Why You Need to Be Broke (Before You Get Rich)

Let me say something to you that might trigger you at first. You need to be broke. Now, not forever, not as an identity, and not as a destination, but as a lesson. Most people are terrified of being broke. They avoid it at all costs. They pretend it's not happening. They hide it from friends if they are broke, if they're struggling or financially in debt. They hide it from family. They don't wanna feel the shame of that, and they hide it from themselves. And worse, they judge themselves for it. And there was a time in my life when I was completely broke. No savings, no real income, and no clear path forward on how to make money. It was actually kind of terrifying for me at that moment. I was sleeping on my citrus couch. I had some gratitude in my life, but I was also embarrassed at the same time. I felt like I had potential that maybe I could create something, but I had no real proof, no real evidence of that. And I was questioning a lot of my decisions. I was questioning my self worth. I was questioning why I couldn't make money. And I was questioning if I had missed my window of opportunity to make money. I didn't feel successful. I didn't feel confident or believe in myself. And honestly, I didn't believe that I felt free in my life. I felt trapped. I don't know if you've ever felt this in your life where you didn't have money, you didn't know where it was coming in and you don't feel free. You feel kind of trapped. Fast forward to today. I'm financially free. I do work that I love. I have choices and options. I've created a life where I create peace inside myself and money is no longer the thing that is controlling my decisions. And that wasn't always the case when I was broke, money was controlling a lot of my decisions and I was doing things to make money because I needed it to survive. And here's why I'm telling you this. This is not to impress you or to flex on you or not to pretend that it was easy also, but to be clear about one thing, the season when I was broke taught me more about money, self worth and freedom than any season when I was making more money. And it's hard to believe that because being broke, doesn't just show you your bank account and what you lack and how much you don't have. It shows you your belief system. It shows you your habits. It shows you your fears, your insecurities, and your relationship with money. Now, what does that mean, Louis, your relationship with money? It teaches you what your relationship is with money when you have it, when you don't have it, when other people have it around you, how does it make you feel? What is that …