Right then, in my mess of pinto beans and puffy eyes, I stopped and took a hard look at my life. And what I saw was a tear stained, blotchy eyed girl who was broke and tired of playing the part of the starving actress.

Yup, Hollywood. Capital H, O, L, L, WHY did I come here? I had to take a break. It was time to get a full time job, take control of my finances, breathe and buy myself a steak dinner.

Fast forward a year:

I’m working in administration at a school, at a desk, with insurance and a fat retirement package. Hello 401K, goodbye kicking my face and belting! I’m finally financially stable. BIG WIN! But now my stress level is off the charts, I’ve gained weight, I feel like I’ve aged faster than ever, my acting career has completely dwindled, I’m unhappy, I’m single and I’m so exhausted that I have nothing left in me to write, even though I’m literally sitting. all. day. at. a. computer.

YIKES! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LIFE!?!?

I knew one thing: I didn’t want to go back to the way I was living before. Financial stability had gotten me out of debt and even allotted me a trip to England on paid vacation time  (Which was a new, exciting concept for me: PAID VACATION?! For real?).

But I couldn’t help thinking: was it worth it if the rest of my year made me feel so bad? The math didn’t compute. I felt trapped, and it didn’t feel good.

Finally, about a month ago, I found myself calling out of work to take a mental health day (yes, it had gotten that bad). As I was lying in bed, crying and trying to not drown in my anxiety, something snapped. I suddenly stopped. And again, through my trusted blotchy eyes, I took another hard look at my life.

This time, I saw my inner-self screaming:

“LISA!! THIS IS NOT THE ANSWER!!”

She seemed pretty angry about it. So instead of screaming back: “WELL THEN WHAT IS?!?” I decided to use her fire to go and find it. I went online and did a search:

What I learned was amazing.

In this day and age, if you are working a 9-5, you are doing it wrong. With all the resources online, there is no longer a reason to live the life of a worker bee. There is a way that you can be your own boss, make 6 figures and lay on a beach in Tahiti sipping a gin and ginger (Yup, that’s my drink of choice). I saw other people, like me, doing it and thriving. Suddenly, a crystal clear path to a life of luxury appeared before my eyes. I realized there is no time like the present to walk it. It was time to throw away my punch card and become Queen Bee. Yes, it was time again, to make some changes.

I wish I could say that then and there I dried my eyes, picked up the phone and straight quit my job… but I didn’t. Honestly, that would have made a great story, but I have a mountain of student loans to pay back. Instead, what I did was clean myself up and drive to Barnes and Noble. There, I bought Tim Ferris’ NY Times best seller, “The 4 Hour Work Week.” Not what you expected? Slightly anti-climatic? Here’s why that is the most exciting and valuable thing you could have read:

It is the Truth.

And like I’m sure you’ve heard: the truth will set you free.

My story isn’t a “Get Rich Quick” story. It’s not a “How I Made 6 Figures Blogging After A Year” story. It’s my personal journey, happening in real time, of getting rich (hopefully quick), and discovering this path to living my best life.

 I will share the tricks, tips, shortcuts and answers that I find are working in THE NOW. Today.

You are invited to walk with me every step of the way. And as I learn, change, grow, fail, succeed, travel, and manifest this dream, I hope to carve out this path to a new elite lifestyle. One that anyone can access. So that you too can walk it and join me as the

NEW ELITE.