This picture of me in front of the snowy mountains isn't by accident, it's on purpose. It's the risk I took that made this wonderful moment possible.
Many times in our lives we will come to a point where we just go for it. We don’t know what lies ahead but we know that we can’t stay in our current situation for much longer. The funny thing about this article is that as I’m writing this, I’m listening to one of my favorite songs.
Living on a Prayer
Moving to Idaho was something I had to pray about. I honestly had zero intention on ever moving here. That was my mindset before October 2015. I was dead set on staying in the Midwest but after reading the book The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone, I was a man on fire. I was motivated to do things that I'd never done.
One of the things Grant spoke of was getting way out of your comfort zone. He spoke of himself moving from California to Florida and how that forced him to find new opportunities.
I decided to do the same thing and move my family from Illinois to Idaho to seek new opportunities. I always told Michelle that as long as I had a good internet connection, I could always have a business. At the time, I was trading forex and the idea was that I needed good internet because of my mobile business.
But things changed over time.
The Beginning
The risk I took was moving our family out of our comfort zone in Lakemoor, Illinois USA to Sandpoint, Idaho USA. We lived in Chicago all of our lives. Well, let me backup. Michelle lived in Chicago for over two decades and Chicago was home to me for all of my life. I say Chicago because Lakemoor is a tiny suburb of Northwest Chicago and no one knows the location of Lakemoor but everyone knows the location of Chicago.
It was the Summer of 2015 and we were in Sandpoint, Idaho for our yearly summer vacation visit. Every year for the last six years, we make our way to Sandpoint because Michelle’s family is originally from there.
Will You Force Change or Will Change Be Forced Upon You? - Fred Blumenberg
The kids and Michelle get a chance to see the Idaho family and friends. But the summer of 2015 was different. On our way out of town, we met with her dad to say our goodbyes and I remember having this overwhelming feeling of not wanting to leave. It was the weirdest thing. I’m normally the one that’s ready to get back home to the hustle and bustle but this time was different.
I don't know what it was but the feeling that was inside of me was one that I can only explain as not wanting to go back to the hustle and bustle. It was nice to drive on the Idaho roads and not be driven off the roads by other drivers. It was nice to actually talk to people that wanted to conversation back with you. It was nice that people actually waved and said hi to you and not give you the constant cold shoulder and act privileged.
It was nice. Nice to be somewhere that was quiet and quaint. It was refreshing.
So the feeling to go back to Chicago where I’d have to deal with the madness was not what I was looking forward to.
And it was then it happened. The idea was planted inside of me. We’re going to live here. Now I want to let you in on something, I never wanted to move to Idaho. Never. I even wrote a LinkedIn article on how this caught up with me.
Later that year (October 7, 2015) is when I had extenuating circumstances with a student. I signed my resignation letter for Schaumburg School District 54 and decided to change my life.
Why I Decided to Become an Entrepreneur - Jul. 15, 2017 with Fred Blumenberg
The Middle
Once we moved to Idaho, the changes were immediate. Learning new places, new roads, new neighbors, new schools, etc. It was a brand new environment and I was way out of my comfort zone. Remember the forex trading deal? Yea, well that didn’t pan out and now I was forced to figure out what to do next. The funny thing is that I started helping a few entrepreneurs with their mindset and how to maximize their strengths.
I was a stay-at-home Dad that was now (accidentally) working online in a field that I was good at. Developing the Teflon Don Positive Mindset.
Currently
As of today, I’m extremely happy that we made the choice to move our family 1700 plus miles northwest. We got way out of our comfort zone and we didn’t die. I say this because many people think that they’ll die if they take a risk. They can’t take the mental anguish of not knowing what resides on the other side of their risk.
They fear the unknown and I get it. But the question I ask people is this: what the hell are you doing with your life? You’re just going to let time go without taking any action in your life?
Listen, I’ve been there. I was the couch guy. I was the guy that loved my average life. I liked having my weekends off. I loved working a Monday through a Friday job to only go out on Friday and get fucked up. That was my life.
I loved that shit. And then I woke up and just couldn’t take that anymore. There had to be more to life than to work 180 school days a year to have one vacation and be miserable most of the time.
Taking Risks Won’t Kill You
Once I decide to take a risk, that’s when things opened up for me. That’s when I started living life. Is there a risk that you’re abiding? Is there something that you’re afraid of doing? Are you afraid to live life?
It’s okay if you said yes to all of those. But the question id ask you would be this: are you extremely happy with your life? If so, then you don’t need any advice. But you’re most likely still reading because you’re not happy and you’d like a happy ending like mine.
So you know what to do. It’s time to live life. It’s time to put aside the bullshit and start creating the life you’ve always wanted. It’s time to go for it. You have one life. How do you want to live that life?
Write down your top five personal and professional goals. Within this you will find what you need to be doing. It’s a start. There is no ending. There is doing and the constant process. That’s it. That’s where you live.
It’s time for you to live. My story means you can do it too. There’s only one thing I ask you to do - start and keep going. I promise if you persevere, you’ll get to a place that you’ve always dreamed of being.
I’m there. I want you to be there too.
Do you, be you.
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