I'm on a Winning Streak

At the beginning of January I was experiencing the most momentum of my life. It's too soon to share all the details but a lot of it was in social contacts or interactions.

A lot of phone calls, meeting with some of the big influencers I follow, having conversations, working on a project at work, being introduced to important people.

In the first few months of the year Charlie Rocket and Grant Cardone came to Jeffrey Gitomer's office. And major entrepreneurs like Andy Frisella, Jack Canfield, David Meltzer and Dallin Larsen were all guests on the podcast Sell or Die.

Even though it wasn't my podcast rubbing shoulders with these top entrepreneurs and successfully getting through the DM's and booking them on the show was impactful for my vision. 

However I don't take too much credit because without Jeffrey Gitomer's years of credibility they would never have agreed.

What's relevant about those people I mentioned above is that they were all major influencers I was able to reach. In high school I had a lot of success reaching out to my favorite NBA players as well.

I realized then, this is a skill and an art form. People could benefit significantly from this information. So I decided it was time to share and create a video about it.

The video I recorded eventually turned into an ebook, which fast forward to December 2020, turned into an Audiobook, Hardcover book and a full length course.

The Direct Line: How to Connect and Engage Online with Any Influencer in the World. 

Also in January, more new opportunity.

Jeffrey Gitomer and I traveled to a resort in Orlando where he hosted a private seminar. It was here that he was teaching me the process and preparation of a professional keynote.

I ordered room service for the first time and this same month I was offered to fill in for a speaking gig in South Carolina. I accepted but the original speaker eventually came through.

On January 22 I write this in my journal.

"two days of mental high, felt invincible, know that in 6-7-8 years I will be great."

A few days later just as a life bonus Mike Lindell "The My Pillow Guy" you see on TV, follows me on Twitter. I enter a contest he is hosting and days later win an autographed card board cut out. Huge at the time because I am a fan of the worlds best pillows, Mypillows!

February 2nd. All the things that have been on my vision wall for 6 months are manifesting themselves and coming into form.

I have my sights set on finding a way to attend the NBA All Star Game hosted in Charlotte, NC. Also with the hopes of meeting my childhood idol Michael Jordan.

The following events all happen in a two week span. Weeks after adding pictures to my vision wall...

I reach out to the Hornets basketball team and try to get my own court side seat to a regular season Bulls vs Hornets basketball game. No luck.

I decide to attend the game with my friend Chris, we try our luck at scalping seats. Sketchy process, no luck and the game starts.

Right before giving up I see two guys walking into the arena and one guy has several tickets in his hand. I stop him, ask if they are for sale and buy the two tickets. 

We sit next to him and he tells me he has the hookup for tickets.Turns out his dad is a Chicago Bulls legend who was a key player in the Chicago Bulls first 3 peat. We exchange numbers and he says he might be able to hook me up for the All Star Game. I'm on a winning streak.

The next day I go to a brewery with a few friends. I'm wearing an Illinois State University shirt. A girl stops me, "Hey, you're from ISU, me too. Small world". We  get to talkin and  I ask her what she does for work.

 She works for the Charlotte Hornets as the head of the charity and special events division. I'm already shocked at the coincidence but then she pulls out her phone and says look at this. She pulls up a video on her Instagram story of her walking with Michael Jordan the day BEFORE! 

Over the following few days I had 3 other possibilities to attend the game.

I asked a high level friend if he would be attending the All Star Weekend. And to my amazement he told me he was invited to play in the Celebrity All Star game but he declined...

My boss was friends with the former NBA's all time block leader Mark Eaton. Surely he had the plug. 

My boss said if he ended up going he would take me with.

Finally on Saturday the day before the game I met up an entrepreneur who worked in sports marketing for a meet and greet hang at Top Golf. He had attended day 1 and 2 of the game but was leaving that night and skipping out on Sunday's game. I asked if he had already gave away his tickets and he had.

I never did get to attend the game. But I decided I wanted to go and possibilities at an incredible clip presented themselves everywhere! Doesn't it almost seem unreal? This was another reminder that visualization and focused thought can bring more of what you want!

Surprise, I go on Instagram and find out that someone I know from high school has put out a diss track against me. I was actually surprised, I wish this person nothing but the best. 

It was a great sign that I was doing something right because before this I hadn't received much public hate.

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Another goal I had this year was to get on 5 podcasts, on back to back days people offered to set up interviews for me.

Around this same time a friend of mine Cole who was the founder of Southeastern Young Entrepreneurs offered me a position as an editor and writer for his site. Around this time I was continually publishing Linkedin articles.

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Around this time I had become less active in Vasayo and knew the time had come to move forward. Incredible company, people, and founder - Dallin Larsen.

I left because I felt inclined to create my own things. I was so excited about the book I was writing and wanted to spend my time doing that.

End of February,

I head to the big island of Hawaii for a 7 day vacation.

 I snorkeled successfully for the first time and am feeling good.

My posts now have dates because I started journaling all my wins.

" I begin to feel momentum shifting. Everyone wants me to help them but I don't have the time."

Only 4 days later I leave work early. I'm having migraines and head pressure. I wonder if its post concussion somehow coming back? I assume its from excessive screen time. Stress and burning the midght oil must've caught up with me.

This is the start of big adversity for me.  

Feeling down, I tried to get answers from neurologists and past doctors. Tried resting. Minor days of feeling good, overall little improvement.

Late May, after being out of work for over 70 days and my lease ending I decided it was best to resign from my job and get myself right.

At the end of the month I moved out of my apartment and headed back home. Before I left I met up with my friend Chris and recorded two episodes for his Next Level Minds Podcast.

When I left my job I started attending a local church that I wish I had started sooner. Steven Furtick's Elevation Church. It was my first visit here and I was given a bible that has been a huge resource to me.

When I returned home I also decided I had to visit Joel Osteens Lake Wood Church. Maybe I could find healing? I went and it was an awesome experience. He is heavily scrutinized but his sermons kept me positive during the upcoming hard times.

These next few months is when things started to get dark for me.

At home I started to develop heavy anxiety. I had a turbulent home life with drama and addiction. It causes a lot of chaos.

I came home with issues of my own hoping to recoup and heal but I was sleeping on an air mattress in an empty room  was attacked by a bull dog my first week back. Then at my barber I  learned my hair was beginning to fall out.

Add in the arguments, police, mistrust, and you have a bad combination.

I had a panic attack around this time. And desperately seeked normality.

All I wanted was to be normal again.

Unfortunately normal didn't arrive for a while. I got lost in my own head and became overly sensitive. I feared anxiety and many factors were triggers.

At this time phone, social, computer, tv, exercise would all bring on heavy head pressure and headaches so it was hard to decompress.

It went on for months, In September I got health coverage and began seeing more specialists and seeking more solutions.

I tried tapping therapy, prayer power, meditation, organic diet, acupuncture, physical therapy, vestibular exercises, counseling, prescription drugs, vitamins, allergy tests, workbooks and more.

This recovery process was long and slow and continued through the end of the year. It was all about exposure and extending the time and severity of my daily activities.

As things got clearer my vision for my book and how I wanted to move forward started to come into focus.