I left active duty in 2007, but remained a Reservist until 2015. I will always cherish my time serving my country. The values have remained and I strive to continuously give back - which is the biggest reason I work in the non-profit industry at the moment!
I fell to consumerism when I was 18-22 getting all this money as a member of the armed forces and when I left in 2007, I was sitting on over $30K in consumer debt. The second best job I've ever had since leaving the military was selling Cutco knives but that's a different story.
The situation I was in left me not many options. I wanted to use my GI Bill and go to school full-time because I wouldn't be paying for it, but my consumer debt kept me chained... I ended up volunteering for a deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 and in the 10 months I was there, paid off all my consumer debt and had some money set aside for investing.
However, at that point, I still had not experienced the learning necessary to ensure I wouldn't end up in the trap again... I blew most (NOT ALL) of my money when I got back on all the equipment and training needed to skydive (important for later) and a 600cc sport bike (I still maintain this was a needed purchase! - lol)
Besides splurging, what was nice about paying off my debt was the ability it afforded me to attend college full-time and not need to work. Also, since I had the GI-Bill, I didn't pay for school. This was when I was introduced to various leadership and personal improvement books. I was able to cultivate my thinking in such a way to begin noticing opportunity. Back to my skydiving... the drop zone was located about a 20 minute drive from any food source, so if you didn't bring lunch, you were screwed and would miss out on the limited jump loads for the day because you'd be stuck driving to get food.
So I started a concession stand - with only $1,200 (what I had left from deployment) for initial inventory and tables/coolers/etc. I was only open at the drop zone Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial to Labor Day weekends - a total of 33 days. Since I was the one who worked all 12-16 hours, I banked everything I made. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do many jumps. That was my sacrifice to NET $10,000 my first summer open.
That was the first taste of freedom I had since fighting for it and I was thrust into this unknown (to me) world of Entrepreneurship. My circumstances have changed now that I have a wife (good story for later) a step-son and a newborn (9 weeks) daughter. I have obligations to them but my desire is to ensure they never want for anything. I read TMFL last year and didn't do much about it. I would have loved to been able to go through a course to create a Saas business but got scared, didn't pull the trigger because I didn't believe in myself enough to start asking to borrow money.
So here I am, KNOWING there is more than this SCRIPTED life has to offer. I've got big ideas, and I look forward to finding the support I've been missing out on since I'm surrounded by so many who just don't get it and are content with mediocre...
I begin my Civilian Mission to help others.
I fell to consumerism when I was 18-22 getting all this money as a member of the armed forces and when I left in 2007, I was sitting on over $30K in consumer debt. The second best job I've ever had since leaving the military was selling Cutco knives but that's a different story.
The situation I was in left me not many options. I wanted to use my GI Bill and go to school full-time because I wouldn't be paying for it, but my consumer debt kept me chained... I ended up volunteering for a deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 and in the 10 months I was there, paid off all my consumer debt and had some money set aside for investing.
However, at that point, I still had not experienced the learning necessary to ensure I wouldn't end up in the trap again... I blew most (NOT ALL) of my money when I got back on all the equipment and training needed to skydive (important for later) and a 600cc sport bike (I still maintain this was a needed purchase! - lol)
Besides splurging, what was nice about paying off my debt was the ability it afforded me to attend college full-time and not need to work. Also, since I had the GI-Bill, I didn't pay for school. This was when I was introduced to various leadership and personal improvement books. I was able to cultivate my thinking in such a way to begin noticing opportunity. Back to my skydiving... the drop zone was located about a 20 minute drive from any food source, so if you didn't bring lunch, you were screwed and would miss out on the limited jump loads for the day because you'd be stuck driving to get food.
So I started a concession stand - with only $1,200 (what I had left from deployment) for initial inventory and tables/coolers/etc. I was only open at the drop zone Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial to Labor Day weekends - a total of 33 days. Since I was the one who worked all 12-16 hours, I banked everything I made. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do many jumps. That was my sacrifice to NET $10,000 my first summer open.
That was the first taste of freedom I had since fighting for it and I was thrust into this unknown (to me) world of Entrepreneurship. My circumstances have changed now that I have a wife (good story for later) a step-son and a newborn (9 weeks) daughter. I have obligations to them but my desire is to ensure they never want for anything. I read TMFL last year and didn't do much about it. I would have loved to been able to go through a course to create a Saas business but got scared, didn't pull the trigger because I didn't believe in myself enough to start asking to borrow money.
So here I am, KNOWING there is more than this SCRIPTED life has to offer. I've got big ideas, and I look forward to finding the support I've been missing out on since I'm surrounded by so many who just don't get it and are content with mediocre...
I begin my Civilian Mission to help others.
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