an ebook, audio product, some videos, there are a lot of options.

Here is a free downloadable guide that will specifically walk you through this.

3. Book consulting at companies. Believe it or not, you have skills that a company would gladly pay you to train their employees on. The key is to identify that skill and find the right company. Companies paid outside consultants 39.3 billion dollars last year.

Approaching these companies, and locking in a contract is not as hard as you think. You identify a problem in a company that you can solve. You meet, and show them a solution. You tell them how much this will cost. It’s not going to be easy, but people are doing it everyday. A coaching client of mine just booked his fourth contract with a company.

Here is another free downloadable resource that will walk you through this.

4. Become a freelancer. Becoming a freelancer is just what it sounds like; you’re pretty much an independent contractor for hire. You can freelance for anything you can think of, or whatever skills you have.

We normally think of freelancers as website designers and such, but that’s not the case. Any kind of skill or passion you have, you can freelance for online.

There are some cool places that make this possible. It can be as elaborate as creating a full on membership website or as simple as taking your skills and creating a Google Helpouts account.

Look, there are opportunities all around us. You can take your passion and turn it into a business that generates real income. I’m not sitting here telling you it’s going to be easy.

If you’re willing to hustle, and wake up everyday and do what it takes, you can create work that you love. The alternative is living life of misery while heading into a job you hate everyday. Don’t choose that kind of life for yourself.

Too many come to the end of their life full of regret because they spent years letting a job they hate stress the life out of them. If you’re going to be successful, you have to wake up to this. Determine in your mind that you will do something about.

It starts in your mind.

Audio version:

What’s one idea you’d like to start a business with?

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This article originally appeared on the Good Men Project.

Photo: Flickr/ 401(K) 2012

5 Things I Hated About Being Overweight

There is an audio version of this post at the end of the article.

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April of 2012 was one of the worst times in my life. I was at a job I absolutely hated, my father died unexpectedly at 54, and I was 170 pounds overweight. I sat there on a cold April day crying about what my life had become. I just didn’t know what to do.

After my father’s funeral, I started to replay our last few conversations. The one thing he said over and over again was how much regret he had. There were so many things he wanted to do in life, but never did anything about. He begged me not to live life that way.

A week after his death, I made a vow to live a life of no regrets. To start, I knew I needed to do something about my weight once and for all. I had lost weight before through extreme measures, but this time I knew I needed to figure out what it means to live a healthy lifestyle.

It took a year, and more hard work than I thought I was capable of, but I lost 170 pounds. The 12 years leading up to this weight loss were rough to say the least. There were five things I hated about being overweight.

1. The money I spent on clothes

When I moved out with my wife at 18 years old, I was “skinny.” As the years went on and the stress of the job got to me, the pounds started piling on. For a while it seemed like I was buying clothes every week, and eventually, I had to start buying clothes at the “special store.” It was embarrassing. I hated my body and myself.

2. The money I spent on food

The worst thing about my eating habits was the money I spent on fast food secretly. I delivered bread at midnight, which meant I would buy fast food and eat at odd hours. I promised my wife that I would stop, but for too long I kept doing it. We sat down one year and calculated how much I spent on fast food; I’m too embarrassed to write the number here. I don’t eat fast food anymore.

3. The way people looked at me

I understand it’s natural to look at those that are different. Some people look and keep going. There are others, however, that go out of their way to make you feel like crap. Whether it was walking down the street, working, or just in any public situation, people stared. I could feel those eyes examining all the areas of my body that I wished didn’t exist.

4. The things people said to me

People can be cruel. Maybe it was how they really felt about themselves, but they took it out on me. I was called every name in the book and a few I had never heard. After a while, I started to believe all those things. I figured if so many people said them, they had to be true.

5. The things I told myself

As I saw the way people looked at me, as I kept buying clothes, as I listened to what people said to me, I began to hate my body and myself. This fed into my doubt and fear, and confirmed my self-limiting beliefs. I told myself I was worthless and didn’t deserve happiness.

I’m grateful to have a wife that never made me feel like I felt inside. I’m grateful to have a supportive group of friends, but I know that’s not the case for everyone. I know there are those who suffer through this alone.

I want this blog to be a message of hope and encouragement. I want you to know that you have the power to do something about your situation. Your story doesn’t have to end here. Determine right now that no matter what, you will lose weight and create the life you truly want to live in 2015.

This takes time, and doing this one day at a time. Don’t focus on that huge number you want to lose. Focus on what you have to do that day. Eat right and exercise each day, and over time the pounds will come off. If you have a bad day, sleep it off and start the next day ready to win.

Start your weight loss journey, but more than that, realize you are special, beautiful and the only you there is in the world. This journey to transform your life starts in your mind. If it’s going to happen, you have to believe it. Patience and perseverance will help you reach your goal.

I did it and I know you can too. Life is too short to die with regret and we only get one life to live. Make it count.

Audio version:

Have you ever struggled with body image issues?

This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post.

 

4 Choices You’ll Regret This Year

If you prefer to listen, there is an audio version of this article on the bottom of the post.

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Every year, we go through the same song and dance. We get excited for a new year—in December—and make plans. We set goals, and plan on making the New Year the best yet.

January rolls around, and we can barely contain the excitement. By the end of January, the picture isn’t so rosy. Here we are in February, and chances are someone reading this has already given up.

You tell yourself it’s too hard or you can try later in the year. While you shouldn’t beat yourself up, you also shouldn’t give into complacency. None of us is guaranteed a moment past right now. It’s important to use all the time we have wisely.

I’ve been there more times and more years than I can count. February rolled around and I was done. It took the death of my father to convince me not to let regret be a part of my life. Here are four choices you’ll regret this year if you don’t do something about them.

1. Neglecting to follow through on the goals you’ve set

Life is short. I hesitate to write those words because they’ve become cliché. Even though you’ve heard it too many times before, it’s true. Life is short. Time is one of the most valuable resources we have because we can’t get it back.

Follow through on your goals, even the ones that seem impossible. Get back up and keep going forward during the rough times. You set these goals for a reason, and they probably mean a lot to the kind of life you want to live.

2. Believing negative people’s advice

We walk around everyday with doubt and fear. We have self-limiting beliefs that we fight hard to beat. On top of all that, there are people in our lives that “mean well,” but do more harm than good.

There are also those people who are outright negative. They’re quick to point out what they believe is reality. They’re not happy with their life and want to drag everyone down to their level. Ignore these people and muster up enough strength to cut them out of your life.

3. Trying to do what you want to do without your family

The journey to create freedom in every area of your life has to involve your family. Too many dreams and families have been crushed by someone trying to do this, “on their own.” It’s hard to open up, and it’s hard to communicate what’s going on with other people. We have to have a plan to make big changes, and our family should know that plan. Your dream should be a family affair.

4. Getting complacent after achieving some success

It’s been an incredible eight months. I’ve done things I would have never dreamt were possible. I came to the end of January riding high, until I saw this video from Gary Vaynerchuk. The video helped me realize I was getting complacent with the victories I’ve had.

Never get complacent. Never settle for a few wins. I’m not saying you should try to be a billionaire, but you should keeping growing. If you reach the goals you’ve set this year, make new and bigger ones.

This can be a good year or a great year. This could also be a year you regret for the rest of your life. Two things you should understand. One, you have a choice to make. You decide what kind of year this will be and what kind of action you take.

Two, you have the power to do anything. You can accomplish every dream you have, and every goal you’ve set. It will be hard, and it will take time, but it is possible.

Audio version:

What are some goals you’ve set this year?

This week’s articles

5 Ways to Increase the Odds of Your Content Going Viral

Entrepreneur Magazine

The People I Work With Are Driving Me Nuts!

The Huffington Post

5 Reasons to Sell Everything and Move to Hawaii

The Good Men Project

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Photo: Flickr/ Kira Westland

6 Things I Wish I Didn’t Struggle With, But Do

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I’ve had a lot of cool wins in the last year or so. After three years, the hard work is paying off. I’ve kept off the 170 pounds I lost. I get to wake up and do whatever I want—work wise—in the place that I love, Maui, Hawaii. I have complete freedom in my work, health, and relationships.

Life should be smooth sailing. Right?

You and I aren’t always together. What we see of each other is through this blog, podcasts interviews, videos, and social media. You get a tiny glimpse into my life, and I get a tiny glimpse into yours.

During all that time we’re not together, a whole lot is going on behind the scenes. I try to be as honest as possible with what I share publicly, but I’m human. There are things I’m ashamed and embarrassed to admit.

I want you to see me as this super cool, take-on-the-world-without-blinking type of guy. I’m not. There are many things I struggle with, but wish I didn’t. Here are six major ones.

1. Envy of other’s success

I’ve had some cool wins, which should make me cheer for joy when I see other’s also experiencing success. Sometimes I do, but too often I don’t. I get all kind of crazy thoughts running through my mind.

I wonder what they did. I wonder why more people didn’t “like” my status update or retweet when I shared my good news? I think twice before liking or sharing their win because, “I don’t remember them liking or sharing mine.” I basically act like a teenager all over again. Grow up KIMANZI!

Envy will lay evil roots in your mind and heart. Life would be wonderful if more cool things happened to us, but sometimes it takes a while. Don’t give into envy. Don’t get discouraged or give up. Cheer for your fellow human because life is hard for all of us.

2. A short temper

Hawaii is a pretty cool place. Learning how to relax is a requirement to move here. I’ve learned how to live a simple and laid-back lifestyle, but I still give into to fits of anger. I yell at times, I pout, and I walk out of rooms. I have temporary moments of insanity where I forget how blessed I am. During those times when you want to give into your raw emotions, don’t. Take a second to breath deeply and smile. You’re alive!

3. A lack of impulse control

I want what I want, and I want it RIGHT now (I told you before I act like a teenager). I see cool new technology and I want to buy it. I smell delicious food and I buy it and eat it. I get an email about book deals and before I know it, my Kindle is FULL! It’s harder to wait, but if we always got what we wanted, when we wanted it, life would fall apart for us. We would walk around like spoiled children. It takes time but you and I can exercise impulse control. Well, most of the time. Our goal shouldn’t be perfection, just small daily victories. 

4. Lingering self-limiting beliefs  

Despite success, I still struggle with feeling like a homeless high school dropout. The ties to my old life still linger and the haters are quick to point out where I came from. Everyday I battle self-limiting beliefs, and too often they win. I’m getting better and I believe in what I’m doing, so I press forward.

Self-limiting beliefs are something we all struggle with. They’re always there in the back of our mind trying to convince us to stay complacent. Life is too short to give in. Talk it out with someone support and chase your dreams anyways.

5. Not being fully present enough

I missed a lot of my family’s life while I was making big changes in my life. I told myself it was a necessary sacrifice, but I could have done better. What is worse were the times I was physically there but not. I was in another world in my mind. It’s taken awhile, but I work hard to be fully present in each moment.

Our loved ones deserve all of us, not what’s left after the world has gotten all of our attention. We have to be there in every way possible. We have to listen and understand. We have to focus and tune out the distractions. We have to, as much as possible, live fully present and cherish each moment.

6. A lack of focus

Making a living online is hard. Maintaining weight loss is harder. Not fighting with my wife everyday seems impossible at times—mostly because of me. I get easily distracted and lose focus on the things that I should be doing to grow.

There are too many ways to become successful. Information overload should come with instructions on WebMD. To make progress, you have to learn to focus on what’s important to YOU right now. Not copying someone else.

I’m not perfect and neither is anyone else, but that’s OK. We have to do our best, and constantly work on improving our work, health, and relationships. I’m making an effort to be really honest about what’s going on. The good and the bad. I hope it helps.

Audio version:

What are some things you struggle with?

Photo: Flickr/ floato

3 Reasons to Cut Negative People Out of Your Life

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I always get asked if there was one specific situation that caused me to know I had to stop existing and chase my dream. There was.

It was a cold Wisconsin winter morning. The temperature was some ridiculous number like 15 degrees. I was taking bread off of my bread truck and putting stacks on a lift.

I got on the lift and slipped off because of the ice. I fell a few feet into a snow pile. I wasn’t injured, just irritated. As I was lying in the cold snow, I thought, “Man, life sucks.” Ten seconds later, the bread fell off the lift on top of me.

That was the moment I knew.

Two days later, I started a journey to create freedom in my work, health, and relationships. The first thing I did was tell my best friend at the time. Before I could even finish, he was pointing out the 101 reasons why I should forget about the dream. He said my goals were too hard.

For years, I listened to him and existed. It took cutting him out of my life to take action. I’m guessing you’re reading this because you’re on a freedom journey. I’m also guessing there are negative people in your life who could be affecting your progress. Call them what you want: haters, detractors, dream killers, but here are three reasons to cut them out of your life.

1. They feed your doubt and fear

Making big changes is a hard enough task on it’s own. When your doubt and fears enter the equation, you start to think it’s impossible. Negative people will feed into the battle that happens in your mind.

Battle doubt with a solid plan and action. Use your fear as a barometer to make sure you’re focused. Don’t let negative people get anywhere near what could sabotage your success.

2. Their goal and yours don’t align

Your goal is to create freedom and a life most people only dream of. Negative people are jaded and only have one goal: bring you down to their level. We all know the famous Jim Rohn quote about how who you hang out with affects you. Don’t spend your time with people who have no goals or negative goals.

3. They will make complacency seem reasonable

There’s a danger in coasting through a “good enough” life. Let’s be honest, it’s easier than the hard work of sacrificing to make big changes. Life is short and we can’t get time back. We only get one chance to live life.

Negative people will convince you that complacency is a better way to live life. They will point out all the reasons chasing your dream can’t work. They will even do it with a smile on their face, saying things like, “I’m just looking out for you.”

I cut my best friend out of my life. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but it was necessary to stop existing. As soon as we stopped talking, I could feel a weight lifted off my shoulder. I had hoped at some point we would become friends again, but he’s still happy to pretend.

It will be hard. It will feel like the wrong move, but negative doesn’t lead to positive. Cut the negative out of your life and create freedom.

Audio version:

Have you ever had to let go of a negative influence? 

This week’s articles

5 Ways for Online Entrepreneurs to Stand Out

Entrepreneur Magazine

5 Better Ways to Spend Your Time

The Good Men Project

I’m a High School Dropout (Edited to fit the black voices section)

The Huffington Post

Starve the Doubts podcast (I co-host)

Matt Stone- the founder of Buck Books talks about why you should stop blogging. Interesting take.

Patrice Washington- best-selling author, weekly guest on the Steve Harvey Show. Great money advice on this one.

Flickr/ Gwenael Piaser

5 Choices That Could Make or Break Your Relationship

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In the journey to create freedom in every area of your life, healthy relationships are important. The support of your partner can make or break your dream. Relationships are hard work and an area of our lives that we constantly have to work on.

Three years ago, I decided to make three radical changes in my life. I vowed to lose 170 pounds, quit a job I hated, and move our family to Maui, Hawaii. I told my wife—after we reconciled from our separation—and she was supportive.

I made five important choices that helped keep her in my corner and grow our relationship. You can create freedom in your life and relationship by making the right decisions.

1. Accepting that your partner’s needs should come first

Let’s be honest, we like it when we’re the center of attention. That, however, doesn’t work well in a relationship. This isn’t to say you worship your partners every word, but you do make a conscious effort to put their needs above your own.

A wise man told me long ago that love isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision. Choosing your partner’s needs above your own is one way how you demonstrate that decision to love. During those times when you’re tempted to fight—over something that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things—choose to work through the issue on your own. Choose their happiness over being right.

2. Fostering a healthy sex life

Sex isn’t everything in a relationship, but make no mistake, it is important. An unhealthy sex life can lead to stress, a negative self-image, and fights. It can also create thoughts that eventually lead to one partner being unfaithful.

With the chaos of life, finding time for sex can be hard, but it is important. Sometimes you just have to pull your partner aside and let the animal instincts take over, but you can find time for sex if you decide it’s important to you. We always make time for the things that are important to us.

3. Being fully present  

When you’re making changes—with a day job and other responsibilities—it’s easy to get distracted. You have 100 things on your mind all the time. We go through our daily lives distracted and miss so much because we’re never really in that moment.

Writing my first book was exciting and frustrating. I worked 60 hours so I had to write my book in the spare minutes here and there. When I wrote, I was in the zone. When I wasn’t writing, I was thinking about writing. I wasn’t fully present for my family and missed a good six-months of my children’s lives.

Those little moments are what make life interesting. Being fully present allows you to focus and understand. In a relationship, it helps you to really understand what’s going on with your partner.

4. Talking until you get sick of each other

I think we all know communication is important in any marriage. You have to talk honestly about what you’re both going through. We don’t, however, take communication as far as we should.

In us, is a desire to “figure things out” on our own. There are things we should be telling our partner, even if they seem trivial to us. Learning how to communicate this ways helps us open up in a way that builds a strong bond. It becomes a habit to communicate and your love grows stronger.

5. Putting your partner above your children

Children are amazing and a special gift, even during the times when we want to pull our hair out. Despite that, you have to remember your spouse was in your life first and should always have the first position in your heart. When you start putting things and people ahead of your partner, you risk damaging your relationship.

Your children learn what a healthy relationship is when they see how you both treat each other. Our actions speak louder than our words.

I titled this post “choices” for a reason. You decide whether your relationship helps or hurts your journey to create freedom in your life. Choose to put your partner first, have sex, and be fully present. Choose to love them everyday and take this journey together. Make this year count.

Audio version:

Are you making healthy relationship choices?

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Photo: Flickr/ Vladimir Pustovit

 

The Secret to Beating Doubt

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Even after you achieve success and accomplish some of your goals, you’ll still battle doubt. You choose whether or not to let doubt stifle your dream or use it as a measuring stick.

I’ve battled doubt my entire life, just as I’m sure you have. In the second grade, I fell in love with writing because it was a way to communicate words nonverbal. I wrote my heart out growing up.

At 17, I rebelled against my parents and left home. I spent six months living on the streets. At that point, I had to get a job to survive. I gave up my love of writing. In 2011, after a horrible 12 years, I found my love of writing again.

I self-published my first book in 2011 and it completely flopped. You better believe my doubt was screaming at me. In addition to the doubt, there are some major hater that love to criticize everything I do. Here is how I beat doubt and you can too.

Ignore your feelings

If you follow your feelings, you will be on a roller coaster that doesn’t stop. Doubt feeds into your feelings and causes you to believe the worst of what you think. Ignore your feelings, especially when it comes to your dreams.

Trust your plan

Making big changes in your life requires a plan. You research what it takes and when I say research, you need to have a vision for what you want to accomplish.

Embrace failure

Everyone fails. The people who are successful in life have failed, but they recovered quickly. Failure doesn’t have to define you or what you are trying to accomplish.

I hope you choose to ignore doubt this year and chase those big goals and dreams. I hope this is one of the best years of your life.

How do you deal with doubt?

This week’s articles

5 Mistakes Successful Entrepreneurs Don’t Make Twice

Entrepreneur Magazine

5 Common Entrepreneurial Mistakes There Is No Excuse for Repeating

Entrepreneur Magazine

5 Honest Reasons Why We Don’t Stick With Big Goals

The Huffington Post

I’m a High School Dropout (Repost from my blog)

The Good Men Project

The Fourth Worst Day of My Life

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Last post, I told you a secret that was gut wrenching to admit. If you read the post, you’ll understand why the day I’m going to tell you about was so heartbreaking.

I was a blue-collar, everyday workingman who never touched computers. I even thought it was weird when people texted me. I went through a terrible year in 2011 and decided it was time to do something about the train wreck that my life had become.

I got inspired by Amanda Hocking’s story and turned my journal into my first eBook. I thought if I put my book on the “Internet,” people would somehow see it and buy it. This seemed like a slam-dunk.

Leading up to the book’s release, so many people had promised to buy the book. Friends, family members and co-workers had told me how excited they were to purchase it. The day the book came out I was convinced I’d get—at the very least—100 sales.

It took so much of me to beat my doubt and fear. This was new and uncomfortable. I was letting strangers have a peek into my life. It felt so wrong, but I had a dream.

The day I try to forget

I hustled through work on August 11, 2011. This was the day I worked so hard to get to. My hard work would be rewarded with hundreds of book sales, and start me on the path to quitting a job I hated with every fiber of my being.

I got done with work, ran to my bedroom and logged onto Amazon. The number I saw staring back at me was a mirage. I closed my eyes for five seconds. I was convinced the number would be different when I opened my eyes again. It wasn’t.

The number I saw was ZERO…..

As the day went on, I still had zero sales of my book. My book! A blue-collar guy had stepped way out of his comfort zone. This was a story you saw it the movies. There’s supposed to be a happy ending. Right?

I didn’t sell any books that day. I didn’t make any money from my dream, but it went far deeper than money.

I struggled with doubt, fear, self-limiting beliefs, and believing what others had said about my dream. The managers at the bread company joked amongst themselves that I published a coloring book. They were bold enough to laugh in my face knowing I couldn’t do anything about it.

Were they right? Was I a complete failure? Was I destined for a life of grunt work?

I burst into tears that night. I’m tearing up as I write this because the wounds run deep. I was a high school dropout who worked menial jobs his whole life. This epic failure convinced me I was a loser who would stay stuck forever. This confirmed every negative thought I had about myself.

Desperation

My first book, my dream, flopped that first day. It flopped for six months after. I bought two copies, and my close friends each bought a copy of the book, but that was it. No one wanted or cared about my stupid book!!

In my desperation, I paid for some book marketing programs to learn all the “secrets” to selling books. I have to be honest. I spent over $5,000 on different courses and coaches. I worked hard and did everything they said. I still sold no books.

Most of these courses and programs taught theory and strategies that only produced mild success in the past. They talked about making your book free through KDP Select. 27,000 copies downloaded and I ended up with one book review and 126 sales the next month after.

I tried social media ads, Craigslist ads, book review sites and everything in-between. I did everything I was told to do. It took me a while to realize the only way these people were making money was from desperate people like me. They had no success on their own.

This isn’t new

I realize I’m preaching to the choir. Your story may be similar. The Internet can be the Wild West. Too many “Experts,” or “Gurus” promise the moon but only deliver hype. I’m so sick of it. It makes the rest of us look bad.

I wanted to give up on my dream that day. I wanted to forget about this stupid Internet stuff and just grind it out in the bread world. Circumstances forced my hand.

It took months of figuring stuff out on my own, but my two self-published books have sold over 86,000 copies in the last three years. I have one published book and second one on the way later this year. I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through.

I write this blog to teach what works. I have a free Facebook group to share and mastermind ideas and strategies. I started a class and course that teaches strategies that not only work, but also work in today’s crowded book market.

The 29 students in the first class have sold over 4,500 books. They’ve booked paid speaking and landed articles on large websites such as the Huffington Post and Entrepreneur Magazine. They’ve added over 1,200 names to their email list and four have become Amazon #1 best-selling authors. I’m very proud of this class.

If you have, will, or are going through one of your “worst days,” don’t be discouraged. There’s always a rainbow after the storm. You just have to look for it. It takes time. It takes hustle. We have all the information we need to figure out what we need to do. Don’t give up.

This was my fourth worst day. If you stick around for a while, I’m sure you’ll hear about the three before it.

Have you experienced a horrible day while chasing your dream?

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Photo: Flickr/Roy Costello

I’m a High School Dropout

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In the last three years of writing this blog, I’ve told you about my life. I’ve told you about having to file bankruptcy when everything was falling apart in 2011. I’ve told you about the time my wife and I separated for four months because of all the problems. I’ve told you about many failures on my journey to create freedom in my life.

There is one thing I’ve never admitted publicly… I’m a high school dropout.

That is one of the hardest sentences I’ve ever written. Tears are hitting my fingers as I write these words. I feel so ashamed, and because of this, I’ve questioned who I am to give anyone advice. For 12 years this held me back from my dream of writing.

The story

I grew up in a deeply religious home. We didn’t watch TV growing up; we weren’t allowed to listen to music or date. When I turned 17, I had enough. My parents told me if I didn’t follow their rules, I had to get out of their home. I did.

I was homeless for six-months. I lived on the street and friend’s couches. I went to high school for a while, but I had to work as much as possible to get off the streets. I left high school to survive.

I eventually got my act together and married an amazing woman. The first thing she did was encourage me to get my G.E.D., which I did. Still, I couldn’t write because I felt like an imposter.

It’s Possible

It’s sad to say, but it took the death of my father in April of 2012 to shake me out of my comfort zone. My last promise to him was that I would learn from his mistakes by not living a life of regret.

I started a simple blog on Blogger. I wrote from my heart and shared what I observed about life. Right away a stranger was quick to point out my terrible grammar and questioned my credentials. I deleted the blog.

My best friends told me to ignore the naysayers and do what they knew I was called to do on this earth. I started this blog. I stopped focusing on the haters; I realized that I’m not doing this for them. I started writing to connect with, and help those who are struggling with the same issues as me. I poured my heart into helping them.

It took three years, and a lot of learning/implementing, but at the end of 2012, I was able to quit a job/business that negatively affected my life. I was finally free.

After the day job was history, I started to heal and work on my weight. I’ve lost 170 pounds and counting. The last piece of the dream triad was where we lived. We were scared of the rising crime in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2010 we vacationed in Maui, Hawaii and fell in love. After four years of planning, we made the move to Maui in April of 2014.

It’s possible for you

I’m a high school dropout who self-published two books that have sold over 86,000 copies. My first traditionally published book came out in May of 2013 and it is now a Publisher’s Weekly, iBook’s, and Amazon #1 bestseller in ten categories.

I’m a high school dropout who ignored what society says about high school dropouts. I’m not good at grammar; I’m constantly struggling with feeling like a “bread man” and imposter. I still deal with many haters who are quick to point out my every flaw. I don’t have it all together at times, but I’m living my dream anyways. I busted my butt and now I’m living a life of true freedom in my work, health, and relationships.

Life is hard and dreams take time, it’s actually easier if you don’t chase them. Here’s the thing though, life is short and time is the one thing we’ll never get back.

It may take years. It may require sacrifice. It may mean losing relationships. Despite the struggle, it’s worth it. I did it. If you decide you want more from your life, it’s possible for you.

Three years ago I was listening to Smart Passive Income while delivering bread. I was miserable, but had hope. Today, the person who helped me get through so many of those miserable days interviewed me. Today, I’ve come full circle.

This website is here to help you live out your dream and experience true freedom. Stick around and let’s get to know each other.

Kimanzi

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Photo: Flickr/ Bryan Guilas