My name is Jeremy, and I’ve been following Jay’s stuff since picking up Muscle Gaining Secrets in 2008. I was a skinny fucker (weighed about 110 at 5′ 9″) throughout school, and because of it, I was extremely timid and shy. I’m not going to say I was bullied, but I was definitely pushed around a lot and didn’t do anything about it. Lack of size lead to lack of confidence, and it was holding me back immensely.
During the years of 2009-2010, that changed. I followed MGS religiously, and was able to go from 110 to about 165 within that year. Obviously people noticed that significant of a transformation. I felt great, no one fucked with me anymore, and I got a significant uptick in pussy as well.
Things were going great in all aspects of my life. But a few months later, my world was flipped upside down.
I never knew my real father. He dipped like ranch the week before I was born. Because of that, my mother had to move back in with her parents (my grandparents) and that’s where I was raised. I had the privilege and the honor to have my grandfather step in and take over the father role for me. He was an amazingly strong role model, and embodied hard work and discipline.
He was diagnosed with Leukemia when I was 13 and later on developed diabetes. June 10th 2009, I get a phone call that he is not doing too good and that I need to drive down to the hospital that was about 30 minutes away from my house. He was pretty sick (you could tell just by looking at him), but he didn’t seem THAT sick to the point where it was an emergency. But I knew by the phone call that I needed to leave now and with urgency, so I sped over there.
I ran into the hospital and ran up the stairs to the area he was being cared for. Before I could enter his room, my grandmother came out, pale as a fucking ghost. And I knew immediately.
I had missed him.
He died 5 minutes before I got there. That really fucked with my head.
“What if I didn’t stop to put on shoes?”
“What if I drove 10 MPH faster?”
“What if I would’ve parked across the street and SPRINTED to the hospital, rather than wait in parking lot traffic?”
To me, I didn’t just lose my grandfather, I lost my FATHER.
Anyone who has lost a close family member/friend feels that period of time where your sense of mortality is ultra sensitive. It’s been 7 years, and I feel I still haven’t lost that. It’s mostly a good thing, because it allows me to not give one micro-fuck about what anyone thinks; but it comes with challenges as well.
About 3 years before my grandfather died, my mom married another man (aka my step father), and our relationship to this day is rocky at best. He is an extremely narrow minded individual that unfortunately has no aspirations or drive himself, so he likes to hold others down in pursuit of their goals.
Being young going in to year one of college, and now lacking a father figure to seek advice and guidance from, I found myself lost. I stopped going to school and my days consisted of getting stoned out of my mind, going to the gym, eating, and messing with the females. Maybe a dream existence for your average high schooler, but I felt like a failure and a disgrace.
I was still following all of Jay’s stuff, and was making excellent progress in my training. Around this time, Jay started sharing more and more about his business, and the ways he was optimizing his lifestyle. One trait I have that I love is that I am never the person to get jealous/envious or to be the “must be nice” guy. When he started sharing this stuff, I knew deep down that business was for me. I had to have my own business, do my own thing, and have control over my schedule and how I live. So I immersed myself.
Jay shared a lot of great resources; names of people he had learned from, things he had discovered worked and didn’t work, and I made my way down the rabbit hole. It was during a time in my life where I was so far deep that I had nothing to lose. I had almost no money, I was in severe danger of being evicted, but I had a shit load of drive, and some even bigger visions for my future.
Fast forward to today, and I’ve been fortunate enough to build two multi-million dollar businesses. Didn’t come with out it’s struggles, didn’t come without some of the hardest work I have ever put in to anything, and similarly to Jay, one of those companies actually went from 7 figures to zero almost overnight, and I had to build it back up completely from scratch (turned out to be a good thing, and got it to the point where it is doing even better now, and taught me a lot).
Why do I share this and bring all this up?
First as a shout out to Jay. Honestly man, without your constant virtual guidance over the past 8 years, I may very well be living in a box downtown sparking doobies with a BBQ lighter. Seriously. You helped me go from skinny maggot, to athletic and strong, you helped me cope and move forward from the death of someone who was essentially my father, and you helped spark the ideas and point me to the resources that eventually led to the abundance I know enjoy in my financial and personal life. I owe you a lot my friend.
I also share to hopefully help anyone here that has had some shit thrown in their face. I’m still a pretty young dude, and I’m still learning a shit ton, but I have my experiences thus far to share. And I’m looking forward to learning from all you wise motherfuckers in here as well!
Currently, I live in Portland, OR, but I’m in the middle of a move to Santa Monica, CA that will take place at the end of this month.
Feel free to drop me a message or reach out anytime!
From Jay: Stories like these are why I do what I do. Getting strong and jacked is awesome, but using that journey to transform your entire life is what it’s all about.
Jeremy, I could not be prouder of you for taking control of your life. You’re an inspiration my man. Thank you for sharing your story.
