I was the 'difficult' middle child of five argumentative siblings.

All through my life I been a reconciliator...trying to bring two sides together without anybody ending up on the losing side.

After I left school I worked for fifteen years in Banking...rising to the 'heady' heights of Manager of the Operations department for a merchant bank.

I always had a thought in the back of my mind that I could do better for myself...and that I wasn't realizing my full potential. I always got my biggest 'kick' out of getting the best out my staff...and the most rewarding part of my job was to see my friends who worked for me blossom into the people I knew that they could become.

I never had the guts to do anything about my situation. The worries of job security always were at the forefront of my mind, especially after Katie came along.

Then, on 2nd June 1998...my life changed.

Our son Connor was born with multiple mental and physical disabilities. We didn't even know until after he was born...and, if you have children of your own, you can imagine how we felt as he was taken away immediately so that they could keep him alive.

The next few weeks went by in a daze as almost every day...we were told that Connor would never be able to do 'this', or would undoubtedly end up like 'that', because of the problems he had.

I can tell you...your priorities certainly change after that, believe me.

Connor had sight problems, didn't seem to hear, had part of his brain missing, had a tracheotomy in his windpipe, required 24-hour oxygen, had asthma, lung problems, couldn't speak, was fed through a tube in his stomach, had bowel problems, couldn't sit, and spent three-quarters of the first three years of his life in hospital.

It's not until you get into situations like we were in that you realize how really lucky we were.

Even though we had resuscitated him on his first Christmas morning...and managed to overcome a mis-diagnosed case of meningitus...we still felt incredibly lucky to at least have him around.

We would meet families where they had three children with life-threatening conditions...or where the children had spent their entire lives in hospital. It certainly makes you wonder how important money and a career are when things like that are concerned.

I hope that as you are reading this, whatever your situation is...you realize how lucky you are compared to a huge number of people that you never get to hear about.

As time went on...my work suffered.

I became a consultant for a banking software company...but once I had to miss one of Connor's (many) operations on a pointless journey to Barcelona in Spain for an hour-long meeting that I could have had over the phone...I realized that there was more to life than the corporate treadmill.

I remember it so very clearly.

As Connor could only be cared for by nurses, or by myself and Lesley...we didn't get a chance to get out much.

A chance came up for Lesley to take Katie away for a week with some friends...and I stayed at home with Connor. Just me and him for an entire week. It was August 2001...and, that week, something just 'clicked' inside my head.

By the time Lesley got back, I had already circled the date that I was going to leave my job...1st December 2001. To say that she was surprised was an understatement!

As it was...my last working day was...30th November! There was no going back. I was scared...but I knew that I had done the right thing.

It was time to 'put up' or shut up!

But...what could I do to earn a living?

Well...I had read many books on personal development over the years...and the subject fascinated me. But...it wasn't until my mother said something to me that made me realize that I could do something positive for other people.

She said that, out of her five children (and their spouses)...she knew that Lesley and I were the best equipped to deal with what we had to go through.

It was true that, despite all that was been thrown at us...we remained very positive...and our marriage was actually stronger because we 'worked' together so well as a team to care for our son...just to keep him alive.

It got me thinking...could I write about how we dealt with the life-or-death situations we had had to deal with? If we could remain positive despite it all...I was sure that I could translate what we did and learned in something that anyone could apply to their lives.

I, at least, felt qualified as an 'expert' to be able to talk about positive thinking and success...after all we were proof that our 'methods' worked.

I spent the first couple of months feeling my way online as I wrote my first ebook "The Science of Success" and my second (as-yet-unreleased) - "The Truth About Success".

We lived off of our savings...but I was happier than I had been in a very long time...despite the continuous struggles with Connor.

"The Science of Success" was released on March 1st, 2002. My ezine - "Our Success Partnership" started on March 10th, 2002. The rest, as they say, is history.

I made a point of investing in my business wherever I could in the early days...and this investment has more than paid off since then.

I have made some firm friends amongst the 'stars' of the Internet marketing world...as I jetted over to the States to attend seminars in order to teach myself about how to market on the Internet.

I pride myself on being totally honest and truthful with my ezine subscribers, and I always respond to any emails that they send me.

I know that the only way that I will do well is by helping others do well...and, although it takes longer to build a business in this way...it is the only way that you can guarantee any longevity online.

On 20th February 2003, Connor passed away...impossible though it seemed to us. We were just expecting him to recover...as he had done so many times in the past. I had over 400 message board posts from my subscribers afterwards telling stories of how he had helped change their lives.

If it wasn't for my son...you wouldn't be reading this now...and I would still be 'unfulfilling' my potential, instead of helping as many people change their lives as I can.

Because of my son I have made a future for my family...and I have become a much better person through knowing and caring for him.

So now...you know all about me...it's up to you to decide if you think that I can help you fulfill YOUR own potential...just by making use of what you already know.

To Our Success!

Gary Vurnum