Conquering adversity is one of the most difficult experiences in human life. We all encounter adversity to some degree, and some more than others. It’s not often lack of adversity that indicates someone’s success, but how they respond to and rise from the adversity that inevitably comes.

Austin Walker is a textbook example of someone who beat the odds and rose from adversity that would destroy most people. Unlike many, Austin has endured prison, something that many would consider to be a career-ending situation. However, Austin used his resourcefulness, passion, and entrepreneurial grit to build an Airbnb empire of more than 150 locations, forever changing the course of his life.

“Prior to doing Airbnb, I was fresh out of prison living at my mother’s house and doing yard work to keep my stay… I had a game to play everyday [with Airbnb units] and I became addicted to it. Within a year’s tine I had 12 apartments and was making over $20,000 a month in profit.”

Austin knew early on that he wasn’t destined to work a regular job. He realized that there are a limited amount of hours a day, and if he wanted to trade hours for dollars, there would be a limit on what he could accomplish. He realized that passive income, or income generated from an asset that didn’t require completely active use of time and energy, was the only way he could see. And, he has done just that.

“Find something where you’re not having to trade time for money. There are only so many hours of the day and only so many hours you can spend working. Even if you’re making $50 an hour, ask yourself if $400 a day is good enough for you. If your answer is “yes” then business isn’t for you; working for someone is. But if your answer is “no,” then you’ll really going to have to start thinking outside of the box.”