I was a 22-year-old single mom with a four month old baby boy, living in a tiny room at my brother’s home when I decided to do something drastic. I had virtually no money to my name, was honorably discharged from the army before that, then worked in Baghdad as a civil contractor six months after the war started there, then found myself in a tough situation financially and back in Wisconsin. What I did ended up surprising everyone.
I sold all of our belongings when my son was only 4 months old – to move to Thailand. With the little money that I had, after selling the one thing I needed most to succeed online – my computer – I had enough cash to buy two one-way tickets to Thailand. I had an interest in making money online but wasn’t very knowledgeable in it when I decided to take this leap of faith. I lived there years earlier for 6 months as a Rotary Youth Exchange student, and thought I could afford to live there and take care of my son while starting a business online. Looking back it sounds unrealistic – but it worked out beautifully.
When we arrived, with our two suitcases in hand, we moved into a small studio apartment in northern Thailand. I faced opposition with my landlord about getting the Internet setup, so I ended up using the apartment building’s switchboard line (one of the four they had for hundreds of residents) to use an internet card and dial up. It was very difficult, but by the fourth month of doing endless learning from those who I saw as “online gurus,” I made more money than I had in the entire previous year when I had a high paying job in Iraq. I did that in one month. That is where my online marketing story began, and as a result, I wrote a book called Honest Riches. I became a published author with the online book selling over 30,000+ copies and a paperback that was published in 2009.
My life has drastically changed as a result of all the events that ensued over the years – and I feel blessed to have embarked on so many adventures with my son. We traveled the world as a result of the hard work and making money online. We went to Disneyland in Paris, met the world’s tallest man in Ukraine, went to Bahrain, Cabo San Lucas and many more places. I do not want to sound as though I am bragging, but I truly feel grateful for the way things turned out – as the first part of my life was very different. I think to really follow your dreams and your heart at times, it can be very scary but can create the greatest experiences of your lifetime. I still work online, help others and continue writing – my next book is about my time in Iraq.
Posts Tagged Army
After years of doing everything that twenty year olds do to mess up their lives, I finally gave in and enlisted in the Army. Considering I was an out of the closet gay man for more than five years, it was a hard decision. Basic training was tough, but do-able and advanced language school came next.
Then I met the man who would one day become my husband. He was coming out of the shower and I was going in. What followed was a bizarre game of cat and mouse before a date of beer and pizza. My husband didn’t even know we were on a date until I held his hand in the movie theatre.
What came next took us both by surprise: an emotional rollercoaster, discovery, and finally discharges under the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy. Surprisingly, that upheaval was only the first in a long series of events that have taken through Washington, D.C., Phoenix AZ and law school, and now to Los Angeles.
