All you have is right now.

I was blessed this weekend to be able to have a long conversation with my Dad up at our family cabin. We talked about work, finances, life, and love. I have always enjoyed our conversations.

One thing that really struck me that we talked about was all we really have is right now. Meaning you only have this present moment, one after another. The past and the future do not really exist. They are moments that have past or that are yet to come. I think we have lost sight of this. I know that I tend to worry about the future, finances, health, career, and everything else. I know that there are a lot of people out there that focus so much on the past. They play the “what if” game. What if I had just got that job, what if I made a mistake, what if I get sick, what if I have (insert a sickness here) etc. or they focus on a tragic event that happened and they let it eat at them.

Today is a perfect example for me. I could look at today and think about the bills that I have coming due, I could think about the terrible panic attacks I have been having and sit and worry about when the next one will strike, I could stress about my job and getting it to make me more money, but I am working on focusing on the current moment. So today I am blessed to wake up next to my extremely loving and supportive girlfriend, I am healthy, I do not have to go to a “job” and my loving 3 legged dog is chilling right at my feet. I know my money will come. I know life won’t be perfect, but right now today is a great day. I am not going to keep producing things to stress about.

Embrace the right now because it is really all we have. Listen to people talk. Tell your girl you love her. Slow down. Stop stressing about the future. You made it this far! You are doing a good job. There is power in getting your mind and thoughts under control. Make sure they line up with what you want to accomplish.

I have a lot of work to do, but I really got to see how my thoughts are not lining up with my life. I need to get them in line. Do you?

Worrying about something happening does not stop it from happening, it just keep you from enjoying the present moment.

-RJK

The 29 life lessons on my 29th.

As I sit here enjoying my 29th birthday I wanted to make a list of things I wish I would have learned, realized, and listened to(or not) when I was younger. This way when I turn 40 I can look back and see if I was really smart or still learning things:)

Friends and Family

1. Your parents and siblings are right about stuff- Painful to admit, but they were right about a lot of stuff when I was younger! Yes, Mom maybe I should not have played with fire that one time in the garage. Yes, Dad buying a house back then was a mistake. Yes, Jillayne(my sister) I should not have dated that girl. Unfortunately you do not listen most of the time but in the end you tend to learn what they were trying to teach. Just takes longer.

2. Your parents are not right about everything- Completely opposite of 1 but let me explain. This one took awhile to learn. You cannot be afraid to learn things for yourself. As you grow you may have different priorities, beliefs, or wants in your life that may not line up with what they wanted for you. Does not necessarily mean they were wrong, just means you are growing up to be the you that you want to be. Do not be afraid to take a different path. Just stay true to yourself and respect them along the way.

3. Friends make you who you are- This one is taught very early on, but I think it takes a long time to learn. The old saying goes ” look at your 5 closes friends, that is who you are going to be, if you do not like what you see, then you need new friends” You have to learn that just because you were friends in high school or college, that does not mean that they will grow with you, or want what you want when you grow up. Letting a close friend out of your life is sometimes the best thing for you. Do not be afraid to be bigger, want more, chase crazy things. If they are real friends they will support you and encourage you. However, always be there for any friend in need. Past or present.

4. Being a friend does not always mean being friendly- I am notorious for doing stupid shit. A real friend tells you that you are being an idot. A real friend does not always tell you that you are right. A real friend does not say “yea dude she is a 10” when she is really a 6. All jokes aside, people need friends that are going to tell them when they are being stupid, when they are not being true to their beliefs. Telling your friend they are right when they are not helps no one.  They may not want to hear it, I know I didn’t, but in the long run it is necessary. So be a dick sometimes. In a friend way.

5. Empower your friends- Encourage them to chase the things that you know that they are passionate about. Show them you believe in them. Support them in any way that you can. Having just one person believe in you allows you to feel strong in times of stress. Friends do not talk poorly about their friends. Pay attention to this. I know I need too. Embrace them for who they are.

Work

6. Do not work for money- We all have to at some point, but use it to learn things for the next job. When your passion is your work the money will come. Trust it.

7. Your network is your net worth- Cliche yes, but it is true. Who you know will come into play a lot more then what you know. Most people get the job, get the girl, or get the promotion because of a connection they made a long time ago. Real entrepreneurs or business owners want others to succeed. Your success means their success. So meet people, talk to strangers, introduce yourself to the person next to you, and do not be afraid to put yourself out there.  My most successful year financially was due to talking to someone that I use to bartend for.

8. Know your priorities- What is your priorities in life? Family, travel, or money. If you want to be home with your kids or be at all of their baseball games then do not get a job where you work 60 hours a week. If you want to travel the world, do not work at a place that only allows 2 weeks of vacation. Trust me you cannot travel all over world in 2 weeks (I’ve tried) When you clearly define your long term priorities you will find a job that works for you. You will not spend yourself into a life that does not allow you to be who you want to be.

9. Work Smarter and Harder- The old hour to dollar model is broken. It will be hard to retire if you work for $14 a hour or even $20. You have to learn to make money work for you. This requires hard work. You need to study on the subject. Read a lot of books. Your K-12 education did not teach you a damn thing about this. You have to make it a point to learn it yourself. Get a passive income stream! Get a rental property, or start an Etsy page. Do not be afraid to break the mold of working your life away til you are 65. Just do not be lazy either. I refuse to work non stop so I can retire when I am 65. I want to experience as much as I can for as long as I can. Wish I would have learned more on this at a younger age.

Love

10. Do not be an idiot- Hey man she loves you! You are lucky! O you think you can do better? Well guess what?! She can too. When you find someone that loves you in spite of all your weirdness, stupidity, and smell. Do not mess that up.

11. Don’t chase hot- If she is hot that is just a bonus. Date a girl that can roll with what you love. Date a girl that can go offroading one night and you can take to a fancy restaurant the next. Date a girl that can shoot a gun and make a mean Pinterest meal in the same day.

12. If you are looking for her at the bar…she is not there- Guys lets all be honest for a minute. We all know she is not there. The girl that says “OMG you are so hot!, buy me a shot” that is not your future wife. If she is 27 and goes to the bar 4 times a week she is not the one. Also if you are 27 and go to the bar 4 times a week you are probably not the one either. Sorry. The best advice I ever got on this subject was ” be the best you, and you will find the best her”. Work at being worthy of a great companion.

13. Clean the house- No that is not her job! Neither is cooking the meal. Get off your ass and help. Do things together!  Make a conscious effort to do more then is expected.

14. Do not judge- Let it be, let her be her.  It is not your job to mold her into the person you want her to be. It is your job to love her for who she is. Period. If she does not fit who you want for the long term. Then let her go. Do it as soon as you know. Then never go back. Delete her FB, and let her find someone that works for her. For the record I was terrible at this. Like really bad, but we all learn at some point. Also if you make a mistake, do not be to stubborn to admit it and try to fix it. If she was right for you do not be to prideful to beg for her back.

15. Do what you love and she will find you- Do not stress about finding the one. Just do what you love, chase your goals and passions. You will meet that person along the way.

Travel

16. Get going!- If you want to travel do it early. Go to school somewhere crazy or save up and go somewhere. Travel shows you sooooo much. It puts you out of your comfort zone and makes your grow. Having traveled far allows you to enjoy home.

17. Traveling far doesn’t make you a traveler- A weeks vacation in Rome does not make you a world traveler. My advice is to go somewhere and immerse yourself in the culture. Spend time there. A resort vacation does not give you the feel of that place. Get out into the street, get the local food, and do the things that or not on the top 10 things to do list.(touristy) This goes for the U.S. too. There is so much to see right here! If you live in Michigan have you been to the Pictured Rocks? It is at most, 5 hours away, and it will blow your mind. Enjoy things right here!

18. The Caribbean makes everything better- Seriously it does. If you do not believe me. Go.

19. Road trip- 10 hours max. but load the car with your best friends and go somewhere new. You learn a lot about them and yourself.

Health

20. Workout- I feel better when I work out. I feel better at 6’4 and 195 lbs then when I was a wicked skinny 6’4 and 165 lbs. You ever run into people from high school? Most of them have gained a not so good 30 lbs. Be happy in your skin, but also be happy and healthy.

21. Easy on the pop bro!- I use to kill a 12 pack with my buddies while playing video games. If I drink a large pop now I get the shakes and cannot sleep. There is nothing beneficial in a can of pop. Yes it taste like nectar from the gods, but seriously take it easy. Drink water.

General

22. Buy a badass car- Yes I know I always talk about being smart with money, but when you got a 5 speed, V8, dual exhaust, rear wheel drive car and it is sunny out and the country music is blaring, that is as about as close to heaven I think you can get. Also chicks dig it. There is a lot of things to waste money on. I do not think this is a waste. Save up and get the car you want.

23. Credit Cards are good- Debt is not. If you have the cash there is nothing wrong with using a credit card to buy something. You get points, miles, or cash back. A credit card balance that you cannot pay is bad, but just having a card is not. It builds your credit score. A good credit score opens up your financial world.

24. Learn how to shoot- I feel like I was born with a gun in my hand, they feel like an extension of my body, but if you do not know how to shoot. Learn. It is a great way to spend time with your girl or boy too.

25. Pay attention to your reputation- Your reputation says a lot about you. Do not stress about the occasional person that hates on your success, or just your life in general, but if your reputation is not who you want to be then you may need to change things. Takes a long time to earn a good reputation back.

26. Be on time- Every time. No one likes to wait. No one likes to be the guy sitting alone because you are 20 minutes late. If you are going to be late. Call or text.

27. Move out- Get out of your parents house. This is instrumental in your growing process. Yes it makes sense sometimes to stay home, but whenever you can, get out. The grind of trying to pay bills, go to school and have fun shows you a lot about work and money.

28. Put your MFing cell phone down- If you are out with friends leave it in the car, if you are going to your parent leave it at home. Do not give me your bullshit “what if my car breaks down”excuse it’s a 2010 Camry you will be fine. Get involved with your friends when you are out! Make conversation, eye contact, and learn something new. 27 likes on Facebook means nothing when your friends cannot stand being around you because you are on your phone 24/7.

29. Start a blog- See what I did there? 🙂 Even if you do not share it. Start it. Writing makes the brain fire! It is fun to read my friends blogs. It helps me see them in a different light. I hated writing in College but I love this. Yes it is sloppy and mispunctuated(which isn’t even a word) but it is just fun to share my life without having to update a status.

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes. I love you all.

-RJK

#9 Make a concealed carry video.

I love guns. I have since I was 9. The process of getting my concealed license and starting to carry a pistol had a steep learning curve. I have always wanted to make a video giving my advice and tips to help first timers. Well here you go! I hope you like it.

Maybe this will help me with goal #8- Make a youtube video with over 100,000 views.

Thank you for following along.

RJK

 

#4- Take a RV trip.

 

Safe to say this one is more then checked off! As of today we have driven 5,000 miles and have been to 16 states.

Let me back up. This began as a pipe dream many years ago for me. I have always wanted to just pack up my shit, buy an RV, and just go for a little while, meet new people, get away from the normal, and mostly do something that most people wouldn’t. Throughout the years I have talked to many of my friends about this idea. I was so passionate about it and really thought it would happen a few years ago. Unfortunately it never came together. Along came my buddy Brett AKA my business partner. He was a like minded guy. Back it November when I was having my usual 9-5 breakdown I sent him a text of an idea. Here is a picture of the first text.

 

The idea kind of steamrolled from there. We figured we could do it as an entrepreneurial experiment. Basically take our work on the road and meet and encourage people, well trying to make some money too. So we bought an RV and left! Here is the day we became owners!

We have definitely encouraged some people. Money ehhhh we are getting there, but who cares! I have traveled all over! Done some amazing stuff!!!!

We sold some apparel in Savannah, GA.

We fished, snorkeled, chased alligators in Key Largo, FL.

We climbed through a cave to get to a enclosed waterfall in Eden Falls, Ar.

Had some Popeye’s shrimp in Louisiana.

Spent time with brother, sis in law, 2 incredible nieces and my super supportive girlfriend in Colorado.

Climbed to Delicate Arch in Moab, UT.

We have done a lot more then that, but I won’t bore you with all the details

The beauty of this whole thing is that 1. It crossed of one of my goals in a major way. 2. It has shown me so many things that I took for granted, or that I cared to much about. 3. That there is so much to see right here in the U.S. so many people feel like they need to cross oceans to see amazing things. Not true.

We also have made some sales along the way! Wanna help us out? Buy something!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/tipitdesigns

I feel blessed to have this opportunity. I love knowing that I have seen a lot of this country. We are headed to California after we take care of some business in Salt Lake City, UT. After California we are hoping to hit Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, the Dakotas and then back home for July Michigan Summer! Please follow along. Thank you for all of the support.

You have One Life- Get going!!!!

RJK

IG: ryanjameskilpatrick

“Someday”

First I wanted to tell you that I got goal number 12 and 14 taken out!!!!!

#12 – Stand up on a surf board- I went to Hawaii on February 25th- March 7th. Tickets were $852 round trip and we stayed on 2 different islands and flew between them for about $600, but that is another story. I stood up on the first wave I tried in Waikiki beach! It was so fun and a great experience. Rented the board for $18 for the day! Totally worth it. 

#14 – Spearfishing- This was amazing! I did it on Kauai, Hawaii. Used a Hawaiian sling and a spear gun! I shot 3 with the gun and 2 with the sling. I did not get any video unfortunately. The water was really rough and I did not want to lose my Go Pro. Amazing experience. We also got to swim with some turtles on Oahu. I have included a picture.

I wanted this post to encourage you to watch how you use the word -Someday-. I have just started this traveling entrepreneur gig and it has already inspired me so much.

We tend to use the word someday to allow ourselves to deal with the fact that we are not doing what we want or that we are putting our lives on hold to pursue the things that we are told we should be doing, instead of the things that we want to be doing.

Stop doing that! If you want to be in school, if you want to do the job you are doing…Great! Keep doing it!, but if you hate it, if you feel like it is not what you want to be doing, or if you feel that you want to get away for awhile. Stop saying “Someday I will change my life.” Go do it! Do not let the “I will do it someday” turn into the “I wish I would have done that”.

We have met so many people already on this journey. When we are asked about what brings us to the Keys, Savannah, Hawaii, or anywhere else. We give them a little bit of our story- ” We are traveling entrepreneurs that can work from our RV and are traveling the US to get our travel bug taken care of”. So many people say “Man I wish I would have done that at your age” 

I do not want to make it sound like I have it all figured out or that we are making a ton of money ( we aren’t) but it feels good to know this is exactly where I want to be.

I am a product of a broken home, I have the most amazing parents, but I want to make sure that when I get married it is with 100% commitment, dedication and it is just one time. I feel like I owe it to my future wife, kids, and to my current girlfriend to explore this side of me. I want to answer all the questions and the restlessness that I have so when that time does come to be a dad and a husband I do not have any “I wish I would haves” but instead I feel like it is exactly where I should be. The truth is I should have done this part of my life 5 years ago. I used “Someday” to keep pushing it off and allowed money to keep me lazy.

So in closing do not let a “Someday” become a “I should have”. Stop talking about it and do it! Fail! Succeed! Who cares but get of your ass and DO SOMETHING! Better to fail at what you love then succeed at what you hate. Do not let fear of the unknown keep you in a place you are not happy with.

“Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me. Danger is very real. But fear is a choice.”- Will Smith

Have Less. Do More.

If you woke up this morning and decided you wanted a different life, career, or maybe you felt it was put in your heart to do some volunteering in a different country, how long would it take you to be able to make a switch?

I feel as a nation we are always trying to keep up with the person next to us. I especially feel that way for my generation. We are constantly shown by ads, TV, radio, and social media that we do not have enough, or that there is something or someone out there that is better then you. Today is Valentines day. It seems like there is 387 of the best spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, and lovers out there today. Everything is easy for a day. It is easy to make everything seem great when you get to select what people get to see. Do not compare your life to someone else’s through social media.

We have to be conscious that we do not spend ourselves into a life we do not want. We also have to be aware that a few dumb decisions can send you down a path that you did not want to take. I am talking from experience here. They could write a book on bad decisions on parts of my life. I am blessed that none of them sent me down a path I could not get off of.

Meet John. He just graduated college, he is single and got a job making $45,000 a year! Not bad right? He takes home about $2,500 a month and he only has to worry about himself. So John decides that the car that got him through college is no longer good enough. I mean he is a college grad making great money! So he gets himself a 2 door coupe with a payment of $450. No big deal he takes home $2500. Well his other buddies who just graduated are buying houses right away. The bank has a no money down option and the interest rate is only 5.25%. He can afford $1,300 payment a month! He knows even with the car he has and his monthly bills he is only spending $2,200. He still has $300 extra a month! However if he is going to keep up with his buddies, he needs to go out, buy cool stuff, and get a credit card for anything he cannot afford. Today John woke up and realized he hated his job or let say today he accidentally got someone pregnant, or he gets fired. Now what?

I had a story much like Johns. It was a big hill getting out of it. I was fortunate that I learned from these mistakes early and was able to turn things around. We tend to spend ourselves into a prison in a sense. Now for every John there is a Peter that loves it and it works out for him. This does not apply to everyone.

I have seen a lot of my friends ( my self included) make 1 of 2 mistakes. They either spend themselves into a life that they do not like or they end up starting a family way to early and lose out on the life they desired.

When you make a choice to be a little different. When you decide to stay home from the bars and save that money. When you decide that you want to wait to have kids til you are 100% sure. You start to realize with less stuff, with less bills, with less responsibility it allows you to do more. There is power in that. Yes you may not have the best house, Yes Paul down the street has a nicer car then you, but that is THEIR life. Do not compare it to yours. It is a waste of time. When you have the freedom to live the exact life that you want it is a great feeling.

So today I would encourage you to spend a little less on “stuff”. Spend it on experiences.

So if you have kids, turn that TV off and take them sledding. If you have a girlfriend yes she will love those roses, but she would also love your time, or a great adventure. One of the top 5 regrets for people on their death beds is not doing more stuff when they had time. No one wishes they watched more TV or checked in on Facebook more.

HAVE LESS DO MORE!

RJK

Run away!

Let me take you back to that magical moment when they announced your name and you walked out on to the podium and shook your principals hand. HOLY COW YOU GRADUATED! Then comes the Open House. I hated this part. Why you ask? Because of this question- “So what are you going to do now?” I had no idea what I wanted to do after high school! I knew the things that I loved- Guns, Girls, Cars, Adventure, but how could I make money at any of those things? (legally) So I did what I thought was the only good option at the time. I went to college. A local college. I did this so I could tell people I was going to college. I did this because it is what I thought you were suppose to do, what society expected me to do. I unfortunately think this is what a lot of teenagers do when they do not have a career path to follow. I suggest another option. An option that I would have told my 18 year old self to take. Run away!

Not Huckleberry Finn style. I am just suggesting that you leave your comfortable surroundings, your friends, family and go discover who you are without the walls of familiarity. Go to college in a different state, get a work visa and go to Australia, or move to grandma’s in Florida and work for the summer and save your money so when they day comes that you discover your calling you do not have to go into a ton of debt to get your education.

If you decide to postpone college I do think that it is important to make a conscious decision to never stop learning. So many people never read a single book after high school. If you decide that college is not right for you or that you want to take some time and travel, or try to find out what your passion is. Great! Just do not use it as an excuse to stop learning.

I suggest this because of my life lesson. I was 18 and went to college for 2 years. I was working 40 hours a week and doing a class load of 12-16 hours. Thankfully I paid for all my schooling with cash so I do not have any debt from it. I was working for a local restaurant as a cook. After a few years I got promoted to Manager. I was going to make $32,000 a year!!! I know what you are thinking. “That is not a lot” but when you are 20 and making that kind of money you feel like Bill Gates. I got comfortable. I left college and put my energy into management. I left the local place and went to a corporate chain of restaurants and started making $42,000! Baller!!!!! It was a shitty day when I woke up and realized I hated working in restaurants and had no desire to ever to it again. Thankfully now I am doing something I love and the money I have from those jobs allowed me to comfortably walk away from a steady paycheck, but I tell you this story to show you that it is easy to get comfortable in a life that you do not necessarily love, especially when there is money involved. Now imagine if I had gotten married and had kids during this time?! It would have been a 1000x harder to make the switch.

So before you get comfortable in a life. Take the time to make sure it is the one you want and do not be afraid to run away. Even if it is for only a small time. You will learn a lot about yourself.

I am about to take my turn “running away” we are taking our business on the road. We have a RV that we are going to use to travel all over the US. After we get back from Hawaii of course. I am excited to sell some amazing apparel and to network with and meet like minded entrepreneurs. Looking forward to sharing it with you.

Never be afraid to make a big change in your life. It is better to make mistakes of ambition then sloth.

You have ONE LIFE. Get going!

RJK

My new job and being inspired.

“So what do you do?”

Who gets this question all the time? At parties, at the bar, at family reunions, or on those awkward first dates.

This one is now hard for me to answer, but I have been getting it a lot lately for obvious reasons. So here is my best quick synopsis on what I am “doing”.

I am now a 50/50 partner in 2 start up companies. Tipit Designs and One Life.

Tipit Designs-

A few years ago my business partner Brett Durkee made a light up Christmas sweater for himself and his girlfriend. They wore them out and about to Christmas parties. A few people wondered where they could get one. So Brett made a few for friends and found that there was a lot of people who were interested in them. Who knew!? So he made a few different designs and put them on Etsy.com check them out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TipitDesigns?ref=shop_sugg

They sold like crazy! He was swamped! I got to watch one of my best friends transition from a working man to a self employed marketing genius! I come from a restaurant management background and saw some areas where he could streamline his production. So I would give him tips and help him here and there while I worked my job. We decided last year that I would help him this last Christmas season. So we started Tipit Designs LLC back in March to make it official. He needed a full time partner and because of my fear of leaving a fulltime paycheck I did not come through on my end this Christmas season. I helped when I could, but not a lot. This frustrated me because I have always been the guy that told people to chase their dreams without fear of failure. Well as you know now I have quit my job and we are going to be making all kinds of apparel together. So keep checking us out!

One Life- has a DBA(doing business as) but as of now it is more of a vision for the both of us. We think that there is a lot of people out there that were just like us. Working a job to collect a paycheck. Uninspired, frustrated, and have bigger dreams that they are hesitant to chase. We want to be the catalyst that gets them going. We figure if we go and chase our wildest and craziest ambitions it might just inspire someone else too as well. Now before you go and get mad at me for making a “normal” job out to be a bad thing, that is not what I am saying at all. My brother works a 9-5 job and he is great at it! It inspires him, it allows him to provide for his wife and 2 amazing daughters and it makes him feel like his is doing something that will allow him to leave a legacy. It fits him. At this point in my life a desk job does not fit me. It is important to work where you love it, where you are inspired, and feel like you are giving back.

So basically we bought a 30 ft. RV and we have a “job” that allows us to be mobile now. We want to just start traveling, meet people, work hard, and stay inspired. We feel the business end of One Life will become clearer to us as we get out there. We want to keep our mind in entrepreneurial mode and see what we can discover when we put ourselves in new locations with new people!

We got this message from a friend last night on Facebook-

“I thought you two crazy kids should know, you’ve seriously inspired me. I don’t have a formal list written, but I just made a big step towards a crazy dream, and connected with some PT’s who live in the Netherlands. Looking at couch surfing abroad post-graduation. So, thank you, for the inspiration.”

I was more inspired and felt more fulfilled from this one comment then I did in 2 years at my old job.

I was inspired to get going by a simple email from my brother. It only takes one time, one moment, to change the direction of your life. For good or for bad.

I hope this helps clear it up a little. Thank you for reading.

RJK

Want to get to know someone? Look at their goal list.

I have now received 11 goal list. Thank you for all of those that took the time. I never would have imagined the inspirational power of reading someone else’s goal list.

I had a very inspirational phone call this morning with my dad. We talked about the things that I am doing now that I am self employed. I have been using a lot of my time to read about goals and goal setting. I had 3 things I wanted to share with you.

– First- I naturally received a majority of my goal list from friends and family. I really got to know them on a completely different level just by reading what they aspire too. I truly realized how blessed I am to have such like minded and kind hearted people around me. I got to know them on such a personal level. You never really get to know someone on that level with day to day talk. I got to learn what little things mattered to them, what small things made them itch, and learned about the things that they wanted to accomplish. Do you know those things about your closes friend? My Aunt sent me her goal list and I was so inspired by the time and passion she put into it. It was way better then mine! and I got to know her on such a different level. I loved it! Take the time to get to know someone’s life goals. It shows you a lot about their life and desires.

“It is very hard to fail completely if you aim high enough”- Your list taught me to never be afraid to aim high! Thank you all again for taking the time.

– Secondly- In my studies I am learning that it is important not to look at your goals as a success/failure. I have made many list and there are still things that I need to do from years past. Do not think that just because you fail one that you failed. I tried to quit pop for a year and I made it 5 months, but those 5 months were better then never trying at all. When you set a goal like “work out every day” or “No beer for a year” one bad day could “ruin” that goal. Stay focused on the positive. I mean a cold Corona with lime on a hot day is amazing. Working out 285 of the 365 days a year is better then nothing at all. Simply doing more in a year then you would have otherwise is a accomplishment in itself.

– Lastly- Post your goals! Put them on your mirror, bedroom door, or anywhere were you will see them. I know I have said this before, but I think it is important!

If you made a list and did not send it to me. Please send it to ryan40in14@gmail.com . Again thank you for all the inspiration. I enjoyed getting to know you all on a different level.

RJK

I quit my job today.

24. *******- Cannot put this one out yet. It is a secret. Has to do with a few other goals.

24. Was quit my job.

Although this technically crosses off a few other goals I am just going to use it for this one. Make it a little harder on myself.

I could not put this one up on my goal list because obviously I am friends with people I work with. However this had been a goal of mine since last year. I was a Sales Consultant for a RV company here in Grand Rapids. It was a great company to work for. Great bosses, good insurance, and great money. However the hours did not fit my lifestyle and I was not getting fulfillment from what I was doing. I remember sitting in a meeting and my boss told me that the company was now going to be open longer hours, but we were going to be paid the same amount. He said “This is the way it is going to be, if you do not like it then there are other options out there”. Meaning if we did not like it find another job. That frustrated me and drove me even more to making #24 a reality. I have always been the guy that preached “Do what you love” or “If you do not like it quit!” however this is a lot easier said then done! I mean when you quit a job you are consciously walking away from money, security, and consistency. Who does that?!?!

The timing for me to take this gamble is great. I am not married, I do not have kids, and my bills are small. This was always something I saw myself doing, but to be completely honest, never really had the strength to do it. Last month I sent an email to my older brother.  I was bitching about how slow work was and hating my work life. This may come as a surprise to you, but no one buys an RV when there is 6 inches of snow on the ground. I know SHOCKING! His reply was simple “Stop talking about doing stuff and start doing stuff” it really resonated with me. Life is short I better get going! So I am.

I wrote the company a resignation email. (This is the only way to contact all my bosses at the same time) I filmed myself sending it in. I can share that with you if you would like. Two hours later I got an email. This is what it said.

-“Ok. Meet me tomorrow at 8 a.m. to turn over your keys and take home any personal stuff. No need for the 2 weeks. Thanks for working hard while you were with us and good luck in the future.”

I bet a lot of people that went through this kind of big moment in their life would say stuff like “It was a great feeling” or “A weight was lifted off of my shoulders”. Well I had a panic attack. Full blown. Then I could not sleep all night. This was Thursday night. Today is Sunday and it feels great! I spent yesterday with my girl watching football. I use to work 9-5 on Saturdays. I am really realizing how my mind was so focused on work, and the stress of being unhappy there. This whole weekend I kept thinking about how I had to go back to my “job” on Monday even though I did not have too. I did a couple errands for my new business and I kept thinking “Ok I have to get this done quick because I have to work tomorrow”.  I am surprised at how long it is taking my mind to realize that I no longer have to go there, that I no longer have to stress about sitting around for 8 out of the 9 hours a day. It is now on me to make things happen, to make my life a success, and to push myself to stay focused and get things done. I am so excited for this next phase.

Now before you start thinking that I just quit my job to watch football (which sounds awesome by the way) I want you to know that I had an opportunity lined up that I will be pursuing. I am getting into business with one of my best friends, and traveling company Brett. We have a few things up our sleeves, but I will update you on those later on. I am excited to be my own boss, to finally be able to say I am an entrepreneur and see what I can accomplish with an open mind and time on my side.

Here is a picture of Brett and I in Mexico. On a cruise we took for $252!!!

I am hoping that years from now I can tell this grand story of how I accomplished everything that I wanted too. However if I fail. If I fall flat on my face in 2 months. I do not care. At least at the end of the day I can say I tried, I took a huge risk, and I was not afraid to chase things that seemed bigger then me at the time. Failure is just a lesson for the next time. The real failure would have been never trying.

I appreciate all the support I have been given. Thank you for following along on what should be the most exciting time of my life!

RJK