Today's episode features John Soforic, author of The Wealthy Gardener. John gives his passionate story of how he went from $200k in debt to over $200k in passive income. The lessons he learned led to a book he wrote for his son titled The Wealthy Gardner. The story starts with a stroll through the graveyard but certainly has a happy ending. Listen, learn, and let us know what you think about this awesome episode. Episode Summary John's Background John takes a walk when he was 30 He just goes walking in his town Then he walks into a graveyard and sat there for a half-day John was just contemplating life He had two kids, long hours, and $200k in student debt Then he read a book called "How to Think and Grow Rich" Then he set a goal to have $240k in passive income before the age of 50 Fast forward and John retired at age 49 He would then go on to write The Wealthy Gardner as a way to communicate the lessons he learned to his son Building His Passive Income Step one was leveraging all 112 waking hours and not just 40 He was working 40 hours in his clinic and 30 hours outside Then he started educating himself on real estate John also hired teams to help him That allowed him to have 500 hours of work a week to his goals This included buying 8 duplexes at once It was an incredible deal where he got them at half price He was able to do this because he offered to buy them all The sellers were part of an estate and looking for quick cash The Wealthy Gardener Book John wrote the book in hopes that his 19 yr old son would be influenced by it He convinced him to be his editor to make some money During the process, John asked him to argue points with him Today his son is 25 and saving over 50% of his income so it seems to have worked He also fought to keep spirituality into the book to keep it true to him John originally self-published and book that has now been translated into three languages   Key Takeaways Leverage: John created so much leverage through teams and real estate which allowed him to unlock his earning potential Stay True to You: I loved how John is open about his beliefs and how he didn't let the prospect of money change them Call to Action Investigate passive income streams. Don't get stuck thinking only on huge goals -- just start small and start soon. Join the Community We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community! Sign up for our exclusive newsletter Join our Facebook Group Leave us a voicemail Send an email to contact [at] TheFIshow [dot] com If you like what you hear, please leave a rating/review! The FI show on iTunes The FI show on Android Check out our Partners If you're a rental property investor or business owner, you'll definitely want to check out igloohome. Have you ever had to give out a door code or leave a key under a mat for people to enter your property? Not anymore. igloohome's smart locks work entirely on an app + Bluetooth connection so there's no need to sacrifice security. Check out their products today at igloohome.co and get 15% off with promo code FISHOW. Express VPN is one of the leading virtual private network service providers in the industry. Before I learned about Express VPN, I used to use incognito mode when I wanted to protect my information and browsing history. But I was wrong. Your internet service provider can actually still legally sell your information even if you’re using an incognito browser. But when you use Express VPN to surf the web, the software encrypts your web traffic and masks your IP address to give you real privacy. Use limited-time offer ExpressVPN.com/FiShow for 3 months off a 1-year subscription. Start protecting your privacy today! John's Information Website: WealthyGardener.com