11 Lessons I’ve Learned In The Last Decade That Can Help You Comeback Stronger

2010 - I dropped out of college with one semester left until I was supposed to get my degree. I honestly didn’t want to become a doctor. That was my parents dream for me.

Lesson #1: Don’t do things to win the acceptance and approval of the ones you love, even if it might disappoint them. Trust your gut.

⠀

2011 - Despite having only $47 in my bank account, I found a way to be resourceful and get $9000 to invest in a speaking and coaching program that would launch my career as a professional speaker and coach.

⠀

Lesson #2: You’re more capable than you think when you don’t have the luxury to be indecisive or immature. Pressure creates diamonds.

2012 - Despite all the doubt I had from people around me, I had a very successful start to my speaking career and went full-time with over 40 paid speaking engagements around the US.

⠀

Lesson #3: Everyone will have an opinion about your situation. Don’t let them get to you. It’s your job to let your actions speak louder than your words. Walk your talk.

⠀

2013 - I finally found and reunited with my birth mom in Thailand after two decades of being separated. Shortly thereafter, we had a really bad falling out. I felt like a failure.

⠀

Lesson #4: Some people come into your life for a season. Others come into your life for a reason. Whatever happens, believe everything happens for you through you for a reason.

⠀

2014 - I invited my dad to come to my wedding after I proposed to Kate, my high school girlfriend, on our 10 year anniversary. He chose not to come because it wasn’t going to be a Muslim wedding. Shortly thereafter, he disowned me because I wasn’t religious enough for him.

⠀

Lesson #5: Stop walking on egg shells pretending to be someone you’re not. It’s exhausting and isn’t fair to anyone involved. Live your truth.

⠀

2015: After the wedding, I went through a deep depression. I felt worthless. That’s when I decided to make healing my trauma with different forms of therapy and bodywork a major priority.

⠀

Lesson #6: Thanks to my parents, I’ve learned how to love myself. Just because someone is incapable or unwilling to love you, doesn’t make you unlovable.

⠀

2016: I had my most successful but most stressful year as a speaker with over 120 paid speaking engagements around the world. I realized this wasn’t the right business model for me if I wanted to build the family I never had. I had to switch it up.

⠀

Lesson #7: Figure out the right business model to become the best role model for others. Success is meaningless if you sacrifice the ones you love on your journey.

⠀

2017: I stopped speaking to high school and college students and invested over $50,000 that year into my own education through various mentors. I also fell in love with sales. 

⠀

Lesson #8: If you’re going through some form of career transition, invest in yourself financially by finding proven mentors who can collapse time for you. Selling is serving.

⠀

2018: My daughter Kaiya was born, I did a 365 video-a-day challenge and helped my clients collect over $5,000,000 in less than 12 months through my social media experiment.

⠀

Lesson #9: Show up. Give yourself permission to be imperfect in public. Even if you don’t know what to say or how it’s going to look like... that’s okay. Express first. Edit last.

⠀

2019: Kate and I found out we’re having twins. We also moved into a beautiful mansion to raise our growing family. My best friends work for me full-time now. And I have the best clients I could ever ask for fly to come visit me to help them grow their business and spread their message.

⠀

Lesson #10: You’re the author of your own story. Your life is a byproduct of what you see for yourself. Dream big, do the work and trust the process.

2020: My twins, Taj & Amira were born. The Pandemic took the world by storm. Our economy has shifted dramatically. Millions of people have lost everything they've worked hard for and have been forced to pivot.

Lesson #11: Before a seed can become what it's destined to be, it must grow through the dark and dirty soil to eventually see the light. 2020 is still the year of perfect vision. Plant the seeds of your future now. You'll be surprised what you can achieve in just a decade. 

⠀

What lesson was the most impactful for you and what can you teach us from your last decade to help us all comeback stronger together?👇