It’s nearly impossible for any human being to go through life without obstacles. Challenges, change, and pain are normal parts of life. However, it’s not what happens to you but what you do with it that matters.
Read on to learn how Eric Oberembt beat the odds to become successful, sober, and able to help others.
Eric’s background
Eric grew up with his grandparents learning the roofing business. At age 10, he was already a hard worker in the roofing and siding business. He was working and selling tar roofs. By his mid-twenties, Eric had taken over 50% of his grandfather’s business. When his grandfather passed, he bought the rest of the company and began the journey towards scaling his business and learning how to help others achieve success.
Eric was an alcoholic. After two failed marriages, the wheels fell off, and he sunk deeper into addiction. It reached a point where he faced up to five years of jail time for a 4th offense DUI. At age 28, he was selling cocaine and risked death. Upon the advice of his lawyer, Eric opted for a 30-day rehab to avoid jail. He got sober and experienced a relapse that motivated him to change his life completely.
Defeating the odds to become successful
Eric has defeated the odds in his life to get where he is now. He had to overcome alcoholism, drug addiction, failed business, divorce, going to jail, being broke, losing a close family member, losing people in business, and having to rebuild. He has been sober for over 13 years now, and in those 13 years, he has managed to build several successful businesses.
Eric spends most of his time in his non-profit, Roofers in Recovery. The organization sends those suffering from addiction to a treatment center. So far, they’ve sent over 30 people to treatment. Aside from the non-profit, Eric hosts a podcast called ”Be Authentic or GTFO.” On the podcast, he interviews people about their struggles in life and how they found their light. The podcast has a close-knit following on social media.
Eric also does solo shows to open up to the audience about his failures in the hopes that people can learn from those losses and not have to go through the struggles that he did. As a keynote speaker, Eric covers topics such as leadership, recovery, roofing, business, relationships, empathy, authenticity, and how business and recovery go hand in hand.
You can become successful
You can tell from Eric’s life that this is an entrepreneur familiar with addiction’s bondage. He has gone through some of the toughest turns in life and made it out. Sometimes the best way to overcome our obstacles is by finding inspiration in the experiences of others. Eric is one such inspiration.
Eric says that to beat the odds and become successful; one has to:
- Be authentic. What this means is that you’re authentic with yourself and with others. For example, you don’t lie to yourself that you’re okay when you know you’re not. You don’t say you have it all figured out when things are crumbling apart.
- Don’t give excuses. Eric says that the habit of giving excuses is common among those struggling with addiction. However, to be successful, you have to take action and drop the habit of giving excuses.
- Work the problem. According to Eric, instead of just sulking or turning to drugs whenever a situation arises, you could work the problem. This entails evaluating the solutions you have before you and selecting one that would work. Don’t assume that there’s no way out of the problem. Get to the root of the problem and believe in your capacity to overcome it.
You can become successful too
Eric believes that anyone can become successful. We all have a purpose for being here, and if we focus on the solutions and make life goals, we can realize our dream of becoming successful. The worst thing anyone can do is choose to be comfortable in their state or give up on themselves.
Eric is an inspiration to many people. His life has inspired many recovering alcoholics, and his efforts to help them have made him a powerful and amazing member of society. You can connect with Eric on social media to learn more about his journey.
