I got this email from one of my subscribers last week – I’ve edited it just a bit for language:
Dear Joe,
I HATE my freaking job. I loath it. I hate getting up in the morning and driving in traffic to do a job I wouldn’t wish on my greatest enemy.
I loath my boss, he’s a complete and utter scumbag. I hate the way he looks, the way he dresses, his overpowering cologne, the way he stands over my shoulder, the way he does my annual assessments, the way he keeps me from advancing.
I feel like a slave and the worst part is, I do a fantastic job for them. I smile and kiss and bow and do what I’m told. I know you wouldn’t believe it because this whole email is a complaint, but in my real life, I’m not a complainer – I do what is expected of me and I keep my mouth shut.
I stay late and miss my kid’s soccer games and prepare for the meeting that’s coming up tomorrow. I give until it hurts.
But the pay I get just isn’t worth it.
I’m moving up the ladder – and that’s a joke too since the ladder starts at the bottom of a hole. The only dream I have is that eventually I’m going to climb high enough to get my head above water. Over the last 10 years as a loyal employee, I’ve received annual pay raises equal to about 3% of my income. Over the last two years, my pay has been cut 15% – setting me back 5 years. My credit card debt has risen to over $30,000 and we are thinking about filing bankruptcy.
They tell me I’m lucky to have a job in this economy and that I should be grateful that I haven’t been laid off. I don’t feel particularly lucky.
My wife and I see each other one night a week because she is working full time too, but her shift is in the evening. We are constantly running to try to catch up with all the things we have to do – but somehow we never seem to have any fun as a couple or as a family anymore.
How long can you stay married if you never see the one you are supposed to love?
[email truncated]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This email went on for 3 more pages and in a lot more detail. I’m not going to reprint it all.
At first I thought – this guy is ready to go postal – he’s going off his nut.
But I’ve been thinking about it for the last couple days and I decided to share it with you and to also share my very brief answer to him.
This guy isn’t alone – I get emails like this all the time – almost every day in one form or another.
It was written by an intelligent man – a man who seems to love his wife and children and who wants to give them the good things in life.
And even more than giving them things, he wants to be with them, to share his life with them and bring back the good times and love that he’s had in the past.
I think he sent me this email because I talk about everything he’s ranting against in some way or another in my emails and my teaching every single day.
Here is my response to him:
Hi [Name withheld]:
Ouch. Sounds like things are tough for you right now.
I know you’ve read a bunch of my material, I’ve seen your name come through my system – because of this, I know that you may already know what I’m going to say – so I’ll keep this brief and just remind you of what you probably already know.
You can be the author of your life.
You can make it up and then create it.
If you start and then screw it up, you can change again and again until it’s what you really want.
It’s not over till your dead.
Once you understand this basic idea, the next task is to start dreaming and come up with the perfect life.
Then start living that life. It’s not as hard as it sounds. It’s not mystical. It’s just plain old practical advice.
You can change your life. One simple step at a time.
Eventually, little by little, over days and weeks and months, it changes to what you create… not through your imagination, but through the ACTIONS you take on the things you imagine.
Life is a gift and a wondrous thing – and it’s way too short. Don’t screw it up by not paying attention.
Because you are interested in real estate investing and have an entrepreneurs heart, I suggest that you get involved in my mentor program and surround yourself with other people who think and act on the life they want.
But even if you can’t afford to get involved with my group, you don’t have to stay in your situation for the rest of your life – you are creating your own prison – use your imagination and your dreams to change who you are and break free.
You have my best wishes and hope for the future. Good luck, my friend.
