Just wondering

Okay, no long platitudes or sermons today about how what the rich know that I don't, or the ins and outs of running a business. Just a few observations from me about what I've learned in the past few months. This is just me commenting on my experiences in the past 8 weeks or so, what I have seen and what really confuses me. I'm sure somebody out there knows the answers I'm looking for, but I sure don't.

People are out there looking for jobs, and there aren't many to be had. I get that. It's a tough situation, and the times right now aren't very good. I get that, too. But I wonder sometimes why people keep looking for relief from somebody other than themselves. See, I understand that not everybody is cut out to run their own business, not everybody has that inner drive to carve out their own slice of the economy...it's hard to do, and on some days it's very hard to do. It's a lot of work, and frankly, not everybody wants to do work that hard. Some people would rather sell their time for $8 or $10 or $20 an hour, if they can find someone to hire them, and let somebody else worry about all the headaches associated with having and running a business. And that's okay; I certainly did it for many years.

But I also meet people who would really like to escape the whole idea of depending on someone else for their livelihood, people who have the savvy and the know-how to run a business for themselves, to take a (small) risk and see what happens. And yet they don't. That's the part I don't get. They spend hours and days and weeks trying to convince somebody else they are worth whatever the employer is willing to spend to buy their time, sometimes finding low-paying jobs, occasionally something pretty good, but most often they find nothing. Yet they still refuse to bet on the only person on whom they can really count: them.

I met somebody recently who said they didn't have time to grow a business, they needed income right now. So I asked them when they were last employed. Answer: more than a year ago. That took me aback a little. They needed income now but they hadn't had a job for a year? What if they had started a business a year ago? I pointed out that had they done that, and if they worked really hard in the meantime, it might be paying off by now. And if it was and they kept working hard, nobody could take that away from them, until one day maybe they wouldn't have to work so hard, but would still have something nobody could take from them. What you do right now, today, will affect what you have a year from now. They looked at me like I was nuts; start a business, they said, if they did that they wouldn't have time to look for a job!

I have no answers here, I'm just wondering out loud. See, I've run my own used and rare book business since 1998, but before that I worked so many hours per week I couldn't count them all, and all for the benefit of somebody else. I was paid for my time and my employer believed every waking moment of my life was their to use as they saw fit. So what that I was paid what some people would call a lot of money? I benefited them far more than I benefited me. It crushed me not only physically, but emotionally, too.

On a weekly basis I meet dozens and hundreds of people running their own small businesses selling whatever they can, wherever they can. Ebay, Bonanza, Etsy, the flea market...these people I admire. They aren't sitting around waiting for somebody to give them a job, they are out trying to scratch out a living on their own. They aren't whining about how badly their employer treats them, or how many hours they have to work to make their paycheck. Most of those who have the guts to open their own business have to keep their jobs, at least in the beginning. Bills are bills, after all. But since they aren't afraid of hard work, they aren't afraid to work now so they can play later. And while Ebay has pretty much run it's course for new entrepreneurs, there are plenty of other newer chances out there.

I guess I'm asking the unanswerable question here. Why won't people help themselves? But occasionally you meet someone who will, someone who doesn't mind betting that they can do it, that they can take the American Spirit and go out and create something for them and their family. And if they fail? So what? Everybody fails sometimes. At least, everybody who tries, sometimes fails. If they never try, they never fail. And maybe that's my answer.

If you don't believe in yourself, why should anybody else?

Since I have run my own business since 1998, I know what it's like not to have to take whatever employers feel is fair in the way of compensation, not to have to dance the corporate dance to make sure your job is secure or that you get a raise. There's nothing inherently wrong with doing this, I've had to do it in the past, many times; we all do what we must to survive.

But there's something in all of this that I do not understand. You see a lot of inspirational quotes encouraging people to believe in themselves, quotes like "take the bull by the horns', 'if you need a helping hand look to the end of your arm' and 'don't be afraid of change'. Now, don't get me wrong here, I love such quotes, I think they often nail an inherent truth about life, and I love reading them. They never fail to inspire me, even if only for a moment.

But what confuses me is that very, very few people actually take this advice, and it's a shame, because so many people who could carve out a successful niche for themselves simply cannot bring themselves to bet on the one person they should bet on: them. Here's the question that most people are, I think, afraid to even contemplate, much less try to answer: if there is something about your life that you do not like, what are you doing to change it? I know a lady who is barely scraping by trying to make ends meet, it's not a good situation. And yet she will not do anything to try and improve her lot, she simply keeps plowing ahead and hoping something good will happen. I hope it does, for her sake. Indeed, I pray that it does. But isn't a favorite inspirational quote "God helps those who help themselves?"

Whatever choice you make today will determine the conditions of your life a year from now. If you are happy and content and financially secure, then by all means, change nothing! I hope to join you there someday. But if you aren't, then what is your escape plan, what are you doing to make things better?

For a long time, that was me. I did nothing and expected improvement in my life, which is a close cousin to the definition of insanity. I kept expecting some windfall from God, maybe winning the lottery or something. Finally, though, some piece of advice sank in and I got off my duff and started taking back my life. I'm happier than I have been in years.

Now, it's your turn.

What a weekend!

On Saturday we drove to Tupelo for our first regional event, and let me tell you, if we weren't wowed before we sure as heck are now! Literally dozens of people from all over small-town West Tennessee and Mississippi sharing experiences and stories about those they have helped along the way to getting their various businesses off the ground, sharing expertise and talking shop, an incredibly inspirational experience. Being around others who share your goals is always a great experience, but Saturday was a life-changing event. Wow!

On Sunday, I was home most of the day and ran out to run a few errands, maybe an hour or so. Four or five times I ran into people who were miserable at their jobs and were not afraid to say so. I could only shake my head and sympathize. It's tough working at something that is not your passion, for someone who does not respect your work, and for minimal wages. But I did meet one fine lady handing out coffee samples who worked for an independent coffee company, strictly a word of mouth growth campaign, and she seemed to be having fun. Good for her! Working for yourself is hard, but working for others can be harder. And as she said, when someone pays you a wage, they sometimes think that they own you.

There is one lady in particular who I find inspiration from. She is working two jobs, somewhere around 60 hours a week or more, single, with children, and yet keeps chugging away, doing her best. I have not given up on us being able to help her, and I hope it works out that we can. This is about a lot more than having a great time and making money; helping others is equally important.

Everything is fun again

It's strange, a few months ago the last thing I wanted to do once the sun set was go anywhere. Dinner, a comfy chair and TV was a good night. But now? Now I look forward to meetings and don't want them to end. Like I said, strange.

I came away from Tuesday night's get together fired up and excited, and that's just a great way to live, isn't it? I came away positive and looking forward to the next day, and I can't remember the last time that happened, if ever. Moreover, I'm getting to do what I love most again, which is to coach. Not sports, but coaching all the same. What a blast!

And the luncheon tomorrow? Man, I can't wait. The reinforcement of positive ideas and thinking, and the promise of learning something new and planning for the future, are making life so much more fun than it used to be. Finding new information and fitting it into my growing knowledge base, then deciding how to relay that to others, is just about the most fun I can think of. Short of a long nap on a warm, sandy beach, that is. And, of course, that's the whole point.

I've said it before but I'll say it again: Kathy and I were just plain lucky.

Fighting off the tsunami

Everywhere you turn, it seems people are negative about something these days. I can barely go to a message board or read a story without someone picking a fight with someone else. If you think about what they are saying, or if you allow yourself to dwell in the swamp of badness with them, you'll drown in the same tsunami of negativity that is swallowing them.

Well, I am consciously fighting that back. It's hard, I must admit, to filter out all of the rubbish that's out there. But if I have learned nothing in the 6 weeks or so since my life took a sudden and dramatic turn for the better, it is that you have to find a way to do positive things, to occupy yourself helping others or accomplishing a goal, and you have to be willing to let the negative people fall by the wayside. And that is the hardest part.

See, they could be relatives, friends, co-workers, and you want so much to help them improve their lot in life, to see the sunshine and be glad for it, rather than dwell in the gloom. And you should try to help them, we all should. But at the end of the day you cannot make someone be happy, you cannot force prosperity on them, you have to be willing to ignore the negative influences, whoever they might be. Because achieving your dream is hard enough in life, without trying to do it while someone has you by the ankles and is trying to tackle you.

Eventually, if you achieve your goals, they may want to know how you did it, and that could be the opening you need to help them, too. So, go be positive, be successful, and be the example for others.

Slip sliding away

Wow, it's really easy to slip into negativity without knowing it, isn't it? Despite my best efforts I was beginning to dwell on the bad side of life until the positive nature of the new business gave me the proverbial wake-up call that I was unconsciously becoming who I did not want to be. A quick visit to the training videos, which are really more self-improvement guides than anything else, and I feel better already. Why is it that we need to be reminded of what we already know, that life is great and we have the choice as to whether we embrace that greatness, or reject it?

I can't answer that, I just know that I'm a lucky guy! This has made more difference in my life than anything I have ever done before.

All things in their time

So lately things have been really hectic in all phases, and I'm having so much fun it's hard to stop. Last night I found myself watching a video that I really wanted to watch but nodding off while doing so. I was really too tired to absorb what I was seeing. No matter how fast you want the acceleration to be, your engine can only rev at high speed for so long before it needs to idle for a while.

All things in their time. Today is catch-my-breath day, organize, do routine tasks, nothing too over-the-top. Even a refreshed mind needs rest once in a while. Part of living a better life means learning how to live a better life, and that includes rest. You can only burn the candle at both ends for so long before the twin flames meet in the middle.

Your point in working, or pointless working?

We all have to work to eat and keep a roof over our heads...well, okay, maybe not all of us, but I do and most of the people I know do. Anyway, I've been thinking lately about why I work. If it's mere subsistence then I don't think I will be as productive as I could be, I want more.

When I attended the Brookhaven Bash here in Memphis this month, there were at least three rescue groups there. I gave each one a few dollars, but I want those few dollars to grow to ten, and later twenty or more. How much could it change the day of an animal rescuer if they found a $100 bill stuffed in their little jar for donations? That's my goal, to be able to afford that.

I want to wake up in the morning and decide to work on my book all day, with no interruptions and no feelings of guilt. Maybe it's selfish, but that's my goal, to lose myself in the minute details of reconciling radically differing accounts of the same historical event, weighing the evidence for both and choosing which one I believe to be true, then supporting that position. Doesn't that sound like fun?

I want to throw a ball around in my yard with my pups, just because they like it. I want to be able to let them run around and play and bark to their little heart's content, because the neighbors aren't close enough to be bothered by all of the commotion; that can't happen now. I want to travel, travel, travel, to see all of the great historical places I haven't seen yet, to sometimes just lay on a beach and read, or swim under the warm Caribbean sun in mid-January. I want to physically see the places I write about.

There's more, of course, but essentially I want to buy back my time and help whoever I want, whenever I want. Two years from now is the timetable for me to be in a position to start doing that. Whether I make it or not, that's the goal.

There's nothing better than a fresh week

After a stormy Sunday the weather is bright and sunny and warm, with the grass and shrubs having that deep green hue you only see after a soaking rain. The morning coffee tastes especially good days like this, with a full calendar and the excitement of being busy because you are your boss. Lots to do today, too much, in fact, which means that life is giving you new opportunities and all you have to do is recognize them.

While finally having time to dig into the underlying structures of this new business venture, it dawned on me that the people we partner with will have to be terrific as people, not simply have a talent for business. Quality counts. That sounds like a cheesy advertising slogan, except that when you think about it, it really is true. If you're going to spend time with people making money, shouldn't you also have fun doing it? At least, that's my plan. To find people who are smart and funny and with whom we would enjoy spending time, and from whom we may learn new and wonderful things.

Thinking things through

I wonder if Thomas is getting tired of hearing from me yet; I know that I would be. Anyway, I called him this morning with my latest brilliant revelation, namely that all businesses put some amount of capital at risk and have ongoing expenses, that all businesses have a break-even point and a profitable point, and that our newest webbventure is no different. Thomas had a great response to my deep thinking: well, duh!

Okay, he didn't say that, but I could hear it in his voice. I guess I'm slow, but business is business and this is no different, except that this one is fun, and the capital outlay is extremely small. Much smaller than that of my book business, for sure. So chalk up yet another light-bulb moment for yours truly, who catches on slower than most folks, but can see through a wall in time.

Bill