It's stunning to think about what has happened in just 5 short years. Before Pre-Paid Legal, I was a 27-year-old college drop out waiting tables at Chili's earning $200 per week. I had been praying for an opportunity to change my life, and in August of 1999 my brother, Jeff Hughes, introduced me to Pre-Paid Legal.

Things were so bad for me I had to save my tip money for several weeks to come up with the couple hundred bucks I needed to start my business. I got started in September, but immediately hit a brick wall. I thought about quitting several times, but just refused to accept the mediocre life I had previously settled for. I kept repeating a quote I once heard, "Let me be rich, or let me poor, but please don't let me be mediocre," and I stayed the course.

For the first season of my business, all the signs said I was wasting my time and I should probably quit, but I persisted in spite of my temporary defeat . I never missed a meeting. I never missed any training. I just kept showing up. I was teachable and followed the system, and as a result, achieved the prestigious Pre-Paid Legal Ring in my third year in my third year in the business! And, it hasn't been that bad since!

We're not the only ones having success. We've helped hundreds of families walk away from their jobs. We've helped dozens of people get to the top level in the company.

Our life is so much better now! I married my sweetheart, Sky, in July of 2002. We are enjoying the good life together. It's not all about the money, but the money is nice. Last Christmas, I bought Sky her dream car: a Lexus LX 470. This past Christmas, she surprised me with my dream car: a BMW 745 LI! We earn a wonderful income, but more than the money, we have an incredible life!

Every day is family day at our house! My wife and I are both full time parents to our incredible son, Ryell Christopher. The three of us spend the majority of our time together. We go on walks around the lake. We play on the playground. We go to Disneyland , Sea World, the beach, and go on vacation whenever and wherever we desire!

In a world of swiftly changing values and moral decay, it's more important than ever to have strong families. As parents, we all have a choice; we can raise our children, or we can let the world raise them. We have chosen to instill our values and principles in our children, as opposed to allowing MTV, video games, and the rest of the world have their way with them.

If you're not having the success you want in this business, the secret is to "work harder on yourself than you do on your business." At first glance, it appears that this business is about recruiting and selling. It's not! It's about personal development and relationships. When you change, things will change for you.

We are so grateful for all we have been given. We are grateful to the Stonecipher's for this once in a lifetime opportunity. We are grateful to Wilburn Smith, Ken Moore and the Moore Success Team for hanging in there. We would like to thank our entire TeamRenew family for all the love and support they give us. We humbly wear the Ring and the Platinum Jacket for all of you! Most importantly, we want to thank the Lord for his choice blessings. We have been blessed in deed and know the best is yet to come!