Weekly Update – July 3, 2019

“Declare Your Independence Day”

With July 4th upon us (Independence Day in the USA) I’m reflecting back on my own “independence” day in June of 2001.

Let me tell you a quick story…

It’s a story about the time I got fired over my cell phone on my way home from work on a Friday evening during rush hour traffic.

At the time I was a struggling online entrepreneur working at a job I hated for a boss who didn’t appreciate me (but was sure glad to have me bust my ass for him every day).

I’d been struggling for about 3 1/2 years trying to build my own online business, specifically trying to sell more of my real estate ebooks (for sale by owner and mortgage).

It seems hard to believe now, but at the time I was dealing with super low self-esteem and didn’t feel like I deserved to experience the success I saw other people enjoying online.

Those feelings were making me jealous, negative, and hesitant. Bottom line: I was bitter and didn’t take the actions I knew I should.

I was getting more and more down and depressed about my chances of ever doing anything meaningful online. I knew I could do something cool, but just couldn’t seem to believe in myself enough to get to the point where I could pull it all together.

Then the bottom fell out from under me when a coworker who didn’t like me made up a story to the boss that I had been in the back room making obscene gestures to him.

This was VERY untrue, but she had it out for me… and he was sick of me anyway because he didn’t consider me a team player…

So he canned me while I was driving down I-64 in Williamsburg, Virginia on a hot, humid Friday evening.

Problem was, getting fired from my job meant I couldn’t make the first payment on the little white house my wife and I had just bought.

You see, that very month we’d finally moved out of the trailer park after 7 years of living in virtual poverty.

As you can imagine, I was scared out of my freaking mind, but I wasn’t ready to give up on my dream of building my business and providing a wonderful life for my family.

Then the Universe took one of those amazing turns that make you go “Whoa!” (I couldn’t make this up if I tried)…

In that moment of my deepest desperation I got a phone call from a friend I’d met earlier in the year… his name was (and is) Yanik Silver.

Yanik pointed out to me that the Universe had just done me a favor.

Whether I realized it or not, I had just been handed an opportunity, not a catastrophe. This was my opportunity to strike out on my own. I had all the tools and skills, but had been afraid to let go… now the Universe had shaken me loose and forced me to fly.

That quickly reframed my mindset and everything else changed in a flash… that day… that moment…

In that instant I declared my Independence Day!

I quickly started taking action without the hesitation previously brought on by my self-doubt.

I reached out and found the best affiliates who would actually promote my books instead of blowing me off.

I used teleseminars (and later webinars) to sell a whole lot of books to groups instead of trying to sell one on one all the time.

I focused on the activities that got the best results for book sales rather than spinning my wheels being “busy”.

That year, 2001, I made more money from September to December than I made the previous 4 years… combined!

Because I got that phone call that sparked my “independence day” mindset, I was able to:

* Live my dream of working from home and start consistently making more money in a single week than I used to make in a year of slaving away for the boss who fired me.

* Make a huge difference in people’s lives on many different levels.

* Never have to worry about someone else having power over me, my life, or my family (like the boss who fired me).

Seriously, the greatest thing that came out of that day was the fact that I never have to worry about some jackass boss having control over my life or destiny ever again.

And that’s why I’m so passionate about this idea of your own “Independence Day!”

The day you claim your independence in your heart and soul is the day it becomes real for you.

You may not see the external results of declaring your independence immediately, but you will feel it in your heart… and that’s where it starts!

If you haven’t already, make today your Independence Day 🙂

Jim