I have to be the first to admit I’m a very lucky man in life. As I sit here a week or two before my 54th birthday, I’m in a position much of the world would happily trade for. I’m not sure what I did to deserve all this, but I’m sure glad I did!

You see, every aspect of my life is excellent and getting better. Having been married twice before and lived with others along the way, at 41 I met Teri – and have been ecstatic ever since. We’ve had 12 wonderful years of being together 24/7 so far, and both agree the only way it could be better is if we could manage 36/7. Internet marketing (me) and niche marketing (Teri) lets us be together 24/7, work the hours we choose, and travel to new and exciting places almost at will…

We have three adult(?) kids, Dawn, Tara & Devon, and couldn’t be prouder of them if we tried. Each of the three is fiercely independant, kind & caring without brooking any nonsense from others. Each enjoys a society brunch or high tea equally with a night in a raunchy blues bar or blaring rock bar, and has the confidence and grace to know how to act appropriately in either situation. On the other side of the coin, much of who we are had it’s roots in our upbringing – Teri & I both have highly intelligent, caring & loving parents that we love dearly and really should see more often.

We’re all lucky enough to live in Canada, still a great country in spite of the nonsense fostered on it by Brian Mulroney, Mike Harris and now little Stevie Harper. And while I’ve never been a fan of cold, snowy weather, it beats the hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes & monsoons other areas suffer through.

Teri & I are also lucky in our choice of professions – we’ve worked online for 12 solid years so far, and both love it. It provides us with a comfortable 6-figure income while offering hope for constant financial improvement, and keeps us busy learning new things every single day – a very valuable asset in any profession of choice. Being a Type-A personality, an in-your-face marketer (by choice), and a self-admitted information junky, the online world is the first ‘employer’ I’ve had that can continue to satisfy my need for input of all types and constant learning.

Teri & I also have been very lucky health-wise; having each lived the ‘wrong lifestyle’ for at least 20 years, we only have one health issue each to deal with – my diabetes and her deteriorating knee. We’ve researched both extensively, consulted the top experts and taken pro-active steps so that neither condition has any negative effects on us or our lifestyle – except that extra piece of pie I wanted a Christmas… ;)

And we’ve been further blessed with a fantastic assortment of family and friends, both local and online. As dyed-in-the-wool hedonists with enough energy to run circles around our kids, we’re not necessarily the easiest people to hang with – yet we’re lucky enough to have a number of very, very close friends and amazing compadres. Many we’ve met online from every area of the world, and at live Internet marketing events. I’ve spoken at events from Ohio to Las Vegas, and we’ve attended & networked at other events from Toronto to Orlando, criss-crossing North America and discovering new sights and making new friends throughout Canada & the US.

Our side business as glamour photographers/videographers keeps our creative juices flowing, and bring us in contact with beautiful models, awesome locations and incredible situations – Teri being hired to photograph Daryl Hannah at the Toronto Film Festival, being able to ‘give back’ by shooting a poster for UNICEF, etc. But the biggest buzz for us is being able to give aspiring glamour models and fitness models a first-class portfolio that will help them start their careers much faster – a level of portfolio they couldn’t afford themselves, and that we can deliver because our mainstay is our Internet marketing, not our photography.

Naturally, as idyllic as our lives are, there are situations that arise – temporary cashflow shortages, issues with our kids, illness/accidents/deaths of those close to us, etc – but we handle those as a team and always manage to make the best of bad situations. We’ve been through enough, before we met and since, to know that ‘like all else, this too shall pass’. We’ve also learned that the universe is constantly testing us all – when things look bleakest we put our faith in the universe and continue on along our charted course. And so far, every time we persevere beyond the point where most give up, the universe has elevated us to the next level – as if rewarding us for passing the next set of ‘life exams’.

So where am I going with all this – and how does it relate to Internet marketing in general and YOU in particular? While I may bitch about situations from time to time, I do realize I’m a very lucky man, and have received far more than I deserve from this world. Maybe I earned it in a previous life, or maybe I have a huge deficit at the kharma bank – but whether to build our balance there or simply bring it up off life-support, it’s time for us to increase our balance there – to give back even more than we have to date.

So during 2009 and beyond, we’re going to redouble our efforts to help others – you and people like you, to take control of your own destinies, to build your own online businesses, and to not merely live, but actually THRIVE – just as we do. If you’re ready to take control, accept full responsibility for your own well-being and that of those you care about, and want to be financially rewarded based on your own efforts instead of relying on the tyranny of bosses and corporations, stay tuned – there’s a lot we can teach you if you’re ready to put in the effort to better your situation.

Bookmark this blog, and sign up for our daily e-zine above. Each day I’ll point you to helpful information, training, tips and products online – that’s my job. Yours is to consider them, use the ones that will be helpful based on your own unique needs and desires, and put in the effort to lift yourself and those you love up to a better lifestyle – as defined by you, not me. As I see it…

2009 is MINE. Want some?

With hope for our collective futures…

Teri & Doug Champigny.

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , ,

 


 

 

Follow Doug Champigny On Twitter!

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!