When I was 12 months old, “they” said I would never be able to talk or swallow food.
My biggest problem speaking is that I talk way TOO FAST. Videos of me speaking have been seen by tens of thousands of people.
“They” said I would have to live with my parents until they were too old to care for me, then move to a nursing home where I’d need round-the-clock care.
I bought my first house and moved out on my own when I was 18. I had no nurses or structured care. I still don’t.
“They” said I should be careful about my income because I would be dependent on Medicaid, social security, and disability.
I’ve never received any government assistance of any kind for anything.
“They” said I had to go to college and get a degree to be successful.
I dropped out of high school in 11th grade. I’m the CEO of multiple companies with (combined) 8-digit annual revenue with locations in 16 countries.
“They” said I’d kill Life Saver when my dad retired.
It’s grown 10 times.
“They” said no one is going to have sex with a guy in a wheelchair.
LOL
“They” said to stay in your lane – “stick to fences, fence guy.”
We’ve gone from selling pool fence only to dealers to also having a fully thriving e-commerce operation doing 7-figure revenue. I have another company that’s invented the solution to children dying in hot cars. I’m about to start a pool service and a lawn care company. I’ve hosted and put out over 70 podcast episodes. I’m 22 weeks into writing a weekly blog (thank you for reading!). I’m a pretty well-respected member of the horology community. And I’ll eventually do sit-down comedy.
“They” say if you’re an almost-40 year old business owner, your house needs to look a certain way. Like an “adult.”
My 50+ superhero statues and signed art pieces disagree. My house is AWESOME.
In my notes in my phone, I have a list of all the things I want to write a blog about; not titles, per se, just enough to remember what the idea was.
The reminder for this one is: “Why? Why not? Says who?”
My parents had an entire room in their very normal 3 bedroom house turned into an aviary for dozens of exotic finches.
My mom bred long-haired miniature dachshunds. At one point, we had 28 dogs living in the house.
Before I ever bought my first superhero statue, I went to a birthday party for a friend of a friend’s dad. This gentleman is a married father to grown children who has been rather successful in the finance industry. He has a large house in a fancy neighborhood. And each year, for his birthday, he throws an Uno tournament – like a legit Uno competition with bad ass prizes, like iPads and stuff. And his house is COVERED in comic book memorabilia – statues, action figures, props, weapons, filing cabinets full of comics, and so on. His living room walls are covered in musical instruments, mostly ukuleles. And then he has another room setup for video games, with a big projector screen on the wall and every console system you can buy.
Why not? Says who?
Why are you holding back from designing your life the way you want it? “They” don’t know anything about you, they’re usually wrong, and you don’t even like most of them. So, why are you listening to them?
You can be a plumber AND the lead singer in a rock band (I’ve seen it). You can be a porn star, a video editor, AND write a novel (I’ve seen that one up close). You can teach karate, drive a school bus, and be a painter (seen that, too). Joe Rogan is a comedian, a taekwando champion, a black belt in jiu-jitsu, a commentator for the UFC, and hosts the most popular podcast on Earth (I think). Don’t let people put you in boxes. Don’t just think outside the box. Live outside the box. The most successful, most interesting, HAPPIEST people are doing things their way. You don’t have to only be what you’ve done before. You get to decide the story of your life. You only get one. Write it the way you want – at all costs, whatever it takes.
Why not? Says who?
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