The Keys to Building Lasting Success and Creating the Life You Desire

My Journey to Building Lasting Success and Personal Happiness

Growing up, I never knew exactly what I wanted to do. The only thing I was clear about is that I wanted to make a lot of money. When I finished college, I set a goal for myself to become a millionaire by age 30. I became consumed with this goal. I started a property maintenance/construction company to accomplish it. The business was building nicely within a very short time. I began taking on bigger jobs and growing my staff. At its peak, I had about 20 employees.

I got myself (my ego) so wrapped up in the business that it began to define who I thought I was. The challenge grew as I became reliant on other people, who in many cases, would not follow through. I began to worry about them not showing up on jobs. I worried about cost overruns, and ultimately, I worried about my business failing. Ironically, things were actually going quite well at the time, though I couldn’t see that. I had a constant fear of what could go wrong.

My lesson from years of running my business that way is that if you focus your energy consistently on an outcome, you will actually bring it into being.

That is exactly what happened to me in the end. My business ultimately fell apart as I worried right past it. The amazing part is that I couldn’t even admit to myself that I had failed. To top things off, as the business (my entire world, as I comprehended it) was falling apart, my marriage of two years was disintegrating as well.

Soon after the marriage ended and the business dissolved, I decided on a complete life change. I had gone to school for finance and had some contacts in the money management industry. I was lucky enough to land a job at a top money management firm in Boston.

My new job began with an intense education on the financial markets, specifically how they pertained to the world of asset management. Once you were up to speed technically, the proving ground began. If you paid your dues and excelled, bigger things could happen. And they did. One day, after my second year with the firm, my boss’s boss asked me if I would prefer to run Mutual Fund distribution for New York City or Florida.

I chose New York. Two months later I was living on the beach in Florida. So much for my boss accepting my input.

This new job was all about building long-term relationships with the most successful financial advisors in Florida. I began to become very interested in what made certain people more successful than others within the same industry. This study became my passion, which I continue to this day (16 years as of this writing). During this same period, I began to read every book on personal growth and building lasting success I could get my hands on.

What I discovered is that, on the surface, there were no detectable common traits among successful people. Sure they all worked hard, but they all seemed to achieve success through different means. As I began to dig deeper though, I found that there were some commonalities, but they were not detectable from the conversations I was having. Most people were not consciously aware of what they were doing to bring success about. It eventually brought me to examine how they think, as opposed to what they say.

One characteristic I quickly discovered is that before virtually every one of these people was ever successful, they inherently knew and had no doubt that it would happen. They approached situations with their desired outcome in mind. The key, I began to discover, was to start from the end and work backwards. In other words, approach any task with the desired outcome in mind.

The biggest catalyst to positive change in my life came from my current wife, Stacy. She introduced me to a completely new way of looking at life. It began with the study of how things work universally. By this, I mean that she seemed to understand what I will call the technology of the universe, and the extent of what we as humans are capable of accomplishing.

Through the immersion in quantum physics and personal growth, combined with my obsession of uncovering the drivers of lasting success, a picture began to come together. Today, I am a happily married father of two wonderful little girls. I have an amazing extended family, an incredibly supportive array of friends, many of whom go back to my early childhood. I am fortunate to have the financial wherewithal combined with a supportive spouse that allow me to follow my passions in life. Those passions include travel, rock ’n’ roll, and skiing.

I am absolutely convinced that my life situation would not have developed as it has without the insights I have gained over the last 16 years. I am fortunate to have worked my way into a terrific career with one of the world’s top asset management firms. To date, I have achieved every career goal I have set for myself and have become a senior executive in the area of corporate development for a leading Wall Street firm. I am one of the lucky few who actually look forward to going to work every day. Each day is completely different and presents new challenges. I currently live in Palm Beach, Florida and spend every possible moment in my second home in Vail Valley, Colorado.

At the end of the day, though, I am still a pretty simple guy. The difference is that I have woken up to see how things work universally. I have integrated these concepts into my life—and now I want to share them with others. I want you to enjoy the same lasting success and personal happiness that I have been able to achieve.

If you are wondering if it’s possible for you to have the type of life I now have, the answer is YES. I am absolutely convinced that through discipline and subtle redirection of one’s thoughts, anyone can absolutely, positively build lasting success and create the life they want to live.

Find out more about my book, Adjust Your Sails: Navigating to a Life of Success, or contact me directly to discuss your life goals.