
If you have been following this blog, you will realize that it has been vacant for a little over a month. I want to bring this to light in this article. What does failure mean? What does it mean to you? To me, it really is nothing more than a tool for education. Failure is a lesson in what not to do. But failure is the main reason most people give up on their dreams and settle for mediocrity.
But is this the only option? Is failure permanent? I want to dive deep into this subject.
What Happened To Me
Over the past three years, it has been a non-stop rollercoaster ride. I have learned so many things and have taken in advice from so many industry leaders. I have listened to and read for hours every day from people such Grant Cardone, Gary Vaynechuk, Brendon Burchard, Evan Carmichael, Tom Bilyeu, Rob Dial, Dean Graziosi, Tony Robbins, and many others. I have filled my brain with the philosophies and ideology of many successful people.
I took the advice of many and set my sights on hitting social media and established my brand and my name as a professional. Within a month’s time I was accessible via Facebook, Instagram, youTube, Linked In, TikTok, Twitter, this blog, and my podcast “gRYnd Tyme with Ry the Reptile Guy”. I started implementing the theories of Gary Vaynerchuk and set my goal to post as many times daily on every social media platform. I did fairly well for some time. But between working a full-time job, spending time with my family, caring for my animals, studying and reading, and helping my wife around the house, I quickly fell into a downward spiral.
Day in and day out I found myself running in circles trying to accomplish everything. When I began this journey, I was working 6pm-6am nearly every day, waking up after merely 4 hours of sleep in order to achieve every goal I had set for the day. It didn’t take long before I burned out. I realize now that I had simply hit the ground running and forgot simple strategies.
- I did not prioritize my tasks for the day to ensure that the most important things I had scheduled for each day were completed.
- I did not set my schedule in allotted time slots to make sure I could allow myself time every day to achieve those set goals.
- I had not changed my habits enough in order to ensure that I was in the correct mindset to achieve the goals.
I am in no way saying that Gary Vaynerchuk’s ideas are wrong. Vee is a fucking genius. But, I will say that you must be able to fully commit yourself to your social media presence. I was not in a spot financially or professionally to successfully pull this off. I still hold a presence on social media, but nothing like Gary Vee teaches.
I made many mistakes. On top of my reptile business, I set my sights on becoming a certified life coach in order to help people chase their dreams as I was doing. I wanted to be the go-to person for those who wished a better life and chose the path of entrepreneurship. From there, “Abundant Lyfe N Mind” was born. This was my Facebook page and YouTube channel I had created to share my life coach message aside from my original business I had already been establishing. Only one problem! I had not finished establishing my own business and ensuring my personal success before I began assisting others with their own.
Running in circles, sleep deprived, broker than hell, and living in this trailer park, I started slipping into old habits. I found myself turning on the television more and binge watching shows on Netflix and Hulu, I stopped meditating, I stopped reading and learning, and I stopped sharing my journey. I still put in the work caring for my animals because besides my family, they are the most important thing to me. I completely lost sight of my original goal.
How You Can Learn From My Mistake

Through the past weeks of January 2020, I did quite a bit of self-exploration and I had to ask myself:
What is most important to me?
After starting to meditate and read again, it became clear to me. I’m not Abundant Lyfe N Mind. I am Ry the Reptile Guy and I am fucking proud of it! I want to help people. I want people to chase their dreams and live a life of abundance, free from corporate America and trading hours for dollars. But in order to do so, I had to build my own credibility and focus on my dreams. And my dream is to educate people on reptiles and other animals and teach the world that there is beauty in any creature God has put on this Earth. I want to be a voice for creatures that do not have their own. And I want the ReptiRanch. The ReptiRanch is my legacy! It has always been my destiny.
Could I eventually become a Life Coach and help others find their passion? Possibly; But, I must learn to pace myself and create success for myself and learn more of what to do myself. I still will use this blog and podcast to share my journey, inspire others, and teach others along the way. This article I am writing right now is my new first step in doing so. If you are reading this, do not do what I have done for the past three months. Instead, do the following:


- Meditate! Meditation is a key to success. Create a clear, peaceful mindset. Start off by finding a quiet space, close your eyes, and sit in silence. Take deep, slow breaths and relax. Ask yourself, “what am I passionate about?” DO NOT think about what your parents do, what they want for you, or anyone else for that matter. What do YOU want?
- Set your plans in stone. Purchase a journal, if you do not own one already. Sit in silence and record your thoughts and anything you feel necessary from your meditation. What is your first step? What skills do you lack to achieve those goals?
- Make a daily schedule for yourself. Make a weekly schedule. Make a weekly schedule. Make a monthly schedule. Plan your days as far in advance as you can. As a father of three, I understand that plans often change and you can always edit your schedule later if needed.
- If you want to start a business, do your research. Who is your competition? Who are the leaders in that industry you can learn from?
- Read, read again and read some more! One of the most important things, shut off the damn TV! Go to the library and get a book or two about your industry. If the TV is on, use it for research. For example, I use YouTube on my TV to watch videos about reptile care, learning about new species, getting inspiration for my dreams.
- Listen to podcasts. I have absolutely fallen in love with podcasts. My favorites include:
- The Mindset Mentor with Rob Dial
- The Brendon Show with Brendon Burchard
- Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu
- The Gary Vee Experience with Gary Vaynerchuk (or Daily/Weekly Vee)
- The Cardone Zone with Grant Cardone

Any of these should easily inspire you to take the next steps in following your dreams. Each of these people are very knowledgeable and have dedicated their lives to helping others just like you and I. Eventually, I would like to find myself at the same table as them, but for now, I build. We build.
In Conclusion
So I hope this blog article finds you well and I hope part or all of this message sends a message of hope and learning. I now understand what I need to do. And that starts with drastically slowing down! I hope anyone reading this has an amazing day and an even better week!
If you liked this message, please give this article a like and follow the blog! Buckle up folks, gRynd Tyme is back and it’s not going away again! I appreciate your continued support!
Remember to follow gRYnd Tyme with Ry the Reptile Guy on YouTube and follow my podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and many others!



















