Yes! What did you,Bogdan, say to the man? I recently met a man who new where he was going and have since arrived. Now, he is showing people of modest means how to arrive at a place called "Financial Independence." This is his Story: Introduction "Firstly, I would like to thank my wife for her wonderful support over the years. In times when I was "lacking energy" she stepped in to lift me up. Her inner strength, wisdom and total commitment to our relationship, goals and dreams have been a real cornerstone of my success. A special word of thanks to my children, family, colleagues and associates who have shown great ability and support on my journey - thanks guys!" Part of my life... "When reading this short story, keep in mind that I have no special skills that place me on a pedestal. You too have the ability to become what you want and actually realize your dreams - we are all part of the same world." Who am I? I am just a normal guy with a passion for the ocean (as you can see by the pictures)... I come from a financially poor, yet morally rich family. I have three brothers and four sisters, so you can imagine that money had to go a long way. Dad had a tough time keeping food on the table, but somehow always managed to do so. Like everyone else not born into money, I have had my up's and down's and learnt many hard lessons about life. I completed school but without further education - I studied for 2 years and had to leave University to start earning much needed cash. I was motivated by money and materialistic things during my twenties and early thirties and have now grown into placing values in a better priority order. I have learnt that money and success are the result and not the cause of true happiness, health and love... money does not guarantee the less tangible and more important aspects of success. I often take time off to reflect on my own life. I have learnt that a few minutes a day on my own gives me the time to place my life in perspective. I have great goals and dreams, but will not allow them to become a reality at the expense of others... the daily reflection helps me to keep focused on my intent and "checks" my actions against the high standards and values I have set. I have traveled a fair amount in my life and enjoy learning about different cultures in different countries. History fascinates me - science even more! I share my life with a wonderful wife, her two boys and twins (boy and girl) of my own. My real name will remain in privacy for various reasons. I will disclose it to the people who will share in my success through Reality Millions at the appropriate time - for now, simply call me Midas! "I am living proof that the average person, in fact anyone, can make a success" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where did it all start? I left university without my degree to earn much needed money in a world I had no real knowledge of. I was academically successful at school and on the sports field, but the life so often referred to as "adult life", lay like a misty mountain ahead of me. I tried my hand at many different jobs during those first few years - too many actually! My first real job was as a waiter at a local roadhouse, selling burgers. Eventually I was promoted to running the cash register and kitchen orders...less greasy work! Later I realized that it was more rewarding to work with people directly and started out with a marketing company selling educational products. This only lasted for 6 months! I was too headstrong and ambitious and kept working out how much the owners were making on each of my sales. Combining this with all the sales happening around the country, it was a fortune! It made me "think" and motivated me to turn that energy into something positive. I was not prepared to share my "hard work" with greedy company executives. I left the company to start out on my own... This was a huge risk at the time as I had no real working capital, but my positive attitude and motivation was enough. I purchased a franchise from them, worked it successfully for a year before taking that cash for security required to obtain an insurance brokerage. I moved forward in leaps and bounds with success being an endless roller-coaster ride. I was on the top of the world by 1998. I was happy and successful, or so I thought! During 1999, at the age of 33 I went through a very stressful and emotional divorce. My world crumbled around me like an earthquake registering maximum on the scale. I lost the 3 companies I owned, my house, cars, boat and much more. In a devastating whirlwind of emotional destruction, I lost absolutely everything that meant anything to me!! You see, I was living in my own "dream world" where I believed nothing could go wrong. I was never prepared for something like this - not financially or emotionally. "I now realize that my priorities were wrong - money enjoyed top priority... above family, my own health and sanity!" My "dark" two years The years that followed were the "wake-up calls" in my life. I cannot begin to tell you how "dark" things became for me. Emotionally wrecked I decided to take some time out to travel and hopefully find an "angel" out there that would scoop me up and give me my life's dreams, comforts and pleasures... No angels in the UK... No Angels in Europe... No Angels in Australia... Days became endless obstacles to me. I could not wait to get back into bed where I could escape this "unfair" world and drift off to another world where anything is possible and nothing really matters. Stress and emotional instability became part of a life I did not want and a life I started hating with a passion. During the next two years I tried starting another business and failed! I lacked the motivation and desire. The more things went wrong, the more I blamed other's - it was never me; how could it be me??? "I did not realize that I was slowly learning lessons in life that would prepare me for what was yet to come. Looking back, I know now that I should never give up - I should trust that I will never be given more than I can handle" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finding myself again The turning point in my life was the day I spent time reflecting on life while watching an Australian sun set over the ocean. The thoughts, anger and hatred I had been living with was the only reason I was in this position. I started by looking at my own life from a different angle... I looked at how I could change as a person, my thought patterns and of how to approach things differently. I realized that I needed to look after myself before I could find happiness again. During all my successful years I had placed myself at the bottom of the priority list. I had never learned to look after myself - mentally, emotionally or physically. I did not respect or honor myself. I found that I did not even love myself. I never gave myself credit and never acknowledged it either. The "mental repair" was finally underway! I read every book I could find on the subject. Slowly I started to face the world again... I learnt to face the world the same way I faced myself in the mirror each morning; with love and with trust. Although I did not have any money, and was battling to make ends meet, I wrote positive affirmations and stuck them on my mirrors, fridge and any other place I knew I would pass during the day. The old saying; "Charity starts at home" suddenly had a new meaning. I started to respect myself, my decisions and honored myself with even the smallest of successes. I made peace with who I was at that moment in time and promised myself to build on from there. I found the real me, and felt good about it!!! I became a happier person but still did not find the "pot of gold under the rainbow" until later in my life... Meeting my partner September 2000, I was feeling emotionally stronger. Having made peace with myself and accepting that life is there to be lived for the moment and not in the past. I decided to take a break and visit my parents for a few days. My younger sister accompanied me on the 1600 km long journey. After a few days she finally persuaded me to come out with her for the evening. I had lost interest in socializing after my divorce a few yews before - I had no desire to meet other "woman"! I just wanted to enjoy life at the time... but, as sisters are, she insisted that I tag along to keep her company! It was at the restaurant that night when a beautiful woman caught my eye... it was as if time had stood still for a moment! We traded a few smiles... then a few words... I felt a sincere presence about her. I left without her telephone number! Halfway to the car I stopped and said to my sister: "There is something about that girl". She waited while I returned to the restaurant. I walked up to that beautiful woman, took her hand and wrote my number down in the palm of her hand; "Please call me for coffee sometime", I said to her and walked out again. She did call me the next morning, but I could not meet her for coffee as I had received an urgent call from the attorney firm regarding my divorce and had to leave for my home town. We kept in touch for the next few months via email and sometimes telephonically. This was actually great, as we learnt a great deal about each other before even going out on a single date. I got to know her "mind" before anything else. I now had a good excuse to visit my parents again! My twins accompanied me during the following Christmas holidays. I met her at the same restaurant that night, red rose in hand... If I were to relate the story in more detail, you will realize the synchronicity. It seemed such a coincidence meeting her! We were from two different worlds but met at the exact time we both were ready for a relationship. We were both at the same mental, emotional and "spiritual" level. We had both learned similar lessons in life, suffered similar pain and both had to deal with personal issues that could have prevented us from moving on in life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The universe will give exactly what you attract" Last years of poverty April 2001 that beautiful girl and I started sharing one roof. It was only a rented house, but it was a start for us. It was a happy and exciting time for both of us! We did not have much, but we had each other! Together we started exploring life in a new way. We shared what we had learnt and built our life based on love, honor and respect for ourselves and for others. We joined a night class where we learnt more about life and the reasons for living it. We read book after book on spiritual and "life issues". We learnt about the universe, thoughts, energies and how to actually manifest things into our lives. We worked hard on self improvement and creating our own future. It was through these night classes and desire to know the world we live in that we moved a step closer to our dreams at a higher level! We pasted pictures of our dreams in our home office. It included everything - holidays, where we wanted to live, our dream house, cars (we had a barely functional one at the time)... it even included pictures of a yacht! Positive affirmations were stuck all over - on the fridge, computer screen and every mirror in the house. She was working for a marketing company, and I was trying to put a deal together for something I had designed a few years earlier. Money was tight, very tight! Then the dreaded day - her monthly commission check was not paid and she was essentially out of a job. The company I was dealing with failed to come up with the cash! The world seemed to tumble once again... Jobless, we still had our dreams and worked to keep them intact! We trusted that the universe will take care of us if we only trusted and used what we had learnt to remain motivated and at a higher "vibration". We started making gifts items out of wood and crystals. We worked long and hard hours of physical labor. She used the old car to go out and make sales and I worked in the garage at home making these items. After hours and weekends she donned her old clothes and helped me in the garage. We were "ok" for a while, but there was no real demand for the gifts we were making and sales were few and far between. Our money was getting lower and lower. A good friend loaned us some cash to get through the difficult times, but that too dried up. He could not help indefinitely and eventually that form of "back-up" ended. We were fast becoming destitute! I had started selling off items in the house to place food on our table. Things were becoming really rough and tough. Through all of this, we stood by each other, hoping, praying, trusting and using what we had learnt to remain positive. The less money we had, the more difficult it became - but we refused to give up! We knew that our thoughts created our future and reality, so we focused on keeping them positive and "lived" our dreams in our minds. We used to sit on the steps of the house and watch the sun set over the ocean. We spoke of the house, cars and yacht we WOULD some day own. We described to each other in detail what we wanted... "We refused to accept defeat" Our break! Hardships forced us to an all time financial low! Half way through November 2002 - I was now selling anything we had of value to the local cash converter company. It was extremely difficult for me to sell things this way. Remember, I came from owning 3 businesses and being on the "top of the world", to the absolute bottom of the proverbial food chain. I had to swallow any pride I had left and face the reality of life - we had to eat! The local cash converter company was a rip-off, but they saved my life in a way. I was paid less than a tenth for my golf clubs, expensive jewelry and a host of other things. When it finally came to my squash racket and gas cylinders for my barbeque, I knew that there was not much left other than my old (make that ancient) computer - the printer had already gone! We are all humans, and the tears of despondency fell freely when my good friend announced he could not help us with money any longer. I had sold almost everything we had of value (including personal jewelry)! We sat there facing a Christmas with no money at all... my twins were coming to visit us for the December holidays too. Life became almost too much to bear! My wife and I sat in silence as we watched yet another sun set over the ocean that Friday... It was then that I realized in awe that it would certainly rise again in the morning... the waves of the ocean kept coming; bashing the beach and rocks with relentless determination. Nature was at it's best! It was during this beautiful "nature scene" playing out before my eyes that a tingle of hope, a spark started to flare up deep down inside me. Like the sun, I knew I too would rise up out of my situation one day - "why not today?" I asked myself. My computer was my only hope left and I had heard of people making money on the internet, but had never pursued it. I spent the entire night online searching for some sort of internet business... Wow! The MLM Systems, Matrix Systems, Gifting Programs, HYIP and literally thousands of others popped up promising wealth and "guaranteed" financial success. It was very confusing and frustrating! I simply had no clue as to what to do, how to do it and who to trust (there were, and still are so many). I was mentally, physically and emotionally drained by the time I watched the sun rise again. Coffee in hand, I was discussing all I had seen and read online with my wife when the most amazing thing happened... a simple idea started forming. I worked out what we needed - the list kept growing! The only problem was that most of it was "money" related. I needed cash to do this. I called my younger brother and asked if he knew somebody who could do programming. He did! I then called this "programmer friend" and asked if he could design something in his spare time. I told him that I could not pay him, but would pay him as I made money on line - he agreed, but was not convinced that one could make cash on line. My younger brother knew a little programming himself, so I struck a deal with him to help me with things I could not do - he too agreed to do it for payment once I made some cash. I then started formulating an online business that was never seen before. I trusted the idea and my own skills, and never had any doubt as to how successful it could become. A month later I launched and have never looked back! Success at last! We spent that Christmas (2002) with only a few dollars in hand, enough to buy a small present for each of the children and buy food for the day. My wife and I wrote our own Christmas lists and gave it to each other with a note "for purchase later"... Six weeks from launch, my web site passed the "million-hits-a-day" mark. I had members from over 50 different countries within 2 months! February 2003 I paid cash for our dream car - a new Jeep Cherokee Limited Edition (seen above)! Shortly after we left on our dream holiday... We did receive those "Christmas presents" later - during our dream holiday. The trip included a stopover in Singapore where we did some shopping and a 3-hour chartered helicopter trip over the Great Barrier Reef in Australia! It was during this helicopter trip, hovering over the famous "Heart Reef" that I gave my wife the wedding ring we could never afford... 14 February 2003 to be exact! "You see, we trusted and refused to ever give up!" In Closing "This story relates to my success... You can create your own if you believe you can!" Passion! I firmly believe that success in life starts with a true desire to succeed in 4 aspects of life: Love Health Happiness Wealth Unless you have a balance and your priority is not money, your life will follow up's and down's like mine did before. Many people have asked me what the true key to riches is. My answer remains the same: Follow your passion and money will follow! In my case I determined what my passion was, reduced my dreams and goals to paper and the rest fell into place with time. The internet was the tool given to me to make the money to finally live my passion. In many (most) cases, it is your passion that will bring you true success directly! --------------------------------------------------------------- How do you find your passion? Try this... Write down everything you really and truly enjoy doing. Do not be shy - write to your hearts content. Think of anything and everything you possibly can. You will probably look at that piece of paper and think that there is no one job or business that can encompass everything you enjoy doing. That is fine, as the universe has wonderful ways of "formulating" a business or method for you. Take that piece of paper and read it as often as you can. Add and delete if you feel you need to - there are no set rules. Take some time to yourself and think how wonderful it would be if you were able to do only what you really enjoy. Let your mind wander off and create even more dreams as you go along. What a wonderful life it will be! Read that list at least once a week... the answer will come to you in time and probably when you least expect it! It is simply the way our minds work with "thought energy". It may become blatantly obvious or come as an entirely new idea! Either way, it will be crystal clear - almost like the "penny has dropped"... the rest will fall into place!! Finally Whether my simple short story has meant anything to you or not, please know that you can create whatever you want, whenever you want... this I believe is the measure of true success! The success I have created online is in no way one of it's kind. It is not the first and will never be the last. The net is an ever-growing and ever-changing part of our lives - we can use it to make money if we know how. What makes money today is also not guaranteed to make money tomorrow, but if we always keep an open mind to changes as and when they happen, we will succeed. Take the time to acquire knowledge from people who are successful and build from there. It is important though to take every "obstacle" and meet the challenge - learn the lesson and move forward. I have had many steps (big and small) to take during my success journey so far. I do not always understand all the lessons all of the time, but I accept every one as I know it will teach me something new. Whether the lesson is relevant to my work or not, it will come in handy some day! No matter where your life leads you from this day forward, take the time to be true to yourself... take the time to reflect on your successes and your failures, as they both form part of your very own success story. To your success! Midas "All answers to life can be found within, if you care to go there..."