Smiling through the racket

Each day brings challenges. I woke up to a jackhammer chewing through my neighbor's driveway and the dogs thinking it's a pentameter they should bark to in time. How long does it take to get through one square foot of concrete, anyway? Apparently quite a while. Such an unexpected disturbance six months ago would have determined my mood for the day, but now I try to turn it around and consider how it might offer opportunities for seeing life differently. I had lots to do today. Unlike a snooze alarm you can't really tune out a jackhammer or turn it off, so I'm up and ready for the day!

Then, a book sent to Spain two months ago reportedly hasn't shown up, and the person wants their money back. I saw this one coming. I sent the book against my better judgment, because if there are two places in Europe that you do not want to send items through the mail, it's Spain and Italy. Does this surprise anyone? If so, it shouldn't. Their post offices are so ramshackle I doubt half the items sent there will ever make it, or, at least, your customers will claim they did not make it and ask for their money back. Many are well aware how bad their post offices are, and the refund policies of international payment agencies like Paypal. As it turns out, though, it's no big deal. I thought it was an expensive book but when I looked it up, not so much. Therefore, lesson learned, I got off light and next time will simply refuse to ship the book. A cheap price to confirm a business policy.

Meanwhile, although still tired from a long day on Thursday, I came away with a new outlook on having friends, on getting back to the gym and working out, and generally on pushing through fatigue to accomplish things that last year at this time I would have simply let slide. Like so many others I had been programmed into a sedentary lifestyle that was impossible to see when living through it, and hard to understand looking back on it. So glad that's over!

And the last little nugget of a reason to smile today? It's less than a month until Spring!

Now I know why

Have you ever thought about why you do what you do to make money? I get the whole 'I really like to eat on a regular basis', and 'I prefer for rain to fall outside instead of on my head' thing; we all have to try and survive. But a few months ago I realized that's all I was doing, surviving. I had a vague idea of what I would do if I had a choice, I would write books, travel the world to research those books, take my grandkids places and pass on what I have learned, and spend winters in a warm environment, either by taking multiple vacations or by having a winter home. However, that's all my dreams were, vague outlines in the fog of my mind.

Of course, this was more fantasy than dream...how would you even go about doing such a thing? Sure, I ran my own used and rare book business, and while there are external pressures that make it harder to turn a profit these days, I was still doing okay. But 'okay' doesn't buy your dreams; if you're lucky it buys you supper and a roof over your head. Maybe you can occasionally afford a treat or a luxury, such as movie night or a weekend in Nashville, or if you spend carefully and save up, a week in Destin. But beyond that, 'okay' is not going to cut it, it is not the vehicle for dream fulfillment.

So that's why I was doing what I did, and that's all I thought I could ever do. I had heard my whole life that I needed to be 'realistic', that you have to be careful in life and not overreach yourself, or you risked crashing in financial flames. How many times did I hear from well-meaning DreamStealers, "I just don't want to see you get hurt?" I spent my whole life taking financial advice from broke people. And so, I aimed low.

Not anymore. I finally discovered what wealthy people have always known: being 'realistic' means never achieving my dreams. I thought that was wrong, that being 'realistic' was the right choice, that wealthy people somehow won life's lottery or were just lucky to get where they are. Boy, was I wrong! Wealthy people got there because they refused to be realistic. And while I wish I had discovered this twenty years ago, I'm just glad I figured it out now, while I still have time to live my dreams.

Every single day I hear people throw out excuses why they cannot live their dreams. Every...single...day. What makes me sad is that there are always the same three or four excuses I used to give to similar questions: "I don't have the time", "I'm not good at that", "that will never work", "I don't have the money"...I can still hear myself saying it. Excuses, excuses.

Are there risks to not being 'realistic'? Sure there are. But so what? No guts, no glory, right? That's what champions say, that's what I used to say all the time, except I didn't really mean it.

So when you read or hear me say "I'm a lucky guy", it's because I have finally discovered how not to make excuses anymore. I have finally found out how to make my dreams become a reality, and that the vehicle for doing that is me. Nothing else, just me. The new venture Kathy and I embarked on has taught me far more about myself than it has about business, because that's what I most needed to learn to be a success.

My dreams are going to come true. I have a two-year time frame, that's when I will be able to devote myself to my dream. Two years of working hard is nothing, I've spent forty-five years doing that already. But finally I see my way out, finally I have found the road to fulfilling my dreams. I wish everyone could learn what I have learned, could feel the exhilaration I now feel, but I can't want success more for them than they want for themselves, I can only concentrate on me.

So if you see me wearing my trademark Guy Harvey shirt with sharks or tuna swimming on the back, you'll know why I wear them: those are my 'why'. I'm a very lucky guy.

Generational wealth

I long ago learned just how much I don't know, so let's file this one in the category of 'stuff other people have probably known for years, but is new to me'. That's one of the best benefits I have received in the last few months, being exposed to new ideas and new people containing a wealth of valuable information that is all new to me. This particular learning moment was inspired by Robb.

The Bible says that while we should not be materialistic for its own sake, we should protect the riches and blessings we are given to pass on to our descendants as generational wealth. The exact wording will vary slightly depending on which translation your prefer, but they are all essentially identical in their message, as Proverbs 13:22 commands us that, "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous." (New International Version, 1984)

I view this to mean that as we create wealth, we should protect it as the inheritance due our children and grand-children, as well as to help those less fortunate in the here and now. In this I have not been as successful to date as I would like. But at some level I recognized this; maybe that's why I was so receptive to a business concept that was so revolutionary to me at the time, I don't know. All I know is that I wanted to be more financially successful so that I could take care of my family, leave a rich legacy for my heirs, and be able to help others in a meaningful way in the meantime.

And so, while I am thrilled with our success in this new concept to date, I am also delighted by the revelations that are brought forth from shadow by my internalizing the teachings of an idea that cares as much about the inner person as it does the outer one. People are saying all the time that businesses need to have a more human side to them, that they need to care about more than just profits. Well, mine does. But then, I'm a lucky guy.

Just one season

That's what we are taking, one season, to change our lives. That's the commitment. Concentrate, put off amusements, pay attention and kick it for one season, so we can play the rest of our lives. What amazes me us is not how few people have chosen to do the same thing, but how many. If you knew that if you spent one year working hard you could have a six figure income forever, would you do it? So far, the answer from many folks is a resounding 'yes.'

What if it took two years? Or even three? Would you work very hard for three years to make a six figure income forever?

We would, and we are; we don't mind sacrifice in the short run for wild success in the long. But maybe that's just us. See, we want to wake up one day and realize that we don't have to get up, that we can drive to the beach or take a flight to Europe, go for a jog or take up painting, ride a horse or go to a basketball game. Whatever we want. And that includes doing what we are doing now; Kathy loves being an attorney, so she may simply keep doing what she loves. But it will be because she loves it, not because she has to.

We never before believed such a thing was possible; really, it sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But now we see it happening to other people right before our eyes. There is simply no denying what we have witnessed and know to be true, and we are so blessed to be a part of the whole thing. Success leaves clues and we are collecting them.

So, one day a couple of years from now we'll be lounging on a warm beach when it's a snowy January day in Memphis, and we will have to determine whether it was all worth it. Yeah, sure we will, right?

If you're skeptical, that's okay; you're right to doubt that statement just a little bit...see, we'll be on the beach alright, but we won't really have to think at all whether it was worth it or not. That's a no-brainer.

I have never seen this before, so how best to use my time and the time of my partners?

I have to admit that I have never seen explosive growth up close and personal before, growth on a scale and percentage that defies what passes for business logic these days. It's amazing to behold, and one heck of a lot of fun. For me, the best part is the learning process that we are going through, discovering how to use old talents and skills in new and better ways. See, at my age (over 35, let's leave it at that), you don't really expect revolutionary personal growth. You think those days are long since past, but that is really a choice you make. You can remain stagnant, or you can grow. Growing is a lot more fun.

However, when you are engaged in a cooperative effort, there are going to be times when you think time is best spent doing one thing, but others think the group should do something else. If there is time to do both, well, that's not such a big deal. But if the people involved are busy, and you are asking them to give up free time to join in the effort, then the effort must repay their expenditure of time. And there's the rub, isn't it? What is the best use of time? Genuine and honest disagreements over such an issue could lead to problems, but that is absolutely no solution whatsoever; the good of the group comes first.

Every group must have a leader to be effective, and you should never disagree with the leader because that hurts the entire group, especially if ego is involved, you are disagreeing because you want to be leader. (And, personally, that's not my cup of tea. An assistant or helper to the leader? Sure, you bet. But the top dog? Not unless I have earned it through my own efforts. Never, ever through other means.)

However, what you can do is provide alternative uses of time, offer something different for those who believe that best suits their needs. This diversification of subject material helps everyone, especially for those who wish to go back and forth between the topics and meetings. Additionally, whatever the topics are for your meetings should be duplicatable; that is, those who come later should be able to easily take your materials and use them for their own needs, perhaps with minor changes to suit the changing marketplace or differing personalities.

Doesn't that all sound every exciting? Almost as scintillating as reading the newest Michael Connelly novel.

Well, okay, maybe not so exciting, but I have to admit that I get excited about using time as efficiently as possible. I am NOT a workaholic, so when I do work I want it to count, I want to be as effective as possible. So from now on, I am going to offer the fruits of my labors and whatever talents I have to provide something a little different, a different perspective on familiar material, for anyone who might be interested.

After all, for five years I did this for a living and I won a national award from a major corporation for this very thing. That's not to brag, I was surprised by the award and frankly wasn't sure that I deserved it; I had some very talented colleagues who were just as deserving. However, it does indicate some level of competency in compiling and presenting material in an entertaining and efficient manner, and I actually enjoyed doing it, so what the heck, let's do it some more!

And so this, too, is part of your growth, this decision making process of how you should or should not spend your time. As for me, I'm going to make mistakes so I will also have to remember how to learn from them so they won't be repeated. But dang, all this learning makes me feel like I'm back in school again. And now that I think about it, I guess that I am: the school of life.