25 intimate and embarrassing things about me

Maybe you think you already know me by now, from other posts and my Instagram accounts, but in this post, I'm gonna pull back the curtain.

Promise not to judge? (Or laugh?)

1
Before I was a math tutor, I was a waiter, a video store clerk, a dry cleaning clerk, a pizza delivery driver, and a starving musician.

I loved teaching math to groups in college, when I got my start.

Later, 1-on-1 tutoring paid better but I started to lose my hair... because I was pulling it out.

At my wit's end, completely burnt out on working jobs I hated where I traded time for money, and feeling the untapped well of potential inside me, I had to make a big, scary change...

2
So in September 2014 I paid a large sum of money — very uncomfortable for me at the time — to two Internet millionaires to teach me how to do online marketing for local businesses.

I put everything I had into it. I went overtime on it.

Within six weeks, I had my first two paying clients. They are still with me to this day.

That changed my life and I never looked back.

I was finally swimming in, and drinking from, that well of potential, turning it kinetic.

It was insane.

I realized the value of mentors and how they are the closest thing to a shortcut for success.

Of course, success in wealth, health, relationships and happiness takes work and a reliable system.

But having someone better than you show you the way is like cheating time, redlining the engine through the whole race.

Since then, I continue to invest in my personal growth and skills through specialized knowledge and mentors.

Now, my network of mentors, millionaires, marketers and entrepreneurs...

... with endless resources, hundreds of years of combined knowledge and experience, and hundreds of millions of dollars...

... there is nothing we can’t do, no problem we can’t solve, no cake we can’t eat.

3
I just recently realized that maths is the correct English way to speak and write the word.  For years, I've been saying math, as in "math class."

Probably a few Europeans who want to smack me upside the head with a "Hello, McFly!" while, I'm guessing, more than a few of my fellow Americans would join me in a fist bump.  🤜🤛

Most people hate math, no matter how it's spelled, amiright?

4
I was a straight-A student in college but flunked Internet Marketing for years when I first started because I didn't have a mentor (coach/professor) or a step-by-step game plan (curriculum).

The Lesson?  Never try to learn something on your own.  Make sure you have a curriculum, specific assignments with due dates, and a teacher with office hours.

5
About a decade ago, I cooked up a succulent success plan to kill my 12-year-long cigarette addiction.  It worked like a charm.

In a gratifying twist, I've told my story to several people over the years of how I kicked that shit... which resulted in some of them quitting too!!  Maybe I'm onto something...

6
"But why would a bright, Christian-raised teenager decide to choke down smoke?" I hear you wonder.

I dunno, why do average teenagers do anything?

(Hormones, right?)

Actually, it was because I wanted to fit in... I succumbed to peer pressure.

At the time, I was obsessed with Kurt Cobain.  Wanted to look like him and do everything like him... play the music, write the weird poetry, have the dark humour, wear the clothes, talk and behave the same way.

Even tried to be "tortured" like him.  Which failed miserably (or happily?).

My songwriting improved a little, my style became, well, unique, and my ability to choke down smoke without looking like I was choking improved a lot.

The Cobain disguise was worn through after a couple of years and I eventually threw it away.

7
But, still battling with "fitting in," I traded in that rock-star obsession with another: Dave Matthews.  Again, played the music, wore the pajama bottoms and necklaces, and behaved like a carefree goof for a while.

8
Then I got a real friend lol... new kid in town, Jordan, became a quick friend and my rock-star-imitation-game pivoted to him.  Finally, rock starring was real and interactive... we played music together, took road trips, talked philosophy, worked on our comedy, drank way too much, and served shenanigans with heaping ladles of gravy.

9
Today, I'm swiping from my first online mentor, Brad... the structure of this website and some of the language are inspired by the first successful millionaire I ever met in person.

But word swagger's not the only thing I'm swiping.  Brad's the one who taught me to superglue websites on demand to Google's #1 spots.

See a pattern?

Obsession.  Not just a great perfume.

Can be used for the light or dark side.

Copying success works... just gotta decide if you want to be a master or a "me too-er".

Admittedly, I'm "me too-ing" my way to writing great copy.

Mastering marketing was first on my list.

10
I do have another addiction I should come clean about: caffeine.

I'm hooked on Kerrygold butter bulletproof coffee and Venti sugar free Cinnamon Dolce Latte from my crack dealer (the Starbucks around the corner).

I haven't written a blog post, email or ad without sipping on some coffee concoction.

I wonder how the ol' ticker is taking it.

Was that a flutter I just felt?

11
I get my work ethic from my Dad.  He's the most hard-working guy I know, aside from all my other millionaire friends, I suppose.  Wink.

As an example, when I was a kid, he owned a bathroom resurfacing company.  He would often take me (read: forced me) with him to do some of the labor.  For an entire day's work, I would get $5.  I hated it.

But I love the lessons I learned.

12
I inherited a sort of "average" or middle class mentality from my parents... hard work was the answer.

It was only a few years ago that I was introduced to working smarter rather than harder.

I'll take both.  High-five.

My "middle class mentality" has definitely risen to a finer atmosphere.  And I like it better up here.

My folks have since evolved, too 🙂

13
I am the eldest of five brothers.  No sisters.

We are a close nuclear family, love spending time with each other regularly.

My brothers are among my best friends.  They were my first friends too!

As Wyatt Earp's father was once alleged to say: "The closer you keep your family, the better.  They're the only ones you can rely on.  Nothing counts so much as blood."

14
I am not yet married and do not have children.

Though I would like a wife and kids, I haven't found the woman whose world is as big as mine, who encourages me in big dreams and understands my obsessive nature.

I don't want to settle.  I want to keep crushing goals.

Would be cool to have someone on the same team, but until then...

15
I was home schooled through all of elementary school.  Middle school was shocking!

Damn, kids can be mean.  I had never been openly judged and ridiculed for being myself before.  It cut deep.

This was the dawn of self-consciousness... other people's beliefs and opinions (other than my parents') influencing my own.

I think that explains the whole Cobain phase a few years later.  Just trying to fit in.

Of course, I had some really good friends, too, that I'm still friends with to this day.

16
I will most likely home-school my kids so that I have total control over their curriculum.  Of course, it's important that they learn social skills, too.

I'd like to teach them what is actually useful in life... what the American school system doesn't teach:

Money and Finances, Economy, Entrepreneurship, Emotional maturity, the capitol of Missouri...

17
I used to be thin as a string bean.  (If I can ever find one, I'll upload a before and after pic for your peepholes.)

One day, after months of half-assing, I made a firm decision to finally get ripped.

I decided on a curriculum, a proven plan and a coach (sound familiar?).  I stuck to it for 90 days and got the results; life has never been the same.

I mean, can you imagine your life without brushing your teeth everyday?

18
I don't read fiction much anymore.  Last year, I read 52 books, and only one of them was fiction: Stephen King's IT.

If I do this year, it'll be any of Mark Twain's books, read by Nick Offerman.

19
I love movies, especially comedies.

Some of my favorites are The Big Lebowski, Crazy, Stupid, Love, and Dumb and Dumber.

20
My favorite before-bed snack is plain Greek yogurt mixed with granola, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and cacao nibs.

So there.

Shove that in your peace pipe and smoke it.

21
I've purchased tens of thousands of dollars worth of courses on high-income skills, to learn new skills and implement gold nuggets into my business for my clients.

No end in sight.  Education begins at graduation, right?

22
I think about my internet business constantly.

I can't seem to find the off switch.  At this point, I'm not sure I'd want to.  I mean... what would I do??

It's a blessing and a curse.

23
The little toe on my right foot is what's called a "hammer toe".  It's weird lookin'.

It's not painful.  Just makes girls run away.

24
I don't crave stuff.  I like living minimally.  For me, a rich, wealthy lifestyle is all about experiences and relationships.

When I was a kid, I liked to collect comics, cards, action figures, Battle Beasts...

These days, I have no compulsion to collect watches, shoes, hats or cars...

Instead, I buy a lot of educational stuff, a lot of experiences, a lot of plane tickets, and rent nice digs when I travel.

25
My favorite vacation spots are Bali and Koh Samui, Thailand.  Both because of the uplifting vibes (when you get away from the tourist areas).

As I explore more of the world, this is bound to change.

Maybe we can meet up somewhere?

26
I do this because I love it.  I love everything about it.

I'm filled beyond bursting with gratitude that I can make a lasting impact on people's lives.

And that I meet great people who think like me and refuse to settle for the status quo.

Helping business owners write their own check...

Helping to grow businesses, make money, serve the community...

I never thought I'd be doing this.

And I wouldn't change a damn thing.

Some days, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

Thanks for letting me be so weird.