Behind the Scenes | Lessons I Learned While Living in a Basement
HUMILITY
I'd love to share a personal story with those of you who are going through an uncomfortable situation or who feel like you're losing grasp of your dreams.
In late 2015, I found myself living in my grandparent's basement at 27 years old. The photo on the right is from my first day living there.
I had just separated from my ex, whose business I'd helped build. Because of the circumstances of the separation, I'd even left behind all of the equipment that I needed to operate a successful photography business. I chose to leave with peace of mind and a clean slate rather than to argue over ownership of equipment or material possessions.
The circumstances left me in a position where I needed to rebuild my business over from scratch. It wholeheartedly felt like I had taken two steps forward only to take a dozen steps back. In every sense, I felt like a loser. The reality, however, was that my situation was a precious lesson in humility. Here are some lessons that I learned living in that basement.
Humbled.
Let me begin by saying that while I was privileged enough to have a place to live, nothing teaches you more about humility than asking your grandfather to live with him while you rebuild your business.
Two years, many clients, and many business opportunities later, I clawed my way out of that basement back into a six-figure income bracket and regained everything that I thought that I believed that I had lost.
If you're going through a shitty situation or feel like you're losing grasp of your dreams, I'd like to impart some advice:
You need challenges and pain to grow into a better person. Use that adversity to create opportunity. Focus on fighting with your back against the wall and let survival kick in.
When you feel like a failure, take a moment to remember everything you've accomplished. You’ve gone through hard time already. Use those lessons to propel you forward.
Learn to be truly happy with who you are, and love yourself inside and out. People can take your things, but they cannot take your happiness unless you let them.
Overnight success is bullshit. No one gets to see the late nights, empty bank accounts, and missed opportunities. Did you know that Elon Musk once had to borrow money to pay rent?
Remember that money ebbs and flows, so save for a rainy day.
Focus on doing something that you genuinely love and things that make you happy. Pursue your dreams and make them real. Don’t just settle for a paycheck.
Surround yourself with GREAT people, who want to see you succeed and who'll keep you grounded. Notice that I didn’t say good. You need great. Great people are those who motivate you and who aren’t insecure about your greatness.
Make a list of goals and go after them. Planning is half the battle, focus on accomplishing something tangible. (I painted an entire wall with chalk paint and wrote each one of my goals, so that had to stare at them each and every day.
Play Angry. What drives you? What motivates you? What inspires you? Whatever it is, use it to fuel your passion and focus on the mission at hand.
And most importantly… If you feel low, remember, "This is Only Temporary." A special thank you for all of those people who helped me get through that time. I couldn't have done it without you.
NEED MOTIVATION? WATCH THIS VIDEO.
It helped me in my hardest of times.
