I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Like many Canadians, almost all of my childhood memories growing up revolved around hockey. I got my first job a few days after turning 16 delivering pizza. That summer, I bought my first car and paid it off in full within just 2 months, by putting every extra penny I made from working 2 jobs onto the loan. I learned the value of hard work as a teenager.
I attended the University of Manitoba when I was 18 years old, studying Computer Science. During my 4 and a half years of schooling, I was fortunate enough to work a good job during the summer months and was able to graduate with no student debt. I majored in Computer Science and minored in Math. I entered the program because I knew it would be a high demand career for many decades to come. For the first 8 years of my career, I worked for a small local IT company. More recently, I’ve been an independent Consultant for the past 7 years for my company, Rislan Consulting Inc.
Around the middle of my University years, I was introduced to the book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. Like many who read it, the book began to change how I viewed money, business and one’s personal home mortgage. This book sparked something in me – a desire to learn more and a realization of the values of entrepreneurship. Thus began my journey, one which I am still on today (see my current and past reading lists in the Library section).
Just a few years ago, I married a beautiful, wonderful and incredibly creative woman. We recently had our first child – a beautiful baby boy. There’s a lot that I fear entering this new phase of life. These fears have absolutely nothing to do with wondering if I’ll be a good father or not. Nor do they have anything to do with changing diapers, sleepless nights, or any of the daily drama that comes with raising kids. Rather, my biggest fear is that I will be forever stuck in a rut – not doing what I feel I’m supposed to be doing, knowing that I have so much more to give the world, that I’m capable of doing more with my life, and not doing much about it. I don’t want to give up on my dreams, purposes, or passions as a result of becoming a father. I want to make an impact on the world and be a person of influence in the marketplace, in addition to being a great father!
I ventured into real estate over 9 years ago and have had some incredible successes. I’ve also had some major failures, such as the time when a business deal with family led me to the verge of bankruptcy. There were also 2 other projects I’d done where I lost over $10,000 each time! I know all about joys of success and the incredible pain of failure. But after having taken a nearly 2 year break from real estate, I am now starting to get back at it.
I’m one of those people whose mind is constantly filled with ideas and possibilities. I find myself often chasing too many rabbits. I’m learning that being pulled in too many directions is a fast track to not accomplishing anything. As the Chinese Proverb states: “A man who chases two rabbits catches neither.”
I wholeheartedly believe that it’s still possible, in 2017, to build a truly fulfilling life where you can thrive and find success in both family and business. Often I struggle to find the right balance and sometimes even fail. But I believe it can be done and this is what I strive for every day!
My motto is: Keep learning, keep growing and keep pushing forward! Let’s do this!