The Inner Forge Series: Part 2 of 4

After that moment in the Cinnabon when reality hit me through that man's perspective, I had to face an uncomfortable question: What was I still holding onto that kept me there? Was I clinging to the validation of being "the boss" without ownership? Was I gripping the comfort of a steady paycheck?

The truth is, I had a whole arsenal of excuses ready to deploy at a moment's notice.

The Holiday Season Excuse

That pivotal moment happened in December—the worst possible time. As head of management for Cinnabon, Auntie Anne's, and Great American Cookie across multiple states, the holiday season was our Super Bowl. I had an instant, rock-solid excuse:

"I'm way too busy to start something new. It's the holiday season."

My mind worked overtime creating justifications to stay exactly where I was. But here's the real question: If December was too busy, what about the six or seven months after that? What excuses kept me chained to that job long after the holidays ended?

The Success Machine Principle

Let me share the most profound paradox I see every single day in my business.

Someone sits across from me, eyes lit up talking about freedom and success. They're excited about new opportunities, ready to hear about building something of their own. Then the excuses start rolling in. The biggest one?

"I don't have enough time."

And that's insane because lack of time is exactly why they wanted to become successful in the first place—to finally have time freedom.

The Painful Irony

Whatever people want from success becomes the exact excuse for why they won't pursue it:

Want time freedom → "I don't have time to build it"
Want financial security → "I'm too scared to invest"
Want respect → "I'm afraid to look foolish while learning"
Want family time → "I can't sacrifice time with family"

Understanding the Success Machine

Here's the principle that changed everything for me:

To get more of something, you must first invest it.

Think about your 401(k). If you put candy bars into it, what do you get out? Candy bars. But if you put money in, you get more money out. The same principle applies to everything you want in life.

The Success Machine Formula:

Identify what you want more of
Sacrifice that exact thing temporarily
Invest it into your success machine (your business/skills/assets)
Get unlimited amounts back later

Real Examples from My Journey:

Content Creation: The Year I Went Silent

Before I started my business, I was already deep into content creation for gaming. I had built a following, established routines, and genuinely loved creating content. It was my outlet, my passion, and honestly, part of my identity. But when I committed to building my financial business, I had to make a brutal choice. For an entire year, I didn't create a single piece of content. No gaming videos, no posts, nothing.

That sacrifice felt like losing a piece of myself. I watched other creators continue to grow while I went dark. Friends asked why I'd disappeared. Followers wondered what happened. But I knew that to build something that would give me unlimited creative freedom later, I had to invest all my creative energy into my business first. Now? I have all the time in the world to create content however I want, whenever I want. I can make content all day, every day if I choose. I had to put that passion into my success 401k to get unlimited creative freedom as my return.

Status: From District Manager to Nobody to True Leader

Here's the truth—I never actually liked being "the boss." What I loved was being the leader everyone looked up to. When I managed 57 stores across three states, I had that immediate respect. People sought my guidance. My advice mattered. But I hated the responsibility that came with being "the boss"—the politics, the corporate pressure, having to fire people for reasons I didn't agree with.

Then I quit to start my financial business, and suddenly I was nobody. But here's what surprised me: it only took 3-6 months before I earned an even higher level of respect as a mentor, leader, and coach. No title needed. The difference was profound—people came to me for guidance because they wanted to, not because they had to.

Look at me now: I've coached and mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs and leaders without ever needing to be "the boss" again. My leadership influence isn't limited to 57 stores—it's unlimited. People follow me not because of a title or corporate hierarchy, but because of who I've become and the value I provide. I had to give up that false authority to discover what real leadership looks like.

Stability: The Job-Hopper Fear That Almost Kept Me Stuck

One of my biggest fears was looking unstable. I'd always been the guy who stayed at jobs, climbed the ladder, got promotions. I never job-hopped. That was for unreliable people, I thought. The idea of leaving my district manager position to do something as "unstable" as finance, life insurance, and estate planning made me physically uncomfortable. I imagined people talking behind my back, "He couldn't do that," or "He's one of those people who can't stick with anything."

I had to sacrifice that image of stability—the very thing I thought made me respectable. For months, I looked exactly like what I feared: someone without a "real job," someone doing commission-based work, someone who'd "given up" a good position. But that temporary perception was the price for permanent stability. Now everyone knows I own a massive company. I can't just "leave" my company—it's mine. The stability I have now is real, not rented. I had to look unstable to become truly stable.

Why "Stability" Is Often Fear in Disguise

Let me expose one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves about security.

I thought I had a steady paycheck. Sure, I knew exactly what I'd get paid every two weeks because I was on salary. But was it really steady? The truth was worse—I worked more and more hours every pay cycle without getting a penny extra. 75+ hours a week became my normal, but my paycheck stayed exactly the same. I couldn't increase my income no matter how hard I worked.

The Salary Trap

Being on salary means:

The job must get done, period
Hours don't matter
Extra effort doesn't equal extra pay
You're capped at maximum effort with minimum reward

I was already in an unstable situation. People just thought I was stable, and I was terrified of looking unstable. But why was I so concerned about appearances when my reality was constant struggle?

The Investment Paradox

Here's the painful pattern I witness every single day in my business, and it never fails to amaze me. Someone sits across from me or on Zoom, their eyes lighting up as they talk about freedom and success. They're genuinely excited about new opportunities, eager to hear about starting in finance or building something part-time. They paint vivid pictures of what they want: time with family, financial freedom, respect, control over their life.

Then, without fail, the excuses start rolling in. And the biggest one? "I don't have enough time."

The irony hits me like a brick every time. Lack of time is literally the exact reason they said they wanted to become successful in the first place—to finally have time freedom. They'll spend an hour telling me how they never see their kids, how they're always at work, how they wish they had time for hobbies. Then when I show them the path to time freedom, they say they don't have time to pursue it.

Or take the people who say they desperately want financial security. They're tired of living paycheck to paycheck, worried about emergencies, stressed about retirement. But when it comes time to invest money in their business, education, a financial product, suddenly they're "too broke to invest." They want more money but won't put money into the very vehicle that creates wealth.

Even more heartbreaking are the parents who tell me, "I want success so my family can have a better life." Beautiful goal, right? But then they say, "If I do all this extra work, I'll have to spend time away from my family." They can't see that temporary sacrifice leads to permanent presence.

This is what I call the Investment Paradox: Whatever people want from success becomes the exact excuse for why they won't pursue it.

Your excuses aren't just obstacles—they're your success blueprint in disguise.

How Your Excuses Reveal Your Path:

"I don't have time" → You need to invest time to create time freedom. Think about it: If you're too busy to build your freedom, you'll be busy forever. I see people work 60-hour weeks for someone else but claim they can't find 10 hours a week to build their own business. The very time scarcity that's crushing you is exactly what you need to invest. When I started my business, I worked those same 75-hour weeks PLUS another 20-30 hours building my company. Was it exhausting? Absolutely. But now I control every minute of my day.
"I don't have money" → You need to invest money to create wealth. This is the classic broke person's paradox. You want more money, but you won't invest the little you have. It's like refusing to plant seeds because you're hungry. I've watched people spend $5 daily on coffee (that's $1,825 a year) but claim they can't afford a $125 business investment. The money you think you don't have is exactly what needs to go into your wealth-building machine. Even small amounts, invested consistently, create exponential returns.
"I can't leave my family" → You need to sacrifice family time temporarily to secure it forever. This one hurts because it comes from love. Parents tell me they can't build a business because they'd miss dinner with their kids. But here's the truth: missing 100 dinners now could mean being present for the next 10,000. I sacrificed family time for 18 months—missed gatherings, worked through family holidays. Now? I can take random time off to spend with family or friends. I never miss important moments. Temporary sacrifice created permanent presence.
"I'll lose my status" → You need to give up false validation for real respect. People cling to titles like life preservers, afraid to look like beginners again. I watched executives refuse to start businesses because they didn't want to be seen as "starting over." But false status is just rented respect—it disappears the moment you lose the title. Real respect comes from building something meaningful. When I gave up my district manager status, people thought I'd failed. Now those same people ask me for business advice.

The Truth About Investment

When I say "invest," I mean:

Get it out of your hands
Stop worrying about it
Put it into your success machine
Trust the process
Receive multiplied returns later

Breaking Down False Security vs. Real Ownership

Here's what kept me stuck for months after that Cinnabon moment:

False Security Checklist:

✗ Steady paycheck (but capped income)
✗ Important title (but no equity)
✗ Job security (but can be fired anytime)
✗ No benefits package (and still trading time for money)
✗ Respected position (but building someone else's dream)

Real Ownership Reality:

✓ Variable income (but unlimited potential)
✓ Starting from scratch (but building your empire)
✓ Uncertain beginning (but certain ownership)
✓ No guarantees (but full control)
✓ Temporary discomfort (but permanent assets)

The Excuse-to-Blueprint Converter

Here's your practical framework for turning excuses into action:

Step 1: Identify Your Top 3 Excuses

Write down the three biggest reasons you give for not pursuing your dreams. Be brutally honest—these are the stories you tell yourself when opportunities arise.

My example: My top excuses were "It's the holiday season," "I don't want to look unstable," and "I've never been good at sales."

Step 2: Flip Each Excuse

For each excuse, ask: "What would I need to sacrifice to eliminate this excuse?" The answer reveals what you need to invest.

My example: To eliminate "I don't want to look unstable," I had to sacrifice my image as someone with a steady career. To overcome "I've never been good at sales," I had to sacrifice my comfort zone and learn new skills.

Step 3: Calculate the Investment

How long would you need to sacrifice it?
What systems could multiply your return?
What's the cost of NOT investing it?

My example: I calculated I'd need to sacrifice my "stable" image for 18-24 months. The system that would multiply my return was building a financial practice. The cost of NOT investing? Staying at $32k/year forever while working 75+ hours weekly and sacrificing my principles as a man.

Step 4: Create Your Investment Plan

Map out exactly how you'll invest what you want more of into your success machine. Be specific about timeframes and actions.

My example: I mapped out giving up content creation for one year, investing 90+ hours weekly into my business, and sacrificing my district manager status. I set specific milestones for client acquisition and team building.

Your Excuses Are Your Roadmap

The most powerful realization? Every excuse you make shows you exactly what you need to give up to get what you want.

My Personal Examples:

Excuse: "I need steady income" Investment: Gave up predictable paychecks Return: Now earn 10x what I made, on my terms
Excuse: "I can't lose my leadership status" Investment: Started over as "the new guy" Return: Now lead a national organization
Excuse: "I don't have time for change" Investment: Sacrificed all free time for 18 months Return: Complete time freedom today

The excuses you're making right now? They're not roadblocks. They're signposts pointing directly to what you need to invest to get everything you want.

Now you know what to sacrifice. But are you ready for the actual cost? Because there are two prices to pay, and most people never see the second one coming...

Ready to calculate the real price of your dreams? Subscribe below for Part 3: "The Two Costs of Freedom: Choose Your Pain"

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Your Excuses Are Your Blueprint: The Success Machine Principle