All That Matters Is When You Do Start, You Don’t Stop ‒ Exclusive Interview With Ed Latimore
- Brainz Magazine
- Mar 9, 2023
- 6 min read
Ed Latimore is a physicist, former professional heavyweight boxer, competitive chess player, and veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard. Millions of people have learned from Ed’s experiences through his writing and speaking, about developing stoic street-smarts, sobriety, and realizing your potential. Learn more about Ed and his background at edlatimore.com.
Ed Latimore, Author
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
When people ask me what I do for a living, my somewhat joking answer is “I get to be myself.” I say this because I’ve managed to take the lessons from my life experiences and present them in such a way that people get tremendous value and learn from them.
The official motto of my website, www.edlatimore.com, is “I take what I’ve learned the hard way and I break it down so that you can learn it the easy way.” On my website, I write about the lessons I’ve learned from growing up in public housing projects, being a professional boxer (13-1-1), overcoming alcoholism (I’ve been sober since Dec. 23, 2013), graduating from college at age 33 (B.A. Physics), and ultimately going into business for myself, both in-person and online.
While I’ve always enjoyed writing and teaching, my 20s were a mess. At age 25, I was more likely to end up in prison because of my relationship with alcohol and my behavior under its influence than be someone who’s written a book about getting sober that helps people quit drinking. But one morning, after I woke up at a friend’s house with no memory of how I got there, I decided that I had to get sober.
This improved every area of my life. Naturally, I had to write about it. I was performing better in school, in the boxing ring, making more money, and growing my blog and social media presence. I use my website and social media to connect with people around the world who want to learn how to change their lives and improve themselves, no matter where they are in life.
People are able to read my content and see that it’s almost never too late and you’re almost never too far gone. I’d like to think my life is a great example of what happens when you decide that enough is enough and you do the hard work of self-improvement.
It doesn’t matter where or when you start. All that matters is that when you do start, you don’t stop.
What is your business name and how do you help your clients?
I have two business models: I teach writing skills, and I help people improve their lives.
I’ve built my website and presence on Twitter and SEO by understanding how to write well and capture attention. I teach those writing skills, along with personal branding and social media marketing, through various programs, classes, and group consultations.
I’ve also written a lot about dealing with sobriety, addiction, forgiveness, and general life improvement. If someone comes to me with any of those troubles, I’m more concerned with making a difference than making a dollar. I have a rate, but if you need help and you’re willing to listen, I always work with anyone I can who needs help.
For the first business model, people pay big. They pay because I’m good at what I do, and I put the energy into helping someone grow in the areas where I have expertise. For the second model, money is not really the object. I can’t give my time away for free, but I’m generous.
The prices of my books on Amazon versus my courses, programs, and mentorship reflect this difference. I not only show people what’s possible by being a living example of what I write about, but I also teach them. I not only write about what dealing with alcoholism, poverty, and self-discipline is like, but I also teach people how to take back control over their lives, both mentally and emotionally.
Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?
There is no particular person who helped me get to this level. Several people are responsible for the success I have. First, I’m grateful to all the people who recognized that I had a problem, and they called me out on it. While I’d like to think I would have made the changes in my life on my own, I’m grateful that I had people around me to help out.
I’m grateful to the people who have taught me everything about SEO and online marketing. Without those skills, I’d never be able to grow a following, make a name for myself, and make a living by helping people. It’s not just enough to have something to say. You also need to be able to make people listen to you.
I’m grateful to all the platforms and people who have given me opportunities to discuss my work and my story and believed in me enough to recommend my work to their audience. I would not be anywhere without all of these influences.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
The proudest moment of my career was completing and self-publishing my book, "Sober Letters To My Drunken Self". I feel like this project, more than any other I’ve done to this point, helps people feel confident in their decision to stop drinking and get more control over their lives.
Unfortunately, we live in a society where a person is not often greeted with support if they don’t want to drink alcohol. The old joke is that alcohol is the only drug where people think you have a problem if you don’t do it. I feel like my book helps people navigate the social and emotional changes they may experience when they get sober.
I share every recommendation or review I get because I’m proud of that book and what it contributes to the world.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
First, most importantly, I’m willing to take risks. Risks are generally viewed as something that you want to avoid, but that’s only in the case of “pure risk”. Pure risk is risk that can only result in loss. I’ve succeeded because I eagerly embrace what is known as “speculative risk”.
Speculative risk is risk where you can win or lose something. The best version of this is taking a calculated risk by betting on yourself. The worst is gambling by betting on things you can’t control. I take speculative risks ‒ smart bets ‒ on myself.
I remember when I was an amateur boxer, I needed to train with the best coach around, but he was 20 miles away, and I needed to drive. I drove a broken-down beater to the gym every day, even though my driver’s license was suspended, I couldn’t afford insurance, and the car couldn’t pass inspection. Getting pulled over once would have realistically meant jail time. However, I took the risk because I needed to train, and it paid off.
Second, you need grit. Grit is the ability to persist towards a long-term goal despite any setbacks you face along the way. Many people give up at first sight of difficulty. A few don’t give up until they face the second or third setback. But most people eventually give up. Not those with grit.
Despite the fact that I have a physics degree, I nearly failed all of my math classes in high school. I failed calculus three times before I finally passed it a fourth time. I had to retake two classes throughout my degree, but I stuck with pursuing my degree despite these setbacks and failures.
Lastly, you need to be grateful. Just because things aren’t going well doesn’t mean they’ll always be that way. Being able to look at a situation and realize that things could be worse is one of the most powerful things you can do for your life. It keeps your perspective positive, and a positive mind is a powerful asset for solving your problems.
When I lost my first fight by first-round knockout, I remember being worried about how I’d pay my bills and dealing with public embarrassment. However, rather than focus on that, I looked at all of the good things in my life. I even told myself that one day it would be the best thing that ever happened to me. I truly believe it was because of this mentality that I was able to leverage that experience into a way to grow my popularity as a writer.
