Daymond John: Why You Should Exercise The Power of Broke

How many of us can say that we are broke and without a plan, but have a dream? If that’s you, “Say I”, out loud. Go ahead, don’t be shy. Many of us are clueless as to how to accomplish our goals. What if I told you that being broke is not a bad thing, but a testament to how you tackle adversity? Would you believe me?

Well, according to Investor, Daymond John’s, new book, “The Power of Broke”, it’s all about your mindset. He believes that despite your financial means, you should use your hunger and drive to obtain and maintain your level of success.

In John’s book, he highlights several success stories: EDM deejay, Steve Aoki, who managed to parlay a series of $100 gigs into becoming a global superstar, cupcake queen, Gigi Butler, who built a cupcake empire on the back of an old family recipe and 11 year old, fashion designer, Mo Bridges, who stitched together a winning clothing line with just his grandma’s sewing machine. Does this last person remind you of someone? All of these individuals represent the essence of what it means to exercise the power of broke.

When Daymond started his first company Fubu, he was juggling, selling hand made hats at a coliseum with irregular work hours at Red Lobster. He did this until he could afford to quit his job and make Fubu a full time gig.

There are tons of examples like these, including Steve Harvey’s Rags to Riches story. At one point in his career, he was living out of his car. We can’t tell by looking at him now, but that was his reality, for three whole years. The reason Steve Harvey succeeded was because he did not give up, despite the odds that were stacked up against him. He continued to perform whether he was getting paid or not, even, given his financial status.

As someone who firmly believes in, “The Power of Broke”, I’m a writer who has more career uncertainty, then anyone can image, I can truly attest to the courage, hustle and drive it takes to live out your dreams regardless of your financial means.

OK, SO LET’S START PRACTICING THE POWER OF BROKE

Step out on faith and live as if today was your last. Dust off your life journal, or get one, and write down everything that you would do if money weren’t an obstacle? We all know that money comes and goes. When you die, it won’t go with you, but your legacy will stick around, so let’s start building that now.

Think small in the beginning. Whatever it is that you want to accomplish, what is the smallest way that you can go about starting to achieve your goal? Do you want to build a website or an app? Create a landing page and ask people to sign up in exchange for free information. Are you trying to write a book? Write an outline and ask your peers for feedback.

In one line, let us know in the comments below what you plan to work on so that we can help keep you accountable.

Contributing Writer: Antoinette Ortega