About me - my first steemit post #1

Hey, let me kick off my Steemit journey with little story about myself to see how this platform works.

I'm sorry for the story being chaotic but I'm only testing the platform, so I will just write whatever comes to my mind.

My name is Michal Kalinowski.

It would be nice if I could start by saying something amazing about myself, something that would instantly build my credibility as an expert in some profitable niche, but I am just an average guy, without any unique talents or abilities.

I’m not pretty, I can’t sing or dance, I don’t even have clever dog that could make me famous on BGT. I'm just trying to make the best of what mather nature give me.

I won’t get rich just because “I am” like some lucky people prove it to be possible

All I have is faith that I can reach my goals if I only work hard or/and smart enough.

I believe that the harder you work luckier you get, rather than just waiting for something to happen. I know it sounds obvious, but many people hope for big lottery win, without even buying the ticket.

If you want something more than just normality in life, being average does not help.

My main goal in life is to be free.

I’ve chosen different ways to make money from home as the vehicle that will give me the Freedom which I crave so much.

Online marketing is something that I was interested in since I had my first computer and dial up connection.
Currently I'm also discovering other ways of making money from my laptop.

Being interested in something and taking action is not the same.

I was consuming all the information’s I could get, but I never, till now really tried to make money by using what I learned in real life.

I quickly learned how to build a website, and I did it many times just for fun of it or for friends who knew I’m pretty skilled in doing it, but I was doing it as a hobby, without any marketing plan often for free.

About Me

My story starts in Poland where I was born and raised.

For the first 21 years, I was leading normal, average life.

I was having as much fun, as you could get in post communist Poland at that time.

I was going to school, night clubs, driving around with friends for no reason, etc.

There is nothing to brag about, but not that much to be ashamed of also.

At 20, while still at Uni, we decided to start our own business with my best friend.

It didn’t go too good. In fact, it went terribly wrong.

We have been robbed, and as it later turned out, our insurance policy was covering everything, as long as nothing happened.

Buying insurance or anything else for that matter, just because is cheap, is not a good idea.

It most likely will cost you much more later.

It was the most expensive and painful lesson in my life.

Even so, I never lost my hope for building a thriving business in future.

At the same time, my relationship broke up, and some other bad things started to happen in my life.

Ironically, I started to miss my average and normal life that I was trying to escape from.

In the space of couple of weeks, I felt like I’ve lost everything.

I didn’t feel that my life had any sense, or purpose.

On one Thursday night, I decided that I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and do something to change my state of mind.

On the Saturday I was on a bus to London equipped with good hopes and £300 in my wallet.

I thought, that once I get there, I’ll be in paradise.

I didn’t think that knowing just 2 rude words in English might be a problem.

All I was thinking about was how much money I was going to make and how I’m going to double and triple it when I get back home in 6 months.

It didn’t really work out this way, and 16 years later I’m still in England, with my wife and 2 kids trying to make it happen.

This great country (when you get to know it) is our home now.

After I landed in London, I checked myself into cheapest hostel there was and I given myself a week to explore the city.

After the initial fun…ish week, it was time to find a job.

I finally come to realisation that having some local lingo skills would not hurt me, while hunting for my perfect job.

I also realised that £300 is not that much in this city, especially if you can’t crash on your mama’s sofa and eat food from her fridge.

I couldn’t get any work.

When I had just enough money left to pay for one more week rent, I decided that food is more important than roof above my head.

My situation went from bad to worse. I was homeless.

Luckily for me, it was a warm summer, and my homelessness lasted just for one month.

To cut long story short, let me tell you, that when you’re pushed to your limits, you can learn pretty fast.

• I learned a new language, on a good enough level to be able to communicate with some patient people.
• I learned how to use London’s Tube for free (no I don’t use this skill anymore – I have a motorbike now).
• I knew where to get hot soup for free.
• I learned how to survive on frozen peas from Tesco.
• I learned how to find places using schematic underground map and checking moss on the trees.

In this short period of time, enough happened to write a book.
I mentally transformed from being a boy to being a man.

Being a man, means taking responsibilities for your actions and choices you make in life.

Both, good and bad choices you make or actions you take today will come back to you sooner or later like a butterfly effect.

I know this from my own experience.

Later I found a job or should I say that the job found me.

I was sitting between a corner shop and a phone box contemplating what I should do with the last £2 coin I had left in my way too big for it wallet.

Should I call someone to get me out of there or eat something? What would you do?

Lucky for me, I didn’t have to make that choice.

Two drunk as hell guys approached me and asked if I was looking for a job as they needed someone to help them in their painting/decorating business.

They needed someone to start the next day; they helped me to get some place to stay, and agreed to pay me daily for some time, so I can sort myself out.

Few months later they vanished, as unsuspected as they first appeared.

After that, it took me just 3 days to find another job trough some employment agency.

Few months earlier, I didn’t even know that employment agencies exist.

I didn’t have to wait too long to get permanent contract.

Two years later I started to work as self employed courier driver, and after 7 years of doing this, I’m back to be employed again and growing my online empire at the same time.

I’m making money from job, my affiliate business and trading crypto currencies now.

Having kids and not being able to always be there for them when they need me, brought back thinking about freedom.

I always had this dream about being able to do what I want, when I want to do it.

But now this idea is stronger than it ever was before in my life.

I’ve never forgotten about online marketing. I was and I still consume everything I can about the subject, the same way as others read novels or collects 50 pence coins.

In April 2016 I started actively exploring different ways to make money online.

I’m currently involved with the 4% Group as my main affiliate marketing platform with good results and multiple streams of income, have few different investments and learning more and more about crypto currency world by actually trading it.

The income I’m generating online is not stable enough to quit my job and live of it yet, but it nicely supplements our home budget at the moment.

I don’t have to use our “hard earned” money to keep my business going any more.

After many sleepless nights and dedicating time I could or should spend with my family, I have seen some good results.

I’m trying to scale what works and outsource some of my online tasks to virtual assistants so I can focus on things I’m good at.

Why the Story?

Many cleaver people doing some real business online will tell you, that about me post is one of the most important pages that you need to have.

Apparently this is one of the most often read pages on your blog.

Some big shots who definitely know what they talking about e.g. Brian Clark will tell you that people like stories.

Ok, I’m not a storyteller yet, I never was, but I thought that I may as well use my first Steemit blog post to write my first ever story and see if I can improve my skills with time.

It will be something I can come back to in the future and compare it to whatever I’ll be doing in few years.

What is your story? Let me know in the comments below!