IM has become an integral part of my life, too. Ever since I joined BHW I've had my IM ups and downs but my biggest mistake was never looking at IM as a primary business opportunity or something that can support me as a whole in my life (so I would give more of my time and attention to it). That way I could never be 100% devoted to it and I was never able to achieve the success I wanted. I had ideas and was getting more and more up to par with many different IM skills every single day but I still needed a little boost.
That all changed a few months ago when I was doing my usual BHW sniffing and research. I came across some of Haspel's old threads and was amazed by the quality of the information in them. They were To-The-Point, no fluff, no unnecessary hype, no asking for rep (it was still present back then) or thanks... I could tell that the guy knew what he was talking about and he was providing the BHW members with not just a ‘method' but an Idea, a tested and trusted by himself model that Actually Worked.
That impressed me a lot. He was one of the few members that were there just to give a boost to the others, to share some advice and try to help. So I thought I'd write him a message and that was a game changer for me... (I hope this doesn't cause Haspel's PM box to become forever full but that's just my story).
I messaged him, asking for some advice, for some clarifications on his previous threads and wanted to share what I was doing with him so he could tell me his opinion (as I thought it would be valuable). What followed was the beginning of an acquaintance which later grew into business relations. He answered all my questions and even went on to brainstorm some ideas together.
So in plain words I am now working with him. I've proven myself worthy as a partner and more important - he has proven himself as dependent, punctual, and what I like the most - honest and kind person. I am now, thanks to Haspel, what I always wanted to be - a full time IM-er. I am the support guy for the products that Haspel and Shez develop and provide here in BHW. Also I'm in a JV on several other projects with Haspel and my IM development has skyrocketed ever since I started working with him. Not only income wise but also knowledge wise, and what's more important for me - vision wise. To have a vision on what would work, to create connections between things in separate niches, divisions, methods - a priceless skill I learned from him. He also paid for my Jr. Vip to make me a full-fledged member of the BHW community - something I've always wanted but had put off for later.
Also, thanks to Haspel, as I now get a monthly salary on some of my job obligations to him, I am able to have the needed security to do my job and not depend on IM earnings fluctuations - something I've dreaded before when contemplating about whether to do IM full time (another one of my big mistakes but when you have to pay for yourself you don't get many options at first).
And on the matter of education that the other guys touched upon in the posts before mine - most of the years since my BHW registration date were occupied by getting more and higher educational qualifications, trying to succeed in my offline field while keeping IM as a hobby. Even though I am not working in that sphere anymore, I don't regret spending those years at all. Having a master's degree in Financial Management and other kinky stuff like this has only helped me and in the long run will continue to - I am sure of that. So on this matter my opinion is the same as Haspel's - school is not to be overlooked and can only help people in their personal development. Everything else is just an excuse not to go head-first after following your dreams.
But you know what they say - Find a way to work what you have for a hobby and you'll never have to ‘work' for another day in your life. Since starting working with Haspel I've been All-In in IM. I've decided that this is what I really want to do and he inspired me to dedicate myself completely and to risk getting out of my comfort zone to be able to do it.
So a big Thank you and hats off to my buddy
Haspel. May you continue to inspire and help many more people. You're really good at it.