At age 25, after decades of dealing with stomach/health issues, I started to question if life was even worth living.
My problems were all consuming.
Effecting my mental health.
My relationships with others.
And even my career.
I realized that I couldn't continue down the path I was on.
Something had to change.
Let me introduce ENTREPRENEURSHIP into the picture.
And to be clear this is not a post that is trying to convince anyone to become an entrepreneur.
It is not as luxurious as social media would make it seem.
It is hard.
It is grueling.
It drives you crazy at times.
But it also has the uncanny ability to change your life in miraculous ways...and then help you change the world by making a positive impact.
It is something I recommend EVERYONE dabble in because it is literally the best education system around.
It forces you to reduce your ego, to listen and learn from others, to give back, to take care of yourself and those around you, AND SO MUCH MORE!
Entrepreneurship saved my life.
Here is why...
I was always a scrawny kid. Unfortunately, that pretty much hid how sick I was my whole life. My family and I did not connect the dots that I clearly was not getting the nutrients I needed...how could we when doctors were no help either!!!
To be fair, the 90's and early 2000's were lacking the resources and technology we have today.
But CJ, how does this have anything to do with Entrepreneurship?!
EVERYTHING!
When you are building a business, if you are not healthy in mind, body, and spirit... that business has a lot less of a chance of being successful.
Therefore, for those that want to excel, they end up investing heavily into their mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
I do not want to go too in-depth with nitty-gritty entrepreneurship in this message, because it is a topic I want to continue to talk about in the future.
So I will leave you with a simple example of how it changed me for the better.
At 25 I got really sick. I lost 15+ lbs (which is a lot for me, my face started sinking in) and I was struggling to keep it together in my life, in my job, my relationship, and my personal sanity.
So...
January 2nd, 2017
9 days before my 26th birthday
I walked into my boss's office and unexpectedly resigned.
"New year, new me."
That is what I said to myself.
Upon this resignation, I also made a promise to myself that I have not told anyone until right now.
I told myself that I will do whatever it takes to live a healthier & happier life.
What was my first step towards that?!?
1. Invest $400 in earning my nutritionist certification from NASM (later on in 2019 I also invested $948 for my Precision Nutrition Certification. I broke it down to $79 a month for 12 months). Here is the receipt.
2. $500 monthly to join the entrepreneurial hub Station Houston
Here is a photo from March 2nd, 2017 of me doubling down on my new Entrepreneurial / Health path.
I did both of the above because I knew I needed to learn what to eat to start the path of curing myself, as well as joining a business hub so that I could groom myself to be the best entrepreneur that I could be.
It is safe to say that 6 years later...it has taken me farther than I ever could have imagined on that day in January that "I quit" my old life.
One stop on the journey has been becoming an Ambassador for Rhone in 2018, a company on a mission to inspire one another in the pursuit of progress.
The pursuit of my own progress led me to become a part of a select tribe of men, something I will forever cherish. Going from the insecure boy in the first photo of this message, to a male model in the one above...makes me believe I can help inspire others to overcome their fears and insecurities as well.
This one ambassadorship led to an abundance of new entrepreneurial endeavors, as well connections in the health and wellness space that have completely changed my life for the better.
While life has truly been great since, it has not all been "peaches and cream."
Through it all, I continued to have autoimmune flare ups, extreme inflammation, and bouts of digestive problems that upended a lot of my days/weeks.
And I was always left to wonder "WHY" until....
Below is one of my blood test results from March of 2020.
As you can see my immune function was well below what it should be for someone my age.
I literally scored lower than most people in their 90's.
NOT GOOD!
This is where Entrepreneurship saved me again.
I met one of my mentors through a coffee chat that we scheduled off LinkedIn in 2019.
He is the one who told me about this test in the first place.
He has also helped me tremendously with studies, research, supplement recommendations, and overall support.
And since then, I have transformed my life and started to overcome some of the biggest health issues I have had to deal with over the course of my life.
I never would have met him if I never started my entrepreneurial journey.
The real beauty is, when this works, and I continue to improve my bloodwork and health, I will be able to give even more energy to my team, my business, and my community; thus, I can make an even larger impact.
Most importantly...
I will get to spend my energy with my wife, my family, and my friends without feeling as ill as I used to.
Entrepreneurship saved my life.
Maybe it could do the same for you!
Actually, I know it can do the same for you.
And I would love to show you some methods I believe could do so.
Read below.
THE LATEST ON MY HEALTH...
My most recent bloodwork has shown massive improvements since March of 2020.
How did I do this?
Vitamins
Blood tests and Vitamin IV's from the MSW Lounge
Vitamin Supplements from MSW Nutrition
(Use Code: THRIVEONLIFE for discounts off of the above)
Sleep Technology
Using my WHOOP and my Oura ring to drastically improve my sleep.
(Use Link: WHOOP REFERRAL LINK for your first month FREE)
Daily Movement, Sunlight, and Community
Squatch Frontier Fitness is the perfect place to integrate yourself into a community that is focused on helping one another become healthier and happier human beings.
Sauna + Ice + Redlight
Sisu Sauna in my backyard (Use Code: THRIVEONLIFE for $$$ off your sauna purchase)
Ice Barrel for frequent ice/cold immersion therapy (Use Code: THRIVEONLIFE for $$$ off your ice barrel purchase)
Mito Red Light for daily red light therapy sessions ((Use Code: THRIVEONLIFE for $$$ off your Mito Red Light purchase)
Of course everything above only works if you have the discipline to consistently execute these positive habits.
Lastly, if you want to learn more about the specifics of the blood tests I have done over the years, the metrics I focused on studying, and how I have improved my scores; thus leading to less inflammation and a higher quality of life, watch my YouTube video where I go more in depth on all of the above.
CJ