What my step-dad actually said was,

“Your son is a WORTHLESS mother-fucking piece-of shit!”

I was 14 years old.

I heard them arguing as I sat at the kitchen table.

It was 1 AM. I was studying for a test I had the next day.

I slammed my textbook closed.

Inside my mind, I quietly screamed, “NO I’M NOT.”

No, I’m not…

I wasn’t worthless.

I was mad.

Mad that my mother was fighting with my step-dad.

Mad that he and I didn’t get along.

Mad that I was trying my best, and it wasn’t enough.

Mad because I didn’t want to be in my house.

Mad that I was one of 8-kids in the house.

Mad we were so broke.

Mad we often didn’t have food in the house.

Mad that when the bills didn’t get paid, we had no electricity.

Mad that when we didn’t have running water, I had to carry buckets of disgusting-green-pool-water into our house to wash dishes, and flush the toilets.

Mad at my step-dad.

Mad at my mom.

Mad at my dad.

Mad at my siblings.

Mad at myself.

Mad at my teachers.

Mad at the unfairness of it all.

Sitting there, heart-pounding…

I was just MAD.

Listening to them argue…

I just wanted to CRY.

And SLEEP.

Or run away.

What I really wanted to do was run into my mom’s bedroom and scream at mystepdad, “FUCK YOU!”

But at the same time, I wanted to GIVE UP.

And at the same time, I wanted to tell my teacher, “FUCK YOU! Why do we have to live like this?!”

But my step-father’s voice rang in my ears:

“Your son is a WORTHLESS mother-fucking piece-of shit!”

I vividly remember myself SCREAMING inside my mind, “NO I’M NOT!”

But I was scared.

And embarrassed.

And ashamed.

My guts were churning.

I thought I might throw-up.

But, as I sat there… instead of letting those things STOP me.

I decided would make them to FUEL me.

I decided to FIGHT.

And while I still felt helpless, I also felt… a sense of POWER… boiling up inside of me.

So I chose the HARDEST thing I could do…

I opened my textbook.

I let the voices of my mom and stepdad drown out in the background.

I stayed up all night, studying for that stupid test.

And I made a PROMISE to myself.

I PROMISED MYSELF I WOULDN’T LIVE THIS WAY.

I promised myself, that when I gew up, I wouldn’t raise my family this way.

And I wouldn’t just work, HARD… I’d work, SMART.

My step-father worked hard.

He was a roofer.

He didn’t make much money.

My father worked hard.

He was a horseshoer.

He didn’t make much money.

I wouldn’t make their mistakes.

I’d find a way to be SMART.

I promised myself that “money” would never be a problem for me.

I’d find a way out.

I’d find a way to get FREE.

I’d NEVER QUIT.

And I never give my stepdad, or my math teacher, or anyone else in the world… the SATISFACTION of being right.

I wasn’t worthless.

Years before…

When my parents were still together, and I still thought they were the smartest people on earth…

They told me I could “do” ANYTHING.

They told me that I could “be” anything.

They told me that anything was possible.

That would be my truth.

The math equations in front of me blurred together.

I hated math.

But because of all the sports and activities, I was involved in, I’d missed a whole week of math class.

“HOW AM IN GOING TO PASS THIS STUPID TEST?!?!?”

Tears fell out of my eyes onto the paper, “This isn’t fair!”

Again, it was a silent scream.

AnMy real-dads voice echo in my head, “Don’t let me ever hear you say that life is fair.”

I took a deep breath.

I REFUSED to be the guy my step-dad said I was.

I REFUSED to be worthless.

I REFUSED to be a piece-of-shit.

I REFUSED to be a loser.

So I studied.

All night.

And the next day, I ACED that fucking test.

I didn’t do it for my stepdad’s praise.

I didn’t do it for my mom.

I did it for me.

I did it because I wanted a new life.

And I was willing to kill myself to have it.

I WANTED A NEW LIFE.

I needed to BECOME THE MAN that deserved and attracted those experiences.

The only place I had to turn was school.

Even though I didn’t like it.

Even though I wasn’t very good at it.

So while school did help me, “learn to learn…”

It didn’t help me be successful in life.

Mark Twain said,

“I never let my schooling get in the way of my education.”

No, school didn’t teach me what I needed.

(Big surprise)

Instead, I found that the secret to my success was to get help.

To get help from someone who had been there before me, who was willing to help me.

A mentor.

I found mentors in school, and sports, and in business.

The first professional mentor I hired to help me in my business helped me go from $20K a month to over $80K a month in 4 months.

I’ve had many mentors.

I hope to find many more.

But I have CRITERIA for my mentors.

1 – They need to have gotten phenomenal results “themselves”

And…

2 – They need to have gotten phenomenal results for “others”

Fact:

*Just because someone is “great” at something,
DOES NOT MEAN, they are great at helping someone else.

They may actually be BAD at it.

Here are some questions I ask myself when choosing “the right” mentor:

“What are the RESULTS they’ve helped others achieve?

“WHO has he/she helped”

“Do I LIKE those results?”

“Do I WANT those results?”

Today, I seek mentors more aggressively than I do clients.

Today, I don’t hide from my past or my mistakes or my failures or my fears.

I’m proud of them.

In fact, I “brag” about them.

Today, I realize that it’s BECAUSE of those challenges that I’ve become who I am today.

Today, I’m proud to be a mentor to others.

I’m not mad anymore.

Not at my step-dad.

Not at my mom.

Not at my dad.

Not at my circumstances.

Not at any other person who ever “did me wrong…”

Those challenges, ALL OF THEM, were gifts.

I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world.

Today, I have new goals and dreams.

New things I want to EXPERIENCE.

New ways I want to GROW.

New ways I want to CONTRIBUTE.

One of the things I’m MOST PASSIONATE about today is helping people FIND and SHARE their gifts and stories.

That’s why I want to help everyone on earth write a book. ALL OF THEM.

But not just any book, an “EPIC” book.

One that truly helps people.

I spent the last 30 years learning everything I could from the most successful people I could find.

And I found and hired the best mentors, so I could figure out how to help other people create incredible results.

And I want to share it with you – how you can do it, too.

There is a common denominator.

It is what the richest most successful people in history have done to build their wealth, their influence and their income…

And I want you to have it.

I want to help you go get it.

If you’d like help identifying and getting to that next level…

If you’d like to uncover and share your knowledge with the world…

If you’d like to crystalize your POWER STORY and become a POWERFUL storyteller…

If you’d like to write and publish an EPIC book…

Then I can help you.

Believe me, it’ll cost you a fortune if you don’t learn it.

HERE’S WHAT YOU SHOULD DO NEXT:

Click this link if you’d like some help: http://epicauthor.com/dc1

That’s it.

Use your fingers (or your thumbs) and let me know you want my help, and I’ll help you.

No cost to you.

I’ll just help you.

We’ll either jump on a call together, or I can give you some resources to help you.

I won’t do the work for you.

But I can show you the path.

I’ll say it again…

Click this link if you’d like some help: http://epicauthor.com/dc1

HERE’S WHY I’M DOING THIS

I want to give you the help, I wish I would have gotten.

And, some (but not all) of the people I do this for ends up asking me to hire me and help with their book, publishing or marketing.

My hope is that I help you so much that you ask me about becoming a client.

Pretty straightforward.

But – just to be clear – this really is an opportunity to get a complete audit of your WHERE YOU ARE… and WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

We can talk about your book-idea(s) and I’m willing to give you an in-depth “consultation” on how to take your knowledge and stories and turn them into YOUR MOST POWERFUL MARKETING tools.

To take what you’re doing, and make it better.

If that sounds good, Click this link: http://epicauthor.com/dc1

PLUS: I’m interviewing people for my new book.

Along the way, I’m seeking people I can help that I can FEATURE in the book.

So, in essence, this is RESEARCH for my book.

(And cool case-studies.)

I’m seeking new “leaders” and “legends” that want to impact the world.

(I’m talking to YOU right now.)

I want to learn from you.

Get to know you.

To become friends with you.

To contribute to you.

I want to find mutually-beneficial ways we can change the world – together.

Click this link if you’d like some help: http://epicauthor.com/dc1

Be great,

-Trevor

“Your message matters. Become the hero of your own story.” -Trevor Crane

Click this link if you’d like to chat: http://epicauthor.com/dc1