“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” -Gandhi

it’s because of this quote – more accurately my realization of it’s depth – that i’ve turned my back on and walked away from my internet millions.

son, internet millions are the future. i’ve got a home study course to sell you that proves it.

for the past several years i’ve written copy and consulted on marketing campaigns for some big name folks, ones you’ve undoubtedly heard of. i’ve also helped solo-preneurs, those who lay it all on the line every single day to make things happen.

i’ve done this all from the comfort of my living room, while lounging on a beach, and while trekking through exotic rainforests. that’s the beauty of an internet business – i get to choose when, where, and how i work.

thankfully it was because of this location independent lifestyle that i ended up in a remote village in Thailand where i was just the third foreigner to ever enter. i lived with them for 10 days and it was during this time i realized the weight of Gandhi’s quote.

when you got millions, you can do whatever the hell you want. buy whatever the hell you want. you do want to own more things, don’t you? you’d be unamerican if you didn’t.

as i viewed what i did – marketing – i was helping people achieve their dreams by making their businesses more successful. basically, helping them make the money that supported the lifestyle they wanted.

so, it was in in a rice field surrounded by the kindest, most welcoming people i’ve ever had the honor of knowing that my view began to change.

i witnessed how an entire village came together to raise their young and care for their sick, handicapped, and elderly. how they would first tend to another’s rice field before they tended their own.

these folks were dirt poor rice farmers with very little personal possessions but witnessing the way they came together as a community you’d say they were rich where it really counts.

i then had a painful revelation…

what i had to offer these people in the way of marketing meant nothing. and that all my marketing services did was contribute to a problem that i deeply despised – a world driven by the lure of the dollar.

people are always chasing the dollar. that’s what powers the mighty machine of capitalism and makes us fat cats fatter. these people are fueled by the belief that once they have more money all they’re problems go away. LOL.

so, to see the change i want in the world i need to be that change. i needed to change.

to make real connections with real people and in doing so strengthen my own community.

as i write this i’ve sold parts of my consulting business, closed other parts down, and i’ve stopped accepting clients.

also, i’ve learned that for me to have the greatest impact on my own community i need to be involved on a more fundamental level. one that truly affects the life and health of my community…

i’ve gone to school and become an EMT working towards being a paramedic. i’ve just recently received my license to practice medicine and am hustling to get hired at an ambulance service or fire department.

in the meantime, i’m hustling as a bartender at a local restaurant. quite the change from living the internet lifestyle with it’s glitz, glamour, and generous income. but… it’s me being the change i want to see in the world.