Okay…

 

So, here you are, digging into a bit of information about who I am. After all, if you are going to trust me as your business partner & coach, you probably want to find out what I'm all about.

 

I promise I'm not going to give you the typical adrenaline-charged load of crap (oops), or the boring list of my personal accomplishments that led me to arrive at my current level of success. *insert yawn here.

 

I know you've heard it all. Everyone's got an angle. Everyone's got a gimmick.

 

You've heard the rags to riches stories until you just about can't take them anymore, and you probably wonder if half of them are even true.

 

I'm actually going to share something with you that's different.

 

What I'm about to give you is a very personal —and rather embarrassing account of who I really am.

 

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find value in it.

 

Anyways, first things first.

 

The Secrets

There are two secrets about me I want to share with you that most people don’t know—including some of my closest friends and family members. Here we go:

 

 

 

Secret #1 – First, I'm a PK…(that's the abbreviation for preacher's kid). Oh gosh! Don't judge me.

Secret #2 – The second thing most people don't know about me is… (bare with me, this is hard to get out).

 

……

……

……

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I flunked out of college. 

 

Yep, it's true.

 

In January of 2001, with only twelve semester hours left to graduate, I received a letter in the mail from the University of Texas at Austin, officially terminating my enrollment.

 

I can remember that day like it was yesterday.

I began college in the summer of 1997, exactly one week after my high school graduation. Being the determined person that I am, I had big goals. I was aiming for not one, but two degrees.

 

Keeping in line with my 'go-for-it' attitude, I took three more credit hours than the full course load requirement for summer school. A full course load was 9hrs, but I took 12.

 

This didn't seem to be a problem. I was excelling. I was on top of the world. I finished up summer school with a 3.75 GPA.

 

I only allowed myself a two week break in between summer school and the fall semester. Then I went right back into it full swing, taking 12 semester hours.

 

By the fall of 1998, which was one year later, I added an internship in order to pay my tuition. I was now working 20hrs per week and attended college.

 

A typical day went like this:

 

7:00am – Wake up

8:00am – Class 1

10:00am – Class 2

11:00am – Class 3

12 noon – Class 4

2:00-7:00pm – Work

9:00pm – 2:00am – Study

Next day…Do it all over again.

 

My days were very long, hard, and grueling. I was pushing myself beyond my limits. After a while, my performance began to slip, as well as my grades.

 

By the spring of 2000, I was totally burnt-out, stressed-out, and bummed-out.

 

So, what did I do? Well, the logical thing, of course…I tried to de-stress by partying. And along with partying came drinking. So, on top of my impossible schedule, I added social stress relief. My friends and I drank, and we drank, and we drank.

 

It's not something I'm proud of, but it is what it is.

 

Of course, as you can imagine, my life was quickly taking a downward spiral.

 

Let's add more to this scenario, shall we?

 

Along with the stress of school, my parents were facing foreclosure back at home and was just one court date away from being divorced.

 

As you can imagine, between school and family issues, I thought I was going to lose my mind. Why not? I had lost control of everything else.  

 

In just a few short months I reached the point where I couldn't even wake up in the morning. My attention span was like a two year old. I walked around like a zombie, not knowing whether I was coming or going. I couldn't concentrate on my class work, my job, or anything else for that matter. I was a mess.

 

This went on for several months, until I received that dreaded letter in the mail.

 

In January of 2001, I received a letter of termination that totally broke my heart; a letter terminating me from the University Of Texas at Austin.

 

I felt horrible.

 

I thought the world had ended.

 

I thought my life was over.

 

I thought my dreams were shattered and that I'd never amount to anything.

 

I cried, and cried, and cried, and cried.

 

I immediately called my mom and told her what was going on. She didn't yell, scream, or fuss. Do you know what she did? She comforted me.

 

We talked about my options and what I should do from there. We talked about goals, life decisions, and how to get out of this self-inflicted mess I was in the middle of.

 

I honestly didn't know what to do, but I decided to follow her guidance. The first thing she instructed me to do was to contact the appeals department of the university.

 

To make a long story short, I submitted an appeal that included information about what my family was going through. The appeals department accepted my appeal and reinstated me back into school.

 

I ended up graduating in the fall of 2001 with a focus in computer science and mathematics.

 

My point is pretty simple.

 

I'm not the smartest or brightest person that has ever faced a challenge, but guess what? I still persevered through the problems and situations I went though. It wasn't easy. But I set my goals (which at the time were to get out of the mess I had created and finish my degree) and I accomplished them.

 

Now, I know you may be thinking, "What the heck does your college woes have to do with making money online or being successful in business?"

 

Everything…Let me explain,

 

As a PK, I grew up attending church sometimes 7 days a week. I had family Bible study on Mondays, church Bible study on Tuesdays, choir rehearsal on Wednesdays(no, I can't sing), drill-team rehearsal on Thursdays, church service on Fridays, praise dance rehearsal on Saturday mornings, and 2 church services on Sunday…..(whew, that's a lot!). We churched and churched and churched and churched, until I honestly thought I'd hate church one day.

 

But I didn't…

 

I ended up gaining a true appreciation for the old saying "W.W.J.D" (What Would Jesus Do?). I learned foundational principals that can't be learned through a textbook. Things like integrity, compassion for others, excellence, and a winning attitude.

 

I learned that it wasn't so much what I was going through (such as temporarily flunking out of college), but more importantly, it was how I handled what I went through and what my perspective was. I could choose to dwell on my situation and allow it to crush my spirit, or I could choose to use it as a stepping stone.

 

My biggest failure turned out to be the springboard or stepping stone to my success. I suppose I formed my whole business on the fact that 'nothing can stop me'…certainly not a piece of paper from a university.

 

 

To sum it all up, my upbringing as a PK, along with the compassion that was developed from my own setbacks has brought me to the point where I can see right through the smoke screens that hold people back from success.

 

As a matter of fact, if I talk to you for any length of time, and you are willing to share your story with me, I'll be able to recognize what's holding you back. It has become part of my DNA and will be a part of my legacy to encourage others and bring them to success, self confidence, and a realization that they have no limits aside from the ones they place on themselves.

 

I love to help others succeed. I thrive when others thrive.

 

There is a famous quote by Norman Vincent Peale that is very true. "Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own." That is the true key to success.

 

In my business, customer servant-hood is my #1 priority.

 

Their success (or YOUR success) is my success…

 

So, you want to know a bit about me, about what makes me tick?

 

 

If you've been put in my path, I believe it's a divine appointment and regardless of where your starting point is, you have a destiny…you have something to fulfill.

 

Whatever my part is in that, and for however long, let's enjoy the journey together.

 

We only go through this life once…Let's make it amazing together!

 

Your friend & pal,

Toni Young