$7.95. That’s it. But let me tell you, I felt like the richest man alive.

Flashback to the tail end of 2013. 

I’m sitting at my dinner table, the first rays of sun are kissing Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, and I’m about to have a hell of a morning.

Rewind seven months. I’m in Sydney, my wife’s six months pregnant, and what do I do? 

I make the ballsy, maybe borderline crazy decision to pack up, leave everything familiar, and fly to Dubai. 

Just me and one acquaintance in my corner, all to start a new business, a new life for my soon-to-be family.

Tick-tock, the clock’s ticking. I’ve got less than 12 weeks to land in Dubai, set up my personal training business, and make it rain. 

No pressure, right?

I jet back to Sydney just in time. My wife, Lauren – the real hero of this story – gives birth to our beautiful daughter. The struggles we faced, the sweat and tears, that’s our story, etched in our memories.

So, we all fly to Dubai, and I immediately start grinding away, training clients from dawn to dusk, six days a week. 

I wanted more – more money, more freedom, more impact.

Training clients face-to-face felt like golden handcuffs—well-paid, but a prison nonetheless.

Cue that early morning at the end of 2013. I’m at my dinner table, hitting ‘send’ on an email that could change everything. 

My finger stopped, a panic, a fear, a hesitation before I could email my measly small list to sell my first online program. Priced at a humble $7.95, it was packed with everything I knew about getting someone into incredible shape from my experience coaching CEOs, politicians, actors, a UFC fighter, Arab Sheiks, and a world champion bikini model.

Lauren’s standing at the door waiting for me. It’s my day off, and we’re off to our favorite cafe to enjoy the little time we actually have together each week. 

And then, on the car ride to the cafe, my phone made a sound I’d never heard before.

“Cha-ching.”

Irresponsible? Maybe. I sneak a peek at my phone while driving.

It’s my PayPal app—first sale.

Then another. And another.

I’m making money while driving to breakfast. 

I’m making money while eating breakfast. 

I’m making money while I change my daughter’s nappy.

Money’s rolling in, and I’m not even working.

I’ve closed seven-figure deals, but you know what really stands out to me? Those first sales. That epiphany when you finally get the ball rolling—nothing quite like it.

But here’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way…

We’re always chasing more—more money, more status, more trophies on the shelf.

But when the hell do we stop and ask, “What’s enough?”

When I started my online fitness coaching business, $10,000 a month would be my golden ticket. I hit that, and like clockwork, I set my sights on $100,000 a month.

A few years after that first online dollar in Dubai, I was on Canggu Beach in Bali. 

Life had taken a turn; we moved to Bali from Dubai, chasing dreams of world travel and giving my online business the legroom it needed. Bali wasn’t just a postcard destination; it was our financial safety net.

Fast-forward to a day on the beach. I’m building sand castles with my daughters. Then I get a message from my assistant. The monthly financials are done, and she’s sent me the spreadsheet.

We’d cracked $100,000 a month, and like a reflex, my first thought was, “How fast can I get to $1,000,000 a month?”

“To be smart enough to get all that money. You have to be stupid enough to want it.” – G.K Chesterton.

Thankfully—I’ve done the therapy, seen the healers, tripped on psychedelics, and devoured more books than I can poke a stick at. Something must’ve finally sunk in.

And I thought, “Enough is enough.”

But then I sat there, really letting that sink in, and asked myself why I had reached this point. 

Why did I finally say, “Enough is enough?”

There are two reasons—one is a gut feeling, and the other is a practical philosophy I want to live by.

First, it’s that visceral moment when you hit a wall, and you can’t help but throw your hands up in frustration and despair. You reach a point where you just can’t tolerate the bullshit anymore. 

It’s that breaking point, where you say, “Enough is enough.” You’ve hit rock bottom, crushed by the weight of whatever’s been dragging you down, and you make a decision—a pledge—that you won’t tolerate it any longer. 

You’re done with the pain, the struggle, and you resolve to fix it, whatever it takes.

Second, it’s a compass, a guiding philosophy for how you choose to live. 

The suffering, the unhappiness, that gnawing feeling in your gut at 2 a.m. that whispers, “You’re not happy with where your life is”—it’s all driven by your constant craving for what you don’t have. The endless striving, the thirst for more—that’s what’s making you miserable.

But what if you could be fulfilled, peacefully content with what you already have, while still watching success unfold in front of you? That’s the real trick.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying we should just sit on our hands and accept whatever life tosses our way.

Far from it. It’s about knowing what’s in your control and what’s not, then going all-in on the former. 

So when it comes to achieving anything, I think of the process;

Objective > Strategy > Tactics.

For me, I don’t want to be happy.

Happiness is not directly what I’m trying to achieve.

Freedom, equanimity, peace… These are the feelings I feel like are what I’m trying to point at. But if I had to have one word, for me, in my chapter of life right now, it’s freedom.

Think about it: we all want freedom, don’t we? But why’s it so elusive? 

And I believe that true Freedom is downstream from financial freedom. 

It’s not about stacking cash for the heck of it. It’s about using that dough to grow into your best self and give you the resources to then spread the love.

I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum: dead broke, crashing on sofas, heart racing over bills. 

And now? Financial indpenedance. And let me tell you, the difference is night and day. More freedom, more chances to give back.

But this is where I went wrong for much of my 20’s and 30’s…

I didn’t embody the truth that, life is a journey with many chapters, and in each chapter, a man must focus on different aspects of his life to grow and find fulfillment. 

As we move through these stages, it’s important to take stock of the key areas that comprise our existence – our relationships, career, health, personal growth, spirituality, and more.

When we enter a new chapter, there is often one area that demands our primary focus and energy. Perhaps it’s building a career in our 20s, starting a family in our 30s, or pursuing a passion in our later years. Whatever that key priority is, we must give it our full effort and attention.

(Or you could be a nutjob like me and do all of it in your 20’s)

Yet even as we zero in on that central goal, we can’t neglect the other vital parts of our life. 

As I’m not exactly sure when in my 20’s, but I came disgusted how so many would “compromise” in their lives.

It’s a typical story all too often told, a man becomes rich, yet loses his health and dies early. Or he climbs the ladder of success, only to have pitiful relationships with his children and now ex-wife.

The cultural norm tells us we pour everything into one aspect at the expense of the others, we risk watching our life crumble around us.

The path, then, is to identify the critical area for our current chapter and make it our north star – while still tending thoughtfully to the other pillars that support a well-rounded life. 

We must find that harmony, that sense of proportion, even as we pursue our driving ambition. For it’s only by keeping every element strong that we craft an existence of true and lasting meaning.

Finding contentment is a revolutionary act. It’s about being okay with what you’ve got, not always chasing what you don’t. 

‘Enough’ isn’t a universal measure. It’s deeply personal. It’s not about capping your dreams. It’s about valuing what’s already in your grasp.

It may sound dark, but the practice that brings it all into perspective for me is to picture myself on my deathbed.

And I ask myself – what’s really going to matter? I bet it won’t be my bank balance or how many cars I had. It’ll be about the depth of my relationships, the peace within, and the simple joys I found along the way.

This isn’t just feel-good talk; it’s about cutting through the veil of dillusion to see the value in what we’ve already got. Finding worth in our present, not because it’s perfect, but because it’s ours.

Hold on, though. I’m not slamming the door on ambition. Ambition can be the rocket fuel propelling us to achieve amazing things.

But – and it’s a big but – it’s got to be the right kind of ambition.

Because success isn’t just about ticking off a box or nailing that outcome you’ve been chasing. 

It’s deeper than that. It’s about the intention fueling your actions, the motivation that gets you out of bed when it’s dark and cold, the part of you that keeps pushing when no one’s watching.

We’re talking about goals that don’t just glimmer from a distance but resonate in your bones, goals that speak to who you really are and what you truly value. The kind of ambition that feeds your soul, not your ego. It’s the difference between chasing empty trophies and living with purpose.

Finding that balance between ambition and contentment? 

It’s like trying to dance when you’ve got two left feet. Most days, it feels awkward and clumsy. I’m still learning the steps, stumbling more often than not. 

But every now and then, I catch the rhythm. And when I do, I’m flooded with a gratitude so profound it almost knocks me off my feet.

I know, it sounds like I’ve lost my mind. But the truth is, I’ve lost most of my craving for money. I see it now as a byproduct, not the goal. It’s what happens when you’re in alignment, when you’re consistent, when you’re offering real value. 

The real currency is peace, knowing that when the noise fades and you’re alone with your thoughts, you can sit there, silently, and feel whole.

The problem?

Your mind will fight you. 

It’ll craft every excuse under the sun. It’ll whisper why you shouldn’t go deeper, why you should settle, why you should give up before you even start. It’ll tell you to follow the script, to chase the shiny things, to live the life they say you should want.

That’s where the real work begins.

Giving yourself the space, the stillness, the solitude to hear that quiet, truest voice inside. The one that knows what the next best step is, even when you don’t want to listen.

So, keep asking yourself: 

Are my goals really mine? 

Do they reflect what I want, what I believe in, what I stand for? 

Or am I just running on autopilot, chasing a mirage society sold me?

Because the truth is, the only ambition worth having is the one that feels like home. The one that, even when everything else falls apart, still makes you feel like you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.