I was a regular poor kid in the neighborhood…
I come from a very poor family. We lived in a poor neighborhood in Mexico City. My mother and I would survive eating once a day only beans and rice and sometimes chicken broth with tortillas. My mother was a single mother and heavy drinker alcoholic. She was lost in the vice of drinking alcohol and when I was 12, he got lost physically. We do not know anything about her location.
I started working when I was fourteen years of age, making enough money to live day by day. I was lost in society. I had developed many dysfunctional habits (I tell my story in this book). Then I moved to the USA when I was 18 years of age bringing with me my dysfunctional habits.
I was the same person in a different country until I got motivated to exercise. Then I fell into depression and got motivated to become a better person. I started to study health, business, finances and happiness.
I am stronger and fitter now than when I was 19 years of age…
I got motivated to lift weights when I was 19 years of age and it was not until the age of 28 that I learned that my food intake can make me healthy or sick.
I remember when I started lifting weights people would tell me to wait until I am thirty and see how my body won’t respond the same way. I heard the same when I turned thirty, “Wait until you are forty.” I am thirty nine and I am in the best shape of my life. I am stronger, faster and sharper. Now people are telling me to wait until I am fifty.
We are still growing despite adversity…
I founded Custom Body Fitness 11 years ago. It has been such a wonderful journey. I love it! For some reason I am still in business. When I started training our members, I had many people who supported me, but I also had people who said I won’t make it.
These people who said I won’t make it would tell me their story when they were Personal Trainers and opened their own business. They said it was difficult to make a business successful. It has been 11 years since I opened CBF and we are still growing. The pandemic slowed us down for a year, but we are getting ready to open our third location again.
Being financially free is a choice…
I was in debt for many years. I owe money to different people and I did like to borrow money. I used to spend my money on trivial things. I was an unconscious consumer. Now, I have two businesses running and investments that give me the opportunity to not stress about money.
I am being completely honest with you. It is not the businesses and the investments alone that give me my financial freedom. It is the fact that I learned to manage my money in a healthy way.
I feel joyful, happy and in peace...
Like anybody else, I have my stressful, sad, and difficult days. However, no matter the consequences, I manage to stay joyful, happy, grateful and positive. I believe happiness is a choice and I work on staying happy no matter the consequence. I keep in mind that I am in a better position than many other people.
I learned to control my thoughts and my emotions. That gives me the power to create a promising future. I would never turn my life around if it was not for learning new habits.
The habits that helped me transform my life around are the following...
Eating healthy, meaning on schedule, whole foods, cooking, drinking only water
Reading thirty minutes everyday
Writing at least once a week
Clearing my mind by taking a vacation at least once a year
Saving at least ten percent of my income
Giving away at least ten percent of my income
Take advantage of opportunities
Listening to others
Teaching others what I know
Applying what I learned
Enjoying a healthy life is not genetic, it is a conscious decision. Growing a business and being financially free is not luck, it is the disciple to know how to manage both. And to be happy is nothing else than a choice.
You might be in a better position than me. If that is the case, you will agree with me. Or you may be in a desperate position to make your life change. If that is the case, I recommend you start changing your habits and use some of the habits I started to follow. It transformed my life. It might transform yours. You will never know until you try.