06/21/2026
At age 20, I learned a lesson that changed my life forever.
I had three jobs and couldn't afford to pay my $111 credit card bill.
I still remember having just $6 to my name and staring at a $25 minimum payment I couldn't make.
It was the broke-est I've ever been, and I'll never forget that April.
The strange part wasn't that I wasn't working.
I was working all the time.
I was just working without a plan.
Then a mentor sat me down and changed the way I thought about money.
He was only six years older than me, but he was getting ready to pay off his house.
He talked to me about budgeting.
He talked to me about planning for the future.
He talked to me about being intentional with every dollar instead of spending everything I earned.
Most importantly, he talked to me about income.
He explained that one of the reasons he had gotten ahead was because he chose a career where his earning potential was largely determined by his effort, skill, and growth—not by a fixed salary.
That conversation changed everything.
I took a sales position and started shedding the other jobs I didn't need any longer.
I committed to a budget.
I started learning.
I started growing.
I started thinking long-term.
At first, nothing looked different.
Then things stabilized.
Then I had money to save.
Then opportunities started appearing.
Years later, those small decisions turned into business ownership, real estate opportunities, and conversations about projects that my 20-year-old self couldn't have imagined.
Looking back, the biggest lesson wasn't about money.
It was this:
Most people are waiting for clarity before they start.
But clarity often comes after you start.
You don't need all the answers.
You need a goal.
A plan.
A willingness to learn.
And the courage to take the first step.
The path to success isn't usually a shortcut.
It's a series of small, disciplined decisions repeated over and over again.
