....Continued.

I quit and took a job pumping gas in January. In Chicago—cold, broke, and going nowhere. I had barely made it through high school and read at about a third-grade level. My dad had been calling me “Skid” for years, short for Skid Row—where he believed I was headed. And if I’m honest, he wasn’t far off. After all, I did start using drugs at 11 years old. I was lost, on drugs, and carrying a deep belief that I wasn’t enough. The real poverty wasn’t in my bank account—it was in my thinking. I was fighting battles no one could see: fear, self-doubt, low self-worth, people-pleasing, imposter syndrome. Every external result in my life was a reflection of those internal struggles.

Then I met my first mentor, Steve Hajas, and for the first time I saw something different—possibility in myself. I quit drugs, took some classes at night school, learned auto repair, and began stacking small wins. I bought my first house at 22. Read my first book cover to cover at 23. Opened EK Automotive at 26. Became a millionaire by 35. But the real victory wasn’t the money—it was mastering what was happening inside. When I learned how the mind works and began overcoming fear, rewriting limiting beliefs, and building real self-worth, everything outside of me changed. That’s when I understood the truth: life is lived from the inside out. When you win the inner battle, you unlock the life you’ve always wanted.