Today we’d like to introduce you to CJ Finley.
Hi CJ, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Small town kid, with huge dreams. From the time I was born, I had a rambunctious energy that wanted to explore, adventure, and make the most out of my life. Fortunately, my parents encouraged me and fueled my curiosity with a constant assortment of sports, clubs, and community activities. When it came time to decide which career path to take though, I fell victim to following what I “should” do, rather than pursuing my passions. I chose to pursue engineering because I knew it would keep me challenged and provide a “safe” path. However, after graduating with my engineering degree and spending some time in various jobs in the corporate world (West-Ward Pharma, UBS Wealth Management, Apex Systems), I quickly realized that I wanted more. I wanted to make an impact, and staying confined to a rigid work schedule wasn’t going to get me there, so I had to go create it through my brand THRIVE ON LIFE. What may have seemed on the outside as a lack of focus and direction, has on the inside, been my search for fulfillment in life. The criticism to find a path and stick to it has been the fuel for me to follow my ultimate passion — helping others.
Along this path, I’ve also struggled with an autoimmune disease and many other dietary complications that have taken a toll on my overall health. The internal suffering that I continuously have had to overcome has been another main reason for my burning desire to create an impact while I’m here on earth — it’s my reminder that life is short, health shouldn’t be taken for granted, and if sharing my story can somehow help others to do the same, then that is my life mission.
After months of coming home from a job that left me stressed, anxious, unfulfilled, and caused me to lose weight, I finally decided to make the change and create the life I truly wanted. On January 2, 2017, I left the stability of my day “job” to continue my journey of helping others through my brand, THRIVE ON LIFE. The initial mission was to continuously share my story of struggling with sickness, maintaining health and wellness, and helping others trying to do the same. I earned my nationally accredited certifications in personal training and nutrition, joined a start-up hub, invested in courses and communities, and never looked back from there. Over four years later, I’ve helped various clients/customers/communities transform their lifestyles so that they can make a larger impact on this world. And it has resulted in thousands of new connections, friends, and opportunities that have led to the life I live now. Today, my mission has evolved to not only help individuals lead happier and healthier lives, but also to help businesses with social missions to “thrive” as well. Follow THRIVE ON LIFE on all social channels to see more of what we are up to, or tune into the THRIVE ON LIFE Podcast to hear the stories of the amazing people we are blessed to have conversations with. If there is one thing I can leave you with, it is that you have a finite amount of heart beats. You MUST choose where you spend them wisely and make the most of this life while you have the chance!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth? Not at all. However, I am constantly reminding myself that anything worth having is never going to be easy. With various long-term missions such as building mission driven businesses, starting nonprofits, and contributing to educational reform, it is certainly difficult to stay zoned in on the daily tasks at hand. This ambition has sometimes led to irrational decisions, wasting time/money/energy on numerous occasions, and has caused myself, and others around, me pain. Yet, I’ve come to realize that with growing curiosity and ambition, comes increased challenges and difficulties, but I am okay with that. Sometimes it is short term pain for long term gain. So far, all of the challenges — personal, intellectual, and physical — that I’ve gone through have helped shape my path and the perspective that I now have. They have made me stronger. At the end of the day, I would always make the hard choice of pursuing my passions, and possibly failing, then making the safer choice and suffering from long-term unhappiness. I would encourage you to consider doing the same!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
There is something I always said that I think represents both THRIVE ON LIFE, and myself the most. When we strive together, we THRIVE TOGETHER. My super power in life is creating relationships and communities that help other people connect, learn, and grow competence in areas they love, while also gaining confidence to pursue the things they are most passionate about. I wholeheartedly believe we can go so much further in life TOGETHER, and that is why my main objective no matter what project or business I am working on, is always to build an inclusive atmosphere that helps others become happier, healthier, and more fulfilled human beings. And the fact that I have done the above on numerous occasions is what I am most proud of, as well as something I will strive to continue repeating throughout my entire lifetime.
Let’s talk about our city – What do I like best? What do I least like?
What do I like best? THE PEOPLE. Austin Texas has a community that is willing to help each other get better in all aspects of life, and I am forever grateful for that. What do I least like? Minimal public transport. I am from the northeast and I wish Texas would more heavily adopt the use of light rails, trains, and other forms of transportation.
Contact Info:
- Email: cjfinley@thriveonlife.com
- Website: thriveonlife.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/cj.finley
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cj.finley.9
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/cjfinley7
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cjfinley
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