The secret to success: How Chris Transformed His Career
Navigating Society’s Path
Skipping the part of me being born and all that, I followed a very “normal” path in life;
- Get an education, everyone else is (I became an Engineer with an M.Sc)
- Get a job and climb the corporate ladder (it was ok the first five years, lot’s of promotions)
- Get married (funny at this point how everything seemed to go “on track”)
- Buy a house (you know, everyone needs a house, right??)
- Get kids (or you might be too old later, better do it now)
The thing is that I had a gut feeling that something was not right, like a puppeteer pulling invisible strings in the background of my life.
Can you relate?
It’s almost like you’re in a river, and the river is flowing in a particular direction.
You don’t really think about where the river is taking you while you’re in it.
You just go with the flow because everyone else is in the same damn river.
A “Chain” of Devastating Events
My newly bought car, a used Skoda Octavia RS (pretty new with good mileage) that I bought for $10,000 USD, stopped working magically.
It turned out that the timing chain tensioner stopped working, which led to the pistons smashing into the valves and ruining the engine.
The insurance company felt like not covering the engine swap at all, meaning I had to dish out $5,000 USD out of pocket to repair it.
Fast forward a few months after the repair, and the engine broke down a second time!
With even more costs adding up (towing, etc.), I was now in debt for a car that I no longer had or could use, and my savings were toast due to all the repairs.
You may think, “Big deal. It’s just a car.”
But so many people get into financial issues through bad car deals, and that’s exactly what happened to me.
New Perspectives
The things that I went through (not just the car) led me to question everything.
Why was I in debt and with no financial security, although I had gone to school, got good grades, and had a great job?
Why, after one engine failure, am I now living paycheck to paycheck?
One week I was on a business trip to England through my job, and on the airplane, I started reading a book called “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” to take my mind off things…
The power of an idea
I got this book recommended to me by a random YouTube video from a guy vagabonding through Japan, so I borrowed it before the trip.
I started reading it and kept on reading, and I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
Mind you, I have not been an avid reader of books since I graduated from university.
I had a complete 180-degree mindset shift regarding finances, how the world works, the economy, finances, and entrepreneurship.
Since this book left me with such an impact and a thirst for knowledge, I discovered “self-help” and went down that rabbit hole.
I now knew what I had to do—that trading time for money was a losing battle—so I entered entrepreneurship.
Hustle and Bustle
So I went to work, hustling, grinding, building, and creating.
I picked up new skills like digital marketing, video editing, blogging, developing websites, self-publishing, creating lead magnets, learning copywriting, and so on.
Fast forward to today. I now have a few streams of income: I freelance, work with SaaS companies, write guest posts, create YouTube videos, and build brands from the ground up.
I write about the best tools for content creation, productivity, mindset, and raw marketing advice that just works.
Check out the blog and learn how you can do the same!