Author
I'd like to tell you a story about my past that may not only surprise you, but also be a source of inspiration to you.
It's not only about transformation, but I hope you see it as a story of what's possible when that little light inside your head finally turns on, and illuminates to you a world of possibilities that were always there, but you just didn't see.
If you're in place where a little transformation would do you good, I think what I'm about to share will be of real value to you.
So let me start by revealing something about my past that you may not know.
13 Years Ago...
13 years ago, I was painting apartments for a living. I owned a small paint contracting business. I was President of the company, and my wife, Kathy, was Vice President. We were also the only employees.
That's right, instead sweating over code and writing books, I was literally sweating due to a lot of hard work! :)
A typical day of work was brutal (at least to me).
I was up at around 6:00 AM every morning (including some weekends), and was usually on the road to my first stop - the paint store - by 6:30, to pick up any supplies that I needed for the day.
Living in Indianapolis, I not only had to regularly deal with insane morning and evening rush-hour traffic, but also the extreme temperature changes of the seasons.
As a matter of fact, it often got so cold in the winter, that every evening I had to unload nearly everything off my truck and into my tiny apartment (so it wouldn't freeze), and then load it all back on the truck the next morning (in the freezing-cold weather). Considering I really don't like temperatures below 50, this was a huge ordeal for me.
My work took me all over the city. It wasn't unusual for me (and Kathy) to paint an apartment on the north side of the city, pack up everything (paint, tools, & equipment), drive to the south side and paint another apartment, pack up everything again, and paint a final apartment on the west side, only to fight traffic to get back home, which was, of course, on the east side of town.
If you've never painted apartments, let me tell you, it's REALLY hard work! Not only is it physically draining, but I used a paint sprayer most of the time, which required I wear an uncomfortable 'Darth Vader' -type mask most of the day to protect my lungs (hope it worked).
Not only that, but when you spray paint all day, you usually end up getting completely coated in the stuff, because residual mist from spraying hangs in the air, and finds its way into your hair, onto your clothes and skin - everywhere, to the point where I felt like my entire body was encased in a thick film that was incredibly uncomfortable!
Do you think I enjoyed doing this, every day...for YEARS?!?
While I'm thankful that painting helped me take care of my family's needs, I knew deep down in my heart that it wasn't something I could see as a long-term career choice.
I'm a creative person, and always have been. I enjoy mental work much more than the back-breaking, unhealthy kind that I was doing. :)
I so badly wanted to do something different with my life, I just wasn't sure how it was going to happen.
I Thankfully Lost OVER 80% Of My Income!
In 1998, one the biggest opportunities of my life presented itself: I THANKFULLY lost my biggest painting contract, which represented over 80% of my income!
I know what you're thinking: How could losing more than 80% of your income EVER be a good thing?
Well, instead of immediately freaking out and stressing about the idea of having to find some new painting work to make up for what I had just lost, I took a completely different approach...
I realized that I suddenly had a ton of time on my hands that would, allow me to formulate a plan for turning my life around, and put that plan into action!
I Never, Ever, Ever Did It Again!
I'm so glad I made that bold choice, because since that time, not only have I never, ever, ever painted another apartment, but I've gone on to do some pretty amazing things, including becoming an Adobe Press author (selling over 250,000 books worldwide), working for Fortune 500 companies, and becoming a successful Internet entrepreneur.
The last 13 years have been a complete and total joy!
Now, every day I wake up when I want, walk to my office, casually begin my day - eating breakfast with my wife, and I work on projects that I'm absolutely passionate about.
I'm a very blessed man!
BUT, it didn't all happen by accident. Nope! Back in 1998, when that opportunity came into my life, I was determined to make the very best of it.
The Awesomness Of Changing Your Thinking, Actions, And Habits
So, how did I do it? What specifically was it that took me from that dissatisfied painter to where I am today?
How did I have to change my thinking, actions, and habits in order to experience such a dramatic transformation in my life?
Well, a fellow by the name of Seth Larrabee (who is actually a great customer of mine) recently invited me to do an interview with him where I was able to share a bunch of the 'Aha' moments I had along my journey to get from where I used to be, to where I am today.
Seth is an excellent interviewer. He was able to draw out of me a lot of actionable ideas, strategies, and tips - things that I personally used to ramp up my ability to produce some pretty stellar results. I'm very confident that they can do the same thing for you (or better) IF you use them.
It was a very unique and fun interview!
I encourage you to grab a copy of it, which includes several bonus interviews that Seth has done with other folks I admire and respect, including Jason Fladlien, David Vallieres, and Valerie Young:
Click here to grab a copy for just $14.00:
In addition to several hours of audio, all of the interviews come with a FREE 'Nerd Report', which is a cool summary/cheat sheet of all the key points. It's really good stuff!
When One Door Closes, Another Opens...
I'd like to wrap up this post by giving you something of real value - it's a mindset that was critical ingredient to the transformation my life went through all those years ago.
Back when my painting business began to collapse, It would have been easy for me to become overwhelmed with fear and worry about what was going to happen next. But instead of giving into that kind of thinking, I chose to see it from the totally opposite perspective - as a huge opportunity to do something I had been dreaming about doing for a long time.
Our lives are full of endings, losses, and closures. Some can be really hard to cope with, but that doesn't mean they HAVE to be devastating...
Instead of automatically feeling weakened or disempowered when something ends in your life, it's a good idea to look for any positives that might be hidden within each one of those endings - doors that could lead to the beginning of something amazing that you might not have ever experienced otherwise.
This one mindset put me where I am today.
Have an awesome day!
Derek
P.S. Another discovery that I made along my journey of transformation was the incredible value of long-term thinking.
There are 7 mindsets that I've found that you need to adopt in order to tap into the power of this kind of thinking. This blog post has become too long for me to share them with you now, but look for another post in a few days titled, "Stretching Your Thinking To Expand Your Possibilities!"
Look for it soon!
