Brad, Ryan, and Jimmy wouldn’t be able to lead the mission of becoming financially free in ten years or less without first traversing that journey themselves. Today’s episode is a look into Ryan’s backstory and how he got to where he is today. Financial independence did not come easy for Ryan. His story resonates with so many people in the Rise Up and Live Free community and we are lucky to learn from some of the great wisdom he has picked up along the way.

For years Ryan struggled to find his footing as well as his focus. Through a series of ups and downs and challenging his own limiting beliefs he found his path to freedom.

Stay tuned to read all about how Ryan overcame his own personal and professional obstacles so he could start living life on his terms. He is an inspiration and his story perfectly embodies the values we share with you all.

Ryan’s Stubborn Adolescence

Ryan grew up in a hardworking and loving family. They instilled in him from a young age the importance of saving and not living beyond your means. The traditional beliefs he was raised with would go on to help him on his financial journey. Though his family life was stable and happy, Ryan grew into a wayward stubbornness that pushed him to drop out of high school and move out of his family’s home at age sixteen.

For five years he wandered through life. When he was twenty-one years old he made a radical shift in his life. His college roommate died and that was the moment he knew he also needed to make a change. He committed himself to get his life back on track. Ryan enrolled back in school, got a better job, and a new apartment. He was finally becoming a productive adult.

He started asking himself some big life questions which ultimately connected him back to God. For the next two years, he went on a mission and in the process rediscovered his faith. When he got back he decided to get his undergraduate degree and completed that in two years.

Ryan’s social conditioning began to kick back in around this time. He was still under the impression that the only way to financial freedom was to find a good-paying job. He and his wife moved to Tucson, Arizona for his first job out of college and he hit the ground running. For the next few years, he worked tirelessly moving up the corporate ladder with promotion after promotion.

From Interest in Alternative Investing to Financial Independence

“I needed to find a focus.”- Ryan D. Lee

Ryan was left at a complete standstill with the market crash of 2008. He was trekking along the corporate ladder thinking he was on a one-way track to financial freedom. Ryan had racked up 100,000 dollars in retirement stock. At this rate, he was sure he’d be a millionaire in no time.

In a matter of months, he lost over seventy percent of his investment and no clue how to get it back. All of his mentors and colleagues were in the same boat. Suddenly the outlined horizon he thought was just ahead had disappeared.

He felt completely trapped. With nowhere to turn he immersed himself into learning about alternative forms of investing. He tried foreign currency, stock trading, and option trading in the hopes it would be the next big thing.

Ryan was still feeling stuck and continued to grind at his corporate job. Ryan finally woke up when he found out his son needed open heart surgery. At that moment he realized he needed to become intentional with his life.

Instead of continuing to blindly grind, he knew he needed to find a source of income that allowed him to live in the present moment with his family while still building towards a free future. The book, Creating Wealth by Robert Allen outlined the method needed to create that reality. Finally, Ryan was on a path to real financial independence.

Ryan Faces His Limiting Beliefs and Achieves Financial Independence

Robert Allen’s book gave Ryan the confidence he needed to go into real estate investing. He had a focus he could commit to. Ryan decided he would continue to work hard in his career while putting the money he earned into buying two investment properties a year.

Ryan learned that staying focused meant more than just commitment to his goals but staying engaged with his family throughout the process. Investing was proving not to be easy. Each property took more and more of his attention. He knew he needed balance to stay on track but he was convinced he had to do everything by himself to be successful.

“Freedom isn’t free. It is earned and cultivated”- Ryan D. Lee

Ryan had to face his limiting belief that he needed to do it all alone if he wanted to win. He realized that if he wanted to keep his forward movement he would need to enlist the help of others. That is when he focused on plugging into a community. His financial plan took off from there!

If you’re ready to achieve financial independence and are looking for a system and framework, CashFlow Tactics is inviting you to take a free 5-day challenge. Ryan, Jimmy, and Brad will guide you to create a personalized financial freedom plan and help you jump-start your journey to financial freedom in 10 years or less.

? Join the FREE 5-day CashFlow Tactics Challenge now!