The Day I Became a Millionaire
On the day I made a million dollars, I realized the best lesson came from the first one.
I wasn’t always wealthy. When I was in my 20s I was like most young men. Broke. I had a negative net worth.
In my early 30s, it wasn’t much better. I climbed out of debt with hard work but when my wife and I got married we had a combined net worth of exactly zero dollars. Yes, you read that right. I am well over 7-figures right now, but I began my journey just like most people begin. From zero.
You are probably thinking, “Where do I begin?”
I will tell you. It all starts with a mindset shift.
One day I literally woke up and decided: I am no longer going to be poor. I had enough of mediocrity and decided I am going to become wealthy.
I was going to what I needed to do to make this happen.
Money by itself does not make money. Ideas make money. Journeys begin with an idea.
From that moment forward I dedicated myself to the grind. I began to make progress slowly but I realized that my life was in my hands.
I learned about investments.
I learned about saving.
I learned about flipping.
I learned about side hustles.
I wanted every weapon at my disposal.
My next move was to sell all of my expensive possessions. If you are not a millionaire, you do NOT deserve them. Stop pretending you need the newest TV or the fanciest car. Only the wealthy deserve luxury items.
I had a loaded GT Mustang Convertible. I sold it, along with all other excess baggage.
I was making a statement but I didn't want anything to bog me down. Mentally, I knew they would because that's what possessions do (they possess you).
People thought I was crazy, but I had the last laugh.
Think of life as a game. Play. Focus on leveling up.
Next, I began the phase of accumulating money. I had a blast because I treated wealth generation like it was like a video game. FUN.
Over the next few years, the growth became exponential.
Then one Tuesday night, it happened. I logged into my account and I saw one extra digit I’d never seen before: $1,002,445
I finally hit the target goal. Age 39. Millionaire. I'd love to tell you that this gave me some kind of euphoric rush.
Balloons. Lambos. Champagne.
But it did not happen.
Yes, I went out to celebrate. You should always celebrate your wins but overall the feeling was a letdown.
For years I had built up this idea in my mind a then it happened. I was left thinking, “What do I do now?”
“Putting things off is a waste. The future lies in uncertainty. Live immediately.” - Seneca
The next day I remembered the writings of Seneca. Seneca is a bit of a historical mentor of mine.
He was a Stoic and a wealthy businessman. He used his status to influence the world around him.
He did not sit at home counting his money. He became an advisor to the Emperor.
He lived for more than money. He had a purpose.
That very day I started my first Twitter account (@creation247).
I decided I was going to commit myself to create a better future for the world.
The Art of Purpose was born.
