Failure is Not an Option

My life is a story of ups and downs, highs and lows, joys and pains, but most of all it is a lesson of true perseverance. Since this is my first article, I'll give a synopsis of my life overall, and how I went from a successful NFL athlete to an even better business entrepreneur, to going broke in 90 days, to where I am today!I remember being drafted into the NFL like it was yesterday. My name flashed across the screen on ESPN -- I cried briefly, and my grandmother told me, no time for crying, time to go to work! Six years later I retired from the NFL after sustaining a back injury. I have to be completely honest; my transition after leaving the game was very difficult. I got into a deep depression, I was full of anxiety, and I had no idea what my next move was!Six months later, I ended up finding my construction company, Kayden Premier Enterprises, after attending a networking event at Morgan State University in Baltimore Maryland. Four years later I grew it to be the largest minority contracting company in the scope of site work, in the city of Baltimore, and in the state of Maryland! In 2013 I went bankrupt, after spending $2 million in 90 days, and not getting paid back the money I spent by my general contractor. After sustaining this type of loss and going bankrupt, I fell into another deep depression, I got addicted to alcohol, and I had no plan of how to rebound from that catastrophic loss.In 2014 I picked myself up off the pavement, dusted myself off, and got back into the game of rebuilding my life. I worked two jobs to support my family, while I was chasing my dream of being a public speaker. One of the jobs I took was a graveyard shift janitor making $8.25 per hour to feed my family; I would do anything and everything I had to do to feed my family. In 2015 my book got released, and I became a bestseller within a week after it's release. My best seller helped pave the way for what I'm currently doing now in my life.I am a public speaker, best-selling author, founder of the Ogden speaking academy, and I help others as a leadership mentor as well. I have worked for two Fortune 500 brands (First Citizens Bank, Netapp), and four Fortune 100 brands (New York Life, Cisco, Siemens, JP Morgan). I speak on topics such as leadership, organizational structure, how to sustain a successful business, keys to being a great employee and more. I work very closely with retired athletes, current athletes, and vets. I try to help people prepare for transition, so when the next phase of their life comes, they are ready to embark on it.I am a husband, a father, mentor, and a coach. The one thing I have learned in my journey is that failure is part of success. I'll close with this acronym... F.A.I.L. It stands for First Attempt In Learning. We all make mistakes, just try not to make the same one over and over again and you can and will be successful!Find more fitness articles here.