Hey there,
I thought I would share with you a little bit about me. The man behind all of the content for this website.

There's no reason for you and I to be strangers. So why don't I introduce myself?

As you may have guessed, my name is Ryan Whiteside. I have a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Ohio University. If you don't know anything about OU, just know this. It's consistently a top ten party school and hosts the biggest Halloween bash in the United States!

When I wasn't studying or dressing up as a whoopie cushion, I became extremely addicted to the idea of building websites. I guess it stemmed from the fact that I love the Internet. And also that I've always had a passion for writing.

My Freshmen year, almost all of my time was spent playing poker with my friends. So I decided to build a website about playing online poker. 

Since then, I have created several different websites based on various topics. But the day I started this site, I knew it was going to be something different. Something special that I knew I would cherish for many years to come.

For me, this website is my opportunity to help millions of people like you to discover and reach for your dreams.

I know how hard it is, this game of life. But I also know that when you look past all of the difficulties, there is a world of opportunity out there.

Below is my story. The story of how it all got started. It details how I've grown my passion for personal development into a daily activity. And also why you might consider doing the same...

How My Personal Development Began

I'll never forget the moment when my personal development began to take off. It started when I was having major trouble with my grades in college. And how I was always complaining that I didn't have enough time.

While other students were out having fun playing volleyball and laying out, I was stuck in a computer lab writing software programs.

I was sick of having no free time, and I started looking for answers...

It's funny. The first personal development book I read, Time Power, wouldn't even make it into my top 50 favorite books today but that was my start. This book absolutely revolutionized my thinking!

I remember sitting in the study hall room, with my brain absolutely on fire reading what this book was telling me.

I realized then how much growth and improvement I needed to make in my life. And I was the only one to blame for the struggles I was having in school.

At that time, I was filled with excuses. I thought that they made school way too difficult. I thought it was ridiculous that I had to spend 50-60 hours per week studying and doing homework. But my thoughts changed when I read Time Power.

Now, I knew that it was me that was the problem. The reason I was spending so much time working was because I wasn't applying simple time management techniques that would help me get the most out of each day.

These techniques that I learned, and the positive mental attitude that came with it, allowed me to cut my study time nearly in half. I was no longer complaining about not having enough time because I now realized that there was more than enough time in each day. All I had to do was get the most out of the time that I had available.

After reading that book, I felt as if I had a huge advantage over every other student. I would laugh to myself every time I heard someone else complaining that they didn't have enough time. Because I knew the real truth.

And at that time, I wanted to learn and find out what else I didn't know...

When It Really Started To Take Off

After reading Time Power, I made a post in a popular online forum asking what books they found to be influential. Books that made them achieve success and helped them improve their lives.

While I received several suggestions, there was one book that seemed to be mentioned much more than any other.

That book was Think And Grow Rich.

I had never heard of this book before. But I knew I had to have it. After all, who wouldn't want to pick up a book with that kind of title? Think and Grow Rich!

So I went on Amazon.com and picked up the cheapest used copy as fast as I could. I counted down the seconds until the book finally came in the mail.

After reading the book, I was completely blown away by the success principles that were explained in it. I thought to myself, why hadn't I ever heard of this book before? Why did I have to wait this long to be introduced to this incredible book?

Part of the reason I decided to start RyanWhiteside.com was to introduce this world of personal development to people that I seemed to discover entirely on my own. Nobody explained to me that hundreds of highly successful people have written books telling all of their secrets of how they did it. Nobody.

After Think And Grow Rich, I had to know even more. And that's when I was introduced to Jim Rohn.

It was an audiobook titled The Art Of Exceptional Living.

I will just say this. If you want to hear one of the most incredible life philosophies you will ever hear, you should pick up this audiobook. It's a little under two hours long and it's absolutely incredible.

I've listened to it in my car at least ten times. And it simply never gets old.

One recommendation that Jim Rohn says in the tape is to build your own library. He says that every large home has in it a library of great books.

I've already started quite a collection of great books. And amazingly, it hasn't taken very long to do so. I encourage you to pick up your first great book if you haven't done so. If you need a guide, I consider my personal development books section one of the best you will find.

The point is to get started. Which is where I'd like to finish my story...

Your Journey Begins Now

It doesn't matter who you are or where you came from, you can get better. It's amazing what can be done over the course of one year. Or two years.

I look at the person I was a couple years ago and I see a completely different person! Someone who doesn't know half of what I know now. I wonder how I got by back then without knowing the things that I know now!

Some people aren't like this though.

Some people look back two years ago and see the same person. Or worse yet, they look back and see that the person before was better. You have a choice in what your situation will be like. If I can only teach you one thing that I've discovered, it's this...

Great things are achieved in baby steps. Nothing miraculous happens one day that immediately changes it all. You have to do the little things each day, if you do them consistently over time, will add up to a lot.

I never thought it would be possible to read 100 books in a two year span. But I grabbed Time Power and read it. Then I grabbed Think And Grow Rich and read it. And before I knew it, I had a bookshelf that was full of hundreds of great books.

Understand that there's more than enough time left to do something amazing. You just have to get started. Do that one little thing today that will get you going in the right direction

I hope you do. And I hope that this website can somehow guide you on that journey.

All the best,








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