In May 2023, I walked into my brother’s apartment with nothing but a bag of clothes and a bruised ego. I had just returned from Southeast Asia on what was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. I sold my possessions, gave my cozy 9 to 5 salary, and flew half way around the world to train martial arts. This would quickly become my most embarrassing failure.

Becoming a Globe Trotter

On February 27, 2023, I hopped on a one-way flight from Calgary to Singapore.

The mission? To train martial arts at Evolve MMA—Southeast Asia’s premier combat sports organization. After sleeping off the jet leg from the 22-hour flight, I woke up in my hotel, got dressed, and made my way to Evolve.

The facility was second to none.

20,000 sq ft. Two levels. Both equipped with boxing rings, jiu-jitsu mats, and even lounges. Upstairs had a full gym: treadmills, squat racks, free weights, functional turf areas, etc. The training partner were welcoming; the coaches were respectful, and the experience was unforgettable.

But there was one small problem…

I wasn’t able to support myself… The goal was to do freelance writing while I was out there but I was having more trouble than I thought finding client. And that wasn’t good because Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Luckily, Singapore is anomaly as the surrounding countries are much more affordable.

So I decided to do some globe trotting… I flew out to Thailand where I trained Muay Thai for the first time. Visited the Maldives where I trained with the island boys (as I call them) and got to see the majestic Indian Ocean. Then touched down in the busy metropolis of Kuala Lumpur Malaysia where I trained at the top BJJ academy there.

From Traveling Asia to Sleeping on an Air Mattress

Despite visiting these more affordable countries, I was still feeling the financial pressure.

I was not able to find freelance clients. And I’ll never forget when it happened… I was sitting on the bed in my hotel room in Kuala Lumpur. Looking at my bank balance, the color drained from my face. I was down to my last $2000.

I had to admit defeat…

So I purchased a plane ticket home. When I touched down in Canada a few days later, I had $817 to my name. I was forced to sleep on an air mattress in my brother’s spare bedroom for the next year and a half. It was unbelievable.

I had fallen so hard, so far, and so fast.

But the good news was that I KNEW that if I got myself into this mess that I could get myself out. There was no one who was coming to save me. Success was my responsibility and it was just waiting for me to step up.

All I needed was a plan…

The 3 P’s of Resilience (How I Turned My Life Around)

I had to retool my skill set.

The skill in question? Copywriting. So I went to work. Every day, I was practicing, taking courses, reading books, etc. I studied marketing, psychology, persuasion, rhetoric, you name it.

It was a daily commitment to improving.

And after 18 months, I finally got a breakthrough. I got noticed by the team at Martell Media. That’s right, Dan Martell’s team. Long story short, I ended up landing a full-time job as a copywriter for Dan Martell.

They even paid me to move out to Kelowna BC to work in the studio with the rest of the team.

This experience taught me a lot. Namely, how to be resilient in the face of failure, adversity, and hardship. In fact, there are 3 simple ideas or concepts I took away from this whole ordeal. These 3 suggestions are game changers.

They what took me from sleeping an air mattress to writing for the fastest-growing personal brand in the business space. I call them the 3 P’s of resilience.

Let’s explore each of them in detail.

1. Pick (Your New Direction)

When I decided to commit to copywriting, I was at one of my lowest points.

I made a couple of major life mistakes. As a result, I lost most of my money and was forced to sleep on an air mattress in my brother’s spare bedroom for 14 months. This situation forced me to ask myself a simple question…

What do I want to do with my life next?

The answer was immediate: Copywriting. I had always wanted to explore this skill set. And now I had the perfect reason to go all in. So that’s exactly what I did. And you know what? I immediately felt better about my circumstances (even though they were still far from ideal) as a result.

The reason: I had a purpose, a direction that I was excited about.

2. Prepare (to Win)

When I committed to copywriting, I turned into a mad man.

I practiced every day by rewriting (by hand) top-performing ads, sales letters, and email campaigns for hours. I studied persuasion, psychology, marketing, rhetoric, etc. It was a daily commitment to improving, mastering this skill.

After about 18 months, everything changed.

I went from a lowly freelancer, barely able to make ends meet to getting hired as a full-time copywriter for one of the fastest-growing personal brands in the business space and making more money in my entire life.

But here’s the thing…

It would have NEVER happened if I didn’t prepare by doing all that work beforehand. The practice, the study, the courses, the books… They all contributed to the end result.

3. Persist (Over the Long Term)

When I got serious about copywriting, I turned my education and practice into a daily commitment. Learning, studying, practicing, etc.

Every day. No misses, no excuses. It was over 18 months before any meaningful change showed up in my life. 18 months! Most people can’t last 18 days. They quit before they hardly even got started. Here’s the truth people don’t like to hear…

Your comeback will most likely take longer than you want or expect.

For this reason, you have to learn how to persist. Persistence is the key to overcoming a difficult time. If you can continually put in the work when it looks and feels like you’ll never be rewarded for it, you have a superpower.

Most people give up at the slightest sign of difficulty.

They have no grit or gumption. And that’s why they never win or get what they want out of life. But YOU’RE different. You are going to stick it out and hold the line. For how long? For as long as it takes. 

If it takes 6 months, great. If it takes a year, awesome. Heck, if it takes 2 or 3 or 5 years, perfect. Don’t get bogged down by timeframes.

Instead, focus on what you need to do to inch yourself in the right direction TODAY, right now. And then, do that again tomorrow, and the next day, and then the day after that.

And before you know it, over time, you will have weaved the tapestry of a new life.

Final Thoughts on Using Resilience to Bounce Back

Developing resilience to bounce back is a necessary life skill.

Far too often, people give up waay too soon. And it always stems from a feeling of hopelessness. But the anecdote to hopelessness is faith. Faith in the process; faith in the your dreams; faith in God that He will give you what you want.

As long as you do your part… And show up every day, winning becomes inevitable.

I have seen time and again over the years how resilience always leads to success. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. And once you deeply understand that, there’s a sense of comfort that comes in the struggle.

Keep at it. You got this.