My Story
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Pete C. Zafra aka PJ
Hi. My name is Pete C. Zafra. Most of my friends call me PJ. Either one works fine.
When I was a kid, I always excelled in school. My main goal, ever since I was a kid, is to make it big in life. I want the typical wealthy lifestyle that is known for making amazing things happen and helping people who need help.
At a young age, my father gave me some tapes, books and CDs to listen to. I started reading and listening to people like Jim Rohn, Anthony Robbins, Og Mandino, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and many more. I started developing a positive mindset by age 14.
As I jumped into High School, I have to say there were lots of ups and downs. There were a lot of moments where I lost touch with my dreams, goals and even my positive mindset. I pretty much gave away my dreams and goals to partying and to the current education system…a system where I had no interest in learning at all. More than half of the subjects I was learning about did not interest me at all, but I had no choice. I was literally dragging myself out of bed every single day at 7am. I then headed to school miserable and sleepy. I went through the day wishing it would end faster so I could go home at 4pm and finally do something I’m passionate about. It was a feeling I had that made me think I just can’t…and let me repeat that again…I just can’t have a regular 9-5 job that requires me to sit in traffic, miserable with my life, and have a boss that just doesn’t care. I felt my dreams and ambitions were slowly slipping away.
In my senior year of high school, I was literally counting the days until graduation. I could not wait for the day I would be free, which means I could actually have my own time. Graduation came and I was so happy I finally got out of the biggest shadow of my life.
It was the middle of summer and I was 17 years old. My family and friends started bombarding me with questions like what course would I take up and what I would do with my life. A month before summer vacation ended, I still have not decided. I had gotten into lots of debates and arguments on what I should actually be doing. I really just felt lost. I felt like I had no one to talk with and no one to go to. I had weeks of sleepless nights. It wasn’t over, though. It was not the end.
The best moment ever was when my father asked me what I wanted to do. I was honest and I said, “I don’t want to go to college. I don’t want a regular job. I don’t want to be like everyone else! I really don’t want a 9-5 job with a boss up and all over me.” To my surprise, my father was laughing and smiling. He said, “That’s not a problem!” It was then he introduced me to the crazy but exciting world of Network Marketing or MLM. I had no idea what MLM was, but I liked what I heard from my Dad. I felt a heavy weight lifted from my shoulder after that talk. I decided to skip college and pursue something I’m actually passionate about. I’m finally taking a stand!
My father bought me some training courses that I’d go through. The first day of what I call “my own college classes” was the day I started going head on deep studying everything I can about this industry. I was still getting lots of criticisms and insults from friends and family, but I have grown as an individual. I can really feel the difference from when I was in high school and who I am now. I’ve matured and become a more responsible and optimistic individual. I never stooped down to the levels of the people who criticized me. I’ve always stayed respectful and kept my composure. It didn’t matter to me if they didn’t buy into my story. What mattered was that I didn’t buy into theirs. I felt like nobody knew exactly what will and can make me happy…except me. I always kept my head up high and kept on moving forward.
I’ve made the right decision for myself. I feel for other young people my age that just got out of college, burdened with the heavy load of student loan debt, and could not find a job. The world has changed. Nowadays, it’s not about what college degree we possess. It’s all about what marketable skills we have. I’m sure we all agree that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are titans of business and billionaires. What do the three of them have in common? They’re all college dropouts.
January of 2011 came and I was 19 years old at that time. My father and I created a Facebook fan page. It pretty much became a hit, getting over100 likes per month. We had a few affiliate products as well that we promoted on our fan page; however, it was not that effective. It took us a while to actually get our first check.
Fast forward to today, I’m 20 years old and we’re finally making sustainable and residual income online while making amazing friends in the process. I love this life.
The way I see it, I’m into my “second year of college” and we’re projecting exponential results within the next few months. It’s definitely a work in progress and I’ll be updating my story as it unfolds. I’ve been through a lot in the past year, but I think it was for my own good. It strengthened me as an individual and made me appreciate the life I have now. I’m really dreaming big, looking to make it a reality one day soon. I’d love to be one of the well-known leaders in this industry, speaking in different places to help people create a better future.
I’m glad you visited our blog. Thank you very much! Please join us in our fascinating journey and from here, we shall learn, implement and produce the results needed to live a happy, healthy lifestyle. We will share information that change lives every single day.