Changing My Path

In 2017, my life changed.

I mentioned earlier that I had been drifting. This event completely changed my trajectory and, looking back, has been one of the biggest blessings in disguise of my life.

During a basketball tournament, I suffered a concussion. I went up for a rebound off balance, someone took my legs out from under me, and I landed flat on my back, hitting my head hard. I never lost consciousness and even finished the game.

The next day, I felt like I'd been hit by a bus. I went to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with a concussion. That part wasn't a big deal—it was what came after that changed everything.

I developed post-concussion syndrome, which meant the concussion symptoms didn't go away after a few days. They lasted for months.

The headaches were constant. Looking at a screen to do homework, watching TV, listening to loud music, drinking alcohol, and even working out made everything worse.

The anxiety and that feeling of not being able to breathe came back too.

I finished the semester, went home for the summer, and had no idea that this challenge was about to change the course of my life.

At home, I started physical therapy—vestibular exercises, balance work, massage therapy, and gradually increasing my screen time to slowly rebuild tolerance.

With a lot of time on my hands and not many options, I decided it was time to start reading again. I went to the library and checked out six books.

The one that impacted me most—and the first one I read—was The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer.

In it, Jeffrey emphasizes that writing is key to credibility. That idea stuck with me. So I decided I needed to start writing.

I created a LinkedIn account and wrote my first LinkedIn article.

At about 80% recovered, and with school about a month away, I decided to return to my apartment and start looking for a job.

I drove back late on a hot, humid night. It was around 85 degrees, and the air felt heavy. When I got to my third-floor apartment, the AC was broken. Inside, it was over 100 degrees, and there was a strong, foul smell. I realized the heat had been cooking the place all summer. All my clothes smelled, my bed smelled—everything.

I tried to figure out a fix, but ultimately ended up staying the night there anyway. I woke up the next morning feeling sick and frustrated. I went outside and called my mom.

At that point, I broke down. I felt helpless and cried for the first time since I was a kid. In that moment, I started questioning everything—how I was going to finish school, how I would ever get a job, how I’d even get back on my feet. But looking back, that moment mattered. Adversity has a way of doing that.

I asked my family to come help me move everything out, and that same day they showed up. At one of my lowest points, it was one of the most powerful “family moments” I’ve ever experienced. I needed help, and my mom, stepdad, and siblings dropped everything to come be there for me.

A month later, I moved into a new townhome. I was cautiously optimistic, and things went well. I started seeing a counselor, and within about a month I worked through the remaining anxiety. I got back to working out, focused on school, and started having fun again.

Thanks to the books I had been reading, I’d built a few new habits. I had started writing LinkedIn articles, listening to podcasts, and actively shifting the way I thought. I began sharing my beliefs publicly, and then a perfectly timed opportunity came along (more on that in my book).

A friend of mine had partnered with a new health and wellness company that had just launched. He talked about the benefits of being a founding member, and at the time I could tell it was exactly what I needed.

I had always said I was going to be great and do big things, but I wasn’t making any real investments in myself or actively working toward that vision.

So I bet on myself. I took $1,200 in loan money and joined a network marketing company, Vasayo.

Vasayo became my launching pad into personal growth and took things to the next level for me. I made incredible friends, actively grew my social media, did dozens of Facebook Lives, plugged into a personal development training program called Overcome Nation, hosted events, traveled to a few cities, and started earning money.

It turned into a period of consistent action focused on growing the business, which in turn developed my confidence and reshaped my belief systems.

Even with a “side hustle,” my plan was still to land a traditional sales job after college. At the same time, I started putting all my eggs into getting hired by the Chicago Bulls. That goal started here and carried all the way into 2018.

If you’re wondering why there isn’t much to report in 2017, it’s because it was a bit of a rebound year. Outside of working on the Vasayo business, I spent most of my free time focused on school, working out, and going out with friends.

During this time, I had one other hobby I spent time studying: credit hacks. I learned the importance of building good credit and realized you could actually leverage credit card bonuses in a smart way.

I built up to 13 credit cards, earned a few thousand dollars in rewards, and achieved an 800+ credit score.

I even won a flight on a private jet. One of the people I was learning from ran a contest for a free flight, and the day after Christmas I ended up winning a trip from Chicago to New York City.