Hey everyone, if you were a Penny Pinchin’ Mom follower last year, you might remember my column, “Finance Talk with Josh”. Unfortunately, at the end of last year and through the beginning of this year, I’ve faced some battles. As a result, my column here came to a pretty abrupt end. However, the battles have been won; and I’m finally able to become part of the community again! So today, instead of doing the general Finance Talk, finance tips type post, I figured I’d let you in on what’s been going on and where I am today because of it.
My Battle With Chronic Back Pain And How I Overcame It
About 7 years ago, I was involved in a car accident. Unfortunately, I didn’t place too much confidence in the safety belt back then and wasn’t wearing one. As a result, I made it through the windshield of the car. Although I luckily am still alive today, the car accident herniated several of my lumbar discs. Over time, all but one have healed. The one that hasn’t requires surgery; which after learning the details, I opted out of. Occasionally, I would get pain, but it wasn’t debilitating and I could still live a relatively normal life; that is, until the end of last year.
One morning I woke up in extreme pain. I tried to get out of bed, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know what to do. Eventually I made my way out of bed and to the doctor. That’s where I learned that my bad disc was becoming a problem again. I spent the next 2 months on bed rest and about 3 months following going through physical therapy, spinal decompression therapy, shots of steroids and lidocaine in my back and much more. However, I did eventually get back to normal.
Back To Normal, Now What?
Once I got back to normal, I couldn’t figure out what to do. I had so many projects that I had left on the back burner, and time to think lead to tons of new business ideas. I figured that the first place I would start is picking up where I left off on my blog, CNA Finance. Recently I’ve started a “Why bloggers fail” series and even a “Personal Finance MVP” award.
While getting back to being active in the blogosphere, I decided that it was time for me to pursue other goals as well. After all, if I had multiple streams of income before the back incident, it wouldn’t have hit me so hard financially. While I was bed ridden, I was dreaming of starting my own writing and publishing firm, as well as my own internet marketing firm. Once I got my health back, I realized that there was nothing stopping me from doing those things. So, I started to tackle those tasks as well.
As a result, today I’m the proud owner of a marketing firm called ControlYourCity.com, LLC as well as a writing a publishing firm called JRodWrites.com. Throughout the past couple of months, I’ve been working hard to come up with more and more ideas to get these businesses moving. Surprisingly, they both grew incredibly fast. Currently I write for US News, Elance, and more when it comes to JRodWrites.com and my marketing firm is up to almost 30 customers! The best part is, it’s all gotten to the point where the businesses mostly run themselves, and I’ve finally got time to get back to other things I love. Things like blogging and connecting with my audience. With that said, I look forward to reading your comment below; and I’ll see you soon for our next finance talk!
Final Thoughts
One of the biggest reasons I started with this article instead of a finance tip is to let you know that no matter how hard what you’re going through seems, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. After months of being stuck in bed of physical therapy or on a spinal decompression chamber, I made it through the struggle; and my life has been so much better since. So, hopefully if you’re going through a rough time, this post serves as a reminder of that light at the end of the tunnel.
Reader Question(s)
Usually I only ask one question, but it’s been a while so I’ve got a few for you. Be sure to answer them in the comments below! Here are the questions…
- Have you ever had to basically live in bed? If so, what did you do to help the time go by?
- I’m opening a branch of my marketing firm in Utah and I’m going to need a dedicated server. I don’t want to work with AT&T because I’ve had issues with them in the past. I’ve been looking into solutions and found FiberNet, but I’m not sure if they’re a good option. If any of our Utah readers have ever had an experience with this company, I’d love to hear about it!
- Are there any financial questions you’d like me to answer in the Finance Talk with Josh column? If so, I’d love to help, just ask your question below!