Is the path you are seeking a dead end?
Many of you have read my story by now and have a basic idea of what my background is… but I want to share with you a segment of my life in a bit more detail. When I was growing up in my early childhood, I was always under the obligation to care upon myself as my single mother found herself working most days and nights. Growing up to reach 14, I was still with that independent mindset that “no one will do for you what you want to do for yourself” and so I found myself wanting to work and earn some money for video games at an early age.
My work permit would allow me to work about 15 hours a week but my visa status wasn’t quite there yet and therefore prevented me from working in most places, as they would require verification of employment status which I didn’t have.
Wondering around into the high school’s cafeteria one day found me presented with an interesting opportunity. I was young and not quite aware of what a telemarketer was and so was told that I would be making phone calls for leads and sales and would earn $12 an hour, but more importantly would allow me to work instead of sitting at home. It seemed like a great idea at the time and actions are better than dreams and therefore I decided to take more control of my outcomes at the age of 14.
Being a telemarketer is much easier than most people imagine, it is very easy as long as you are confident and don’t mind getting rejected a hundred times a day. The job itself is very easy and requires nothing more than some common sense, the ability to speak English and the ultimate ability “making a phone call”. Most people will not do the job, as they are simply not interested in being shut down over a hundred times a day. I, however, looked at life differently and understood that the money was simply better than flipping burgers. The location was an office job rather than a restaurant and the earning potential could triple if you were successful, and so I did nothing more than do my job. I made phone calls, countless phone calls that led to sales, sales that led to commissions and commissions that led to promotions. At the end of the day I worked half the time my friends worked at various cool restaurants and retail stores and earned almost ten times as much; which leads me to my next point…
Often in life, we enjoy doing certain things and aspire to be a certain somebody, we often visualize what we will be as we get older or what the road ahead looks like after high school or college but we sometimes lose ourselves in our dreams rather than on the actual real path to get there. Sometimes people aspire to live a certain luxury lifestyle but yet want to become kindergarten teachers or police officers, which are OK professions by all means but not a means to attain a luxury lifestyle of any sort. Therefore there is a missing element to the goal, and that is a realistic approach.
When people ask me “Don, what was your first job?” I reply ” I was a telemarketer” and they laugh and say “Man, you must have hated it” it simply amuses me and I reply “No, It’s the reason I drive an Aston Martin today”. You see years ago, my goal in life was not to become a telemarketer, a banker, the president of some company or any such thing…My goal 10 years ago was to be a in a position to help people, people like yourselves that follow us daily, send me awesome emails thanking me for the coaching or the life they have today as a result. THAT was my ultimate goal; but realistically my other goal was to be very wealthy comfortable, enjoy my passion for cars and real estate and enjoy a life full of pleasant experiences. The two did not match at the time and therefore I took a realistic approach, not an enjoyable one. I stayed on the path that made the most money, not the one that I felt I enjoyed most just so I could acquire the lifestyle and comfort I’ve always wanted and now as a result of this financial independence I am able to spend time helping everyone else I ve always dreamed of helping.
Sometimes the decisions we have to make are not the easiest or the most comfortable ones to make but as long as they are aligned to what you ultimately want to reach, and not so much what you like to do today, the outcomes will allow you to get back to your original comfort zone, while the experiences along the way allow you to become stronger and more seasoned for whats to come.
Just remember that ultimately, you and only you control where your life is headed but sometimes its worth stopping for a moment before accepting a job offer or taking the next step and asking yourself. “Is this a necessary move for me to grow into the person I ultimately want to become?” If its not, then stop wasting time and find the correct path or you might just end up wasting your entire life pursuing an empty dream.
Till Next Time…
