I had a thought today. I was on the phone with a client that requested that I give her a call. During the course of our conversation she was explaining how bad she wanted to change her life. She was explaining how she had been divorced, had a young child, and had been forced to move back into her parents' home. She told me she was tired of not being able afford the basics in life such as a home. She broke down and started crying a little as she said, "I have never been able to support myself without depending on someone else and I want to be able to do that".
To be honest with you that hurt my feelings. I look forward to working with this young women. I am hoping to help her change her life forever. You know a lot of people often tell me "I can't afford to get started".
"I can't afford the investment".
Really, what that tells me is that "I am not that serious about changing my life".
I often get responses to my emails in which someone tells me how hard their life is. How their circumstances are somehow more difficult to anyone else's and how I could never understand the position they are in, in their life. You know they are always correct I may never know the position they are in and I may never be in that position. However, when someone says, "I just can't afford it" They usually just means I don't have the money now and have no intention of every trying to save that money or finding a way to get that money to change my life. That let's me know that they just are not serious and are not someone that I am looking to work with. Let me share a story with you that may shed some light on this a bit.
When I was brand new in Coastal Vacations around August of last year. I spoke with a guy named Ken. Ken, seemed to be a nice guy after he did all of his research and completed the same four step process; that everyone goes through to make sure they know everything about this business before they get started. He told me, "Well I really like everything I see here but, I have to figure away to come up with the money." I told him that was fine, just let me know when you are ready. A month or two went by and I got an email from him. He said, "Don't give up on me I still want to get started with you". I replied and told him that I would be here to help him whenever he was ready. Some time in December I had gotten another email from Ken in which it explained that he was homeless or at least didn't have a home to call his own and that he didn't have a job. But, he was going to get started one of these days. Later in January I got an email in which Ken told me he had found a more stable home and he was looking forward to finding a steady job. Sometime in February I got a call from Ken he told me he had found a steady job and was going to start saving some money.
I remember thinking this guy is making some progress and always seems very serious about his intent in every email that he sends me. I knew then Ken was someone that seriously wanted to work with. I wanted to work with him so much that I started praying that one day I would have the chance to work with this guy. Sometime in March he contacted me again and he said he had saved $100 and would be ready to get started soon. The next month I got an email Ken told me once again, "I have saved more money". This time it was a total of $300. Ken said, "I know I still have a long ways to go but I will be getting started with you, don't give up on me". I had responded and let him know that I had not given up on him. The truth in the matter I was praying and rooting for his success. In May I got another update, "Jackie, I now have $500". In July he said, "Jackie, I have $800 and I may have the full amount by next month I will give you a call the first of August". The first of August came and went I was hoping he was going to be ready. I was so excited for him. I didn't hear from him till the end of the week in August. He called and said, "Jackie, it's Ken and I am ready to get started".
At that moment I was so excited for him. So many people just complain about life but this man is working to change his life. It took him nearly a year for him to save that money. At the time he was making his payment he didn't have a car he was riding a bicycle back and forth to work. He hadn't saved for a car yet because he was saving his money to start a business that would change his life. Most people who complain about not having any money to invest are in no more difficult circumstances than this man was. Except this man never told me, "I can't afford it". He said, "I have got to find a way to come up with the money". He said that at a time in his life when he did not have a stable home and he was living out of a suitcase, had no Job, no real source of income, no vehicle, but he had the desire to change his life. If his desire remains as strong as it is now; in the next year or two because of this business he will have a life he has only been able to dream of.
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1 comment:
THAT was an awesome story!!
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