The Sun Continues to Shine (as it pertains to my story)
I anticipate writing much more in the future about my healing time in Michigan. For now, the most pertinent part pertains to the drastic financial shift that took place while there. My year was quickly approaching its end & my savings account had dwindled down to $0. Stick-to-my-promise-to-myself time. I was about to experience credit card debt for the first time in my life.
Prior to this, I had only acquired & paid off the “good” (as society labeled) type of debt – auto & student loans. For some strange reason, I had adopted an odd sense of moral superiority due to the fact that I had remained credit card debt-free up until this point. I wore it as some sort of false badge of honor. Not yet aware of how to hang my sense of value on my actual values, I was grasping at all sorts of strange validations for my self-worth. In this regard, on the self-worth front, my situation was a very big test for me. Could I obtain this debt and not allow myself to believe any longer that this somehow made me less of a “good” person? I was about to see.
It was February, 2011, when I utilized my first ever 0% APR offer. My brother, Jeff, had been heralding this process for years, but I had been too fearful of it. Irrational and illogical fear, but fear none the less. Now…no fear. I called the credit card company 3 times to make sure I understood exactly what I needed to do in order to take full advantage of the 0% offer. I familiarized myself with the rules and felt I was ready to play.
Lo & behold, it wasn’t as difficult as I had expected to have this debt hanging over my head. I simply chose a different perspective from which to see my scenario. For the first time in my adult life, I knew I was on the path towards my full potential. Instinctively, I knew that any amount of debt I was to incur would be more than made up for in the upcoming months. My training had begun.
Fast forward to the summer months and my arrival in Seattle. Not surprisingly, even after beginning the highest paying job of my life since PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1999, I was still going to be in debt for at least 4-6 months. A cross-country move, following a year with very little actual income and a now depleted savings account meant I needed some time to rebuild financially. Shocking to even myself, I was perfectly comfortable with the situation. I took the remaining balance on my 0% card & made my first balance transfer in October of 2011 to another 0% card. You see, I discovered that they keep sending you new cards and offering you more opportunities for 0% APR – on both purchases & balance transfers. Hmmm…
At this point in 2011 (and still today) I had a limit on myself of how much I was going to push this – a comfort level, if you will. This was the first time I had EVER carried a credit card balance – 0% or otherwise. If you remember, money issues were the single biggest limiting factor of my life in terms of old-story belief patterns. This debt situation did not begin 2 years ago as something entirely comfortable. But it was pretty amazing how quickly I was able to establish a new belief of using this advantage to the absolute maximum.
Looking back now, what started in my personal life planted a seed for what I have been able to do in the past 5 weeks with the establishment of my company’s business operations. I realized, quite clearly, that I had spent the past 2 years preparing myself on a smaller scale for the opportunity that presented itself just over a month ago. I had grown very comfortable with & was not at all stressed by the 0% debt. And I was confident that I was on the path that would soon have me earning an income much more representative of my value in this world. Somehow I just knew that whatever money I needed from that point onward would be there exactly when I needed it. At some level, 2 years ago, I knew that credit cards were going to play a big role in my company that did not yet exist. This hunch proved correct. In a VERY big way.
A little over a month ago, on 1/11/13, I sat down to organize my (at the time) 7 credit cards, 3 bank accounts, and my Paypal account. If I was preparing my company to receive millions, I surely needed to have every duck in a row on my end to manage that flow of money. I didn’t care how fantastical it sounded that I felt like millions were going to come by July. Aim for the stars and reach the moon, I say. I knew if I was telling the Universe that I was ready for millions, it wouldn’t work its magic to make that happen unless I was truly ready to manage large amounts of money. Time for a complete financial assessment.
At this time, I was also fending off growing anxiety because I only had approximately $3000 of 0% money (of which I was aware) remaining with dwindling cash-on-hand. I needed some money to flow in somehow and soon. You may be wondering why I wasn’t attempting to procure funds via “normal” start-up business avenues. Because in case it isn’t clear, this is anything but “normal”. No way was some venture capitalist or some banker going to be able to remotely comprehend the ideas in my mind. My most progressive, open-minded, closest friends couldn’t even fully grasp the complete vision. And I was NOT watering this down in order to receive funding. No way!
I had decided on 10/14 I was finished once & for all with compromising my capabilities in the work I do for pay. Additionally, I discovered that I was also done with having to prove myself and/or my worth to anyone. I could no longer justify all the energy it was draining from me to try to obtain & work a job where I would undoubtedly be drastically under-utilized. I had to admit to myself that it upset me greatly to try to explain & demonstrate my entire unique worth on this planet in a one page resume and an hour interview. This felt like an enormous insult given the lack of vision found in every place I’ve ever worked. I had visionary ideas and I wanted a place to actualize these ideas. I was no longer apologizing for this need. For me, regarding employment, in order to live & be happy, I accepted the fact that I was going to need to create my very own, unique, work environment. This is the result…thus far.
Five and a half weeks ago, an evening that began with simply an organization of my plastic money concluded with a discovery that changed the course of everything. None of what I am about to reveal was on my radar in its present form one month ago…none of it. I was in fast pursuit of my first million believing then & only then (having the million in hand) could I make the changes in the world of which I’ve always dreamed. Once again…I had fallen victim to old paradigm beliefs and I didn’t even notice. Namely, I had forgotten about the immense power of the present. I was setting myself up again…repeating my habit of believing only upon the accomplishment of something in the future would my life be 100% fulfilling. Well, this financial discovery, made very late on 1/11/13, was my test. My newest, biggest test of my belief & faith in this pursuit of my dream. Another check of my confidence in my intuition. Just as I did on 10/14, I had no hesitation.
I knew exactly what lay in front of me. Nothing less than an opportunity to take my unique ideas out into the world with a very real chance at changing things at significant levels. Right now!! Not once I earned my millions. I learned on this night, around 11:30 pm, that I had all I needed in my wallet. I could do this. It takes meticulous organization and discipline. But I could do this. This was it!
My organization of my finances led to my uncovering of approximately $60,000 of 0% (balance transfer for 12+ months) money to spend. In order to capitalize on the offers, however, I had only 4-6 weeks. I had $60,000 to spend and the only thing I needed to concern myself with was the answer to the following question…’Do you think you will have this money to pay back this debt in a 12-15 month period?’ The answer, intuitively, without hesitation, was a resounding ‘yes’! And just like, that…my dream was my reality.
I wanted millions to spend in manners in which I believed would make the world better. And I now had the chance to do this exact thing. Not millions yet, but in my world, $60,000 felt like a million. In what way could I spend this money most efficiently given ALL that I know to be true about these times in which we are living? Seeing as I have already spent millions in my mind…putting into motion all of the hundreds of ideas that I have up there, I was ready for this. I had been ready for this moment for my entire life. My Dream Team was born immediately. Immediately!
The rest is fast becoming history. Get ready to learn the details of EVOLT…an opportunity for ALL to play!
Next…Watering & Weeding
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