My story is quite an odd journey of self discovery that lead me to finally realize my passions and go after my dreams.

As a kid, I grew up in and around the military most of my life. I grew up on military bases around the country. My dad was an officer in the Air Force, and my mother played the supportive role. My dad was career Air Force and retired at 48 years of age after serving 26 years in the Air Force. He then became Mr. Mom as he retired my mom went off to pursue her goals as a teacher and counselor at a small school in Colorado. It is a this point I believe I was exposed to a small dose of entrepreneurship. My dad's life goal was to retire and maintain a small farm. So he did and my two older brothers and I went from city slickers to farm boys in a matter of months. I drove tractors, cut fields, bailed hay, bucked bails of hay onto wagons, raised cattle, raised horses, went to livestock auctions and rodeos. But more then anything I learned the mechanics and economics of small business. Advertising was conducted by a small homemade sign in our front yard; "Hay 4 Sale." Warehousing was completed by days of stacking bail after bail of hay into the hot summer barn. Payments were made by cash, check or a handshake for credit. Prices of hay would go up if we didn't get good rainfall in the summer. Prices of our hay would drop if we didn't properly gather the hay and it got damaged while drying in the field. It was a simple business and honestly very safe for my family. We didn't need the money. Although my dad acted like we were going to starve if we didn't get out in the field and get things done, it was really a hobby farm. Between my dad's retirement and my mother working we were fine. But nonetheless it was a business and taught me the value of hard work.

Although my dad was a farmer, he wasn't very entrepreneurial, and neither was my mother. Both their advice was to get good grades, go to a great college, get a good degree and get in with a good company. More specifically, do all of the above and get into the Air Force. The Air Force will take care of you (which is absolutely true). Before middle school I had planned out my whole life. I would go to the Air Force Academy, play football there, become a pilot in the Air Force, retire, fly for the airlines, then final retire and open a nice safe business one day.

Well as it turned out, I worked hard, I got good grades, I went to college (at the Air Force Academy), and began playing football there. I wasn't as smart as the other kids there but I worked hard. My whole freshman year I averaged about 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night just to get by. My grades weren't great but I was making it. I wasn't the best on the football field but I worked hard and they kept me around. But at some point, I started to become disenfranchised with it all. I started asking myself where will this get me. I'm killing myself, and where will this get me in the end. Three games into my sophomore season, mad because I was sitting on the sidelines and not playing I had had enough. I decided right then and there that I'd quit. I realized at that point that I wasn't enjoying what I was doing at all. The only reason I was playing football was because it was a goal of mine as a kid, and the big thing was that I knew it made my family proud. However, I knew at that point sitting on the sidelines that it was time to be a man and start living for myself. I know this may seem like a inconsequential moment for most but for me, it was life changing. That choice was not an easy one although my family was supportive, I could tell it made them sad. I now look at that choice as the catalyst for the change that has brought me here. It was pivotal because I chose then and there that I would begin to choose what felt right over what I felt I had to do according to my plan. It was then that my previous plan began to crumble. Some choices I made and some choices life made for me.

My junior year, my life changed again. I was playing rugby for the Academy and boxing. I had just received my pilot slot and in a little over a year I would pursue my career as a pilot in the Air Force. However, life had other plans. After rugby season and my first day of boxing practice something happened, earlier that day I was in an unarmed combat class and popped something in my lower back. I was stiff but alright and continued on with my day. I went to boxing practice just fine, grabbed dinner and went back to my room to study. Lying on my bed, belly down, studying something happened. Something slipped and popped in my lower back and instantly my left leg went numb. I tried to get up but couldn't as shooting pain shot up my spine and down my leg kept me still. I found out a week later that I had somehow herniated three discs in my lower back. For two months, I could barely walk to class as I dragged my left leg behind me. I couldn't sit down at the lunch table and had to stand up. In class I had to either stand up or lay down. Some of the most pain I've ever been in. After cortisone shots and physical therapy, I was finally told it would not get better and I had to have surgery. Unfortunately, I would have to miss a semester of school and return home to recover until the following year, but this was when I received my greatest gift.

It was then, during my time away from the academy that some major changes happened. I was then that I met and fell in love with the beautiful women that is now my wife. This amazing girl inspired me beyond anyone I had ever known during one of the lowest points in my life. I shared with her my life plan, about being a pilot, the airlines, making lots of money and one day opening up my own business. However, she kept asking me, "why not start now?" why not make money now. I had no idea what she was talking about at first. My plan was all I knew. All I knew were the words "one day," "one day once I've done all this other stuff then I'll get to do what I want." She just kept asking "why wait?" She saw within me my true passion. But I held on to my plan....until life had other plans. Soon after my surgery I found out that my plan would have to change. My pilot slot was taken away. I was disqualified because of my back injury. No more pilot, no more plan.

Jocelyn, an entrepreneur herself at age 24 didn't let me get discouraged. "Just means life's calling you in a different direction." That was when everything changed. I went back to the academy, among school work, I began studying business, reading Robert Allen, Kiyosaki, Harv Eker, and more. I was voracious, I couldn't get enough. My mind filled with ideas daily and nightly. I was fancinated by business and the idea going after financial goals now rather then "once I retire." A year and half after my surgery, I finally graduated from the Academy and began my career as an officer in the Air Force, just like my dad. I was comfortable, I made good money and I got to dabble in entrepreneur on the side. Jocelyn and I got married and everything was going well. I helped Jocelyn with her business and we worked on ideas together at nights and on weekends. However, life would change again.

The Air Force was going through a force reduction and had to get rid of 40,000 officers/ In my career field alone they were getting rid of half the people. Didn't look good. I loved the military, still love the military, but it didn't look like it would last any longer for me. "Life's calling you in a different direction" Jocelyn said. So this time I answered its call. A year later I was out of the military, not for good, I was lucky enough to secure a spot in the Air Force Reserves (I stilled wanted to serve), but now I was able to go after my passion of entrepreneurship.

A couple months before I got out of the military, Jocelyn and I began kicking around an idea for a website and business. I took a corporate job with RE/MAX International (the HQ) for 11 months as I put together a business plan (business plans are a complete waste of time and paper, but that's another story). After finishing up the plan I soon found an investor, quit my job and went after building the website that would make me a bagillionaire. Right....?

Long story short, a first time entrepreneur, who knew exactly JACK (and Squat went missing), I completely failed, after 15 months, the website was still stalled in development, three of the programmers were fired and one worked on it here and there before finally quiting. I was left over $40,000 in debt. Distraught, I took an Air Force Reserve opportunity and was Activated for 4 months, back in the Air Force again while I planned my next move. The money was good and allowed me to pay off some credit card debt but what was really crucial was the time it bought me. It was during that time that I realized the skill-set that I had developed in my first year and a half of entrepreneurship. I had failed but I had learned a great deal from it.

More importantly, while waiting for the developers to finish the website, I taught myself a lot about online marketing. My job was to build a list of people that would be beta testers for the website once it was launched. I built a list of over a thousand using social networking techniques, search engine optimization, search engine marketing through Google ads, and others. During my time Activated in the Air Force Reserves, I realized the value and potential in this skill. I realized that very few people knew how to do this, how to drive traffic and generate qualified leads online. So instead of wasting time writing another stupid business plan, I went to work. Nights and weekends, I formulated ideas and systems to scale this business quickly and create potential for real wealth.

The result, after ending my Active Duty Tour in the Reserves I went to work using my system. In the first month of business I had generated almost $30,000. More than half of what I used to make in the military or working for RE/MAX during an entire year. Today things just keep getting better. Beyond my current business of social media and internet marketing, I've several developing projects, all using the same formula geared towards rapid deployment.

My life now is much different than the life imagined by that little boy on the military base or that young man on the farm. It's much different than that football player on the sidelines ever imagined and reaches higher than that aspiring pilot ever could have soared. Life played it's part, and I made some important decisions, but most importantly, I showed up! I never gave up and with the help of my wife I answered the call of my deepest passion. They say that 90% of success is just showing up. Not making excuses or giving up. That's what got me through and what continues to get me through. Having and idea or dream and showing up for it, working on it failing, trying again, succeeding. If entrepreneurship is calling, if you got an itch, I'm telling you, just show up. Take that first step, and take the next step, stumble, fall, get up, but keeping stepping forward. Life will take care of the rest as long as you keeping showing up.