How I Built My Own Business and Achieved My Dreams Brought to You By Express

I’m writing this post today from The Other Side in Eleuthera, Bahamas as part of a sponsored post with Express.

Ten years ago, @ThreadTherapy and I went on our first international trip, to …the Bahamas. We were on a Carnival Cruise 3-night trip staying in a double bed, in a room with no windows, and where you had to keep the bathroom door open to brush your teeth.

At that time, this was the best trip of our lives. We couldn’t believe we were on a cruise!

What conjured up that memory is a great piece on the 9 truths a 37-year old self-made millionaire follows and one of them was to think in decades, not years.

Thinking back 10 years to that floating motel, that was the most luxurious, exotic trip I had ever taken. My life up until that point had been relatively unspectacular (aside from meeting ThreadTherapy).

I was 23, living in Gainesville, FL in a converted office with 5 roommates and one of our neighbors was a bail bonds “store”.

It was the best of times, and the worst of times.

At that time, I didn’t see much of a future for myself. In an ideal world, I could get a job with a decent salary, good benefits, and a nice retirement program. My plan was to spend the next 40 years working, then once I hit retirement age, I could start living my life.

That all changed when I started thinking in decades, instead of years.

I’m really excited to share this advice with you thanks to Express.

Express believes that fashion can give you the confidence to take on new challenges, reach beyond limits and reflect passion and optimism for what’s next.

What changed my life was looking forward towards what I wanted my life to look like. My goal was to own my own business so I could work on my own schedule, anytime, and anywhere in the world.

I wanted to get paid to model killer denim shirts like this.

It’s been 10 years and I have one successful business, and am working on building Life, Tailored into another successful business.

I’m nowhere near where I want to be, and get frustrated with my lack of progress.

Look forward to what’s possible

Express shares my vision for optimism about the future, and that optimism is what helps me get through tough days and look forward to what’s to come.

I know that 10 years from now, I will most definitely have exceeded all of my expectations, and will be writing another post like this reflecting on everything I’ve accomplished.

Until then, I’m going to work my ass off, be true to myself and keep partnering with brands like Express that have the same values that I do.

Here are my picks for a forward looking wardrobe, all denim shirts of course because nothing is more true to yourself than denim:

• Light Wash Destroyed Denim
• Dark Blue Westnern Denim Shirt
• Western Denim Shirt

Pair them with these jeans:

• Low Rise Slim Fit Straight Leg White Flex Stretch Jeans

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Express. The opinions and text are all mine.