Two weeks ago I bought a one-way ticket to New York City. I had 300 dollars in my bank account. I now have 100 dollars.
I sit in a Starbucks, in Chelsea, listening to Kings of Leon tracks and smiling because of how amazingly random choices can lead to incredible memories. And why the heck not? Why shouldn’t you stop doing what you loathe and do what you love?
“There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.”
Me- I love to write: especially the way words paint pictures, strengthen (or weaken) relationships, build (or collapse) empires, and influence just about everything else.
Failure is Hard
I know, I know…that was a mind-blowing-absolutely-state-changing-sub-heading. The point?
I have failed many times in life; in fact, I failed over 800 times a month when I used to sell Telecom. It sucks. It hurts. Even as I type this, I still have the sour taste in my mouth that comes from being told, “we don’t accept walk-ins.”
Really? Really? You have a sales force that sells door to door. I want to write for you. You don’t accept walk’ins? I just walked for 2 hours, in 98 degree weather, looking for an opprotunity to introduce myself to you, so we can make greatness together.
Oh yea, but you don’t take walk ins…
Whoa…
Oh well. It is frustrating to fail, but it will be even sweeter when I succeed. Did you know:
- Henry Ford went broke (broke!) 5 times before he succeded.
- Colonel Sanders, of KFC fame, was rejected 1009 times before his “original” recipe was accepted.
- Walt Disney was fired by an editor because the Editor felt Disney lacked Imagination. And then he went on to start other businesses until he went bankrupt before he found the winning recipe.
- Issac Newton failed as a farmer.
- Oprah was fired from her job as a Producer because she was “unfit for t.v.”
- J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter, went from being a peniless, depressed, divorced woman trying to take care of a child to someone that is seeped in money, fame, and success.
Click here for more failures that have been very successfull: failing is part of success.
How I’ve Survived Two Weeks in New York City
I came up here with one solid idea in mind: I’m going to work at a Digital Agency that values creativity, words, and engagement even more than I ever have. You are the average of the people you sorround yourself with. I want to be around creatives, marketers, directors, entrepreneurs, and thinkers- because I want to be every single one of those things. Every single day of my life.
So, I sold my guitar amplifier and stepped off a plane with 300 dollars in my bank account. And I have ZERO regret. Zero.
I will say this though: couch surfing and backpacking in New York City is a completely different experience from backpacking through Central America. But there are still lots of parallels.
- Couches have become my beds
- Trains and buses have taken place of my car
- And I’m living on my wits and charm
Best way to stay alive? Eat very little. Smile a lot. And cold call businesses for jobs like it’s my hobby.
This is just a post to let you all know I’m still alive and kicking. Hard. I’ll write a comphrehensive one when I’m here for 30 days.
I’m also currently experimenting with the LeanGains Fasting-diet for the 30 days up here; since it will be easier (and less expensive) to live off of eating only from 1-9. Part of what I’m doing is only eating during an 8 hour window. Tune in for more.
So, until next time, my friends.
Choose excellence.
-Juda
P.S. Don’t get me wrong though: I’ve had some awesome times and successes too…I’ll tell you about them later. Gotta catch the train!
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