Man, am I glad I had this realization. Getting comfortable with your life situation is such a sinister danger. Sinister because you don't really see what it does and dangerous because it limits choices in the long run.
Two years ago, I was in a very dark financial place. Doing laundry in the kitchen, not being able to afford bus fare, eating stale ramen noodles... this was all after failing numerous times at many "business opportunities" which I now see as the workings of many a mountebank. But I won't bore you with the details, you get the picture and have heard it all before. This isn't a "poor me" story.
At one point I'd had enough and decided I MUST change. I got off my a$$ and worked it off to get things in line financially. I went to interviews for web development and was rejected many times. Was rough, but kept going. To have no money and be rejected from job after job when you've been living in an emotional hell is not fun, as I'm sure many of you can understand. Sometimes you wonder why even bother? Why not just leave? We've all been there.
The long and short of it, I finally landed a job. Not just a job, but a "dream" job that I'd lusted after unconsciously for many years.
And the pay! It was more than double anything I'd earned before. When you have a sudden influx of (what you think is) a lot of money, you start feeling better about yourself and life in general. $30 an hour may not seem like a lot to the millionaires here, but it was like a million to me at the time.
So I started earning this new income and getting my finances in order. Got out of debt (have only one student loan), no credit cards, don't owe anyone anything, plenty of food on the table. It felt good. I started getting comfortable.
Which is where I had my very fortunate realization. Comfort for me meant to keep doing what I was doing, to stay at that job, put down a mortgage for a house, car, etc - living the "normal" life. I fell into this hypnosis after getting this job.
I'm not sure what woke me up out of the comfort I was feeling... perhaps that nagging feeling at the back of my mind that says "you can do better" and "take more". Maybe it was knowing I deserved wealth and had been without it too long. I'm not sure, and I'm certain it doesn't matter. What matters is I woke up out of the dull trance of being statically comfortable.
It's funny how the universe works when you are mentally aligned with a new purpose. I'd made up my mind that I needed a new direction financially even though I had my act together. It was similar to what I experienced when I got off my butt to find my current job. That's when MJ's terrific book landed in my lap.
This book is the best book I have read on business, life and wealth I have ever read, hands down. It is so clear, sensible, blunt and refreshingly honest. It all makes so much sense. I wish I had learned about this (and had the discipline to apply) 10 years ago. I know through applying it I will shave YEARS of mindless toil off of my road to being rich. The wisdom and knowledge is without price. If you haven't picked up the Millionaire Fastlane , you need to. There is some free human resource for you, MJ!
So it really hit me - how much I was falling into comfort, which is really saying falling into indolence or apathy, both ingredients for a pedestrian life. How often am I allowing the winds to carry me hither and tither without manning the sails and rudder myself? I'd done it far too often for far too long. I've made the decision to become a millionaire, lead a fantastic life and abandon "comfort" for the sake of freedom. Synchronistically, MJ's book showed up. Student ready, teacher appears.
I'm very thankful to have the book and this forum. I hope to be a member here for many years to come, sharing and gaining wisdom from like-minded folks.
Two years ago, I was in a very dark financial place. Doing laundry in the kitchen, not being able to afford bus fare, eating stale ramen noodles... this was all after failing numerous times at many "business opportunities" which I now see as the workings of many a mountebank. But I won't bore you with the details, you get the picture and have heard it all before. This isn't a "poor me" story.
At one point I'd had enough and decided I MUST change. I got off my a$$ and worked it off to get things in line financially. I went to interviews for web development and was rejected many times. Was rough, but kept going. To have no money and be rejected from job after job when you've been living in an emotional hell is not fun, as I'm sure many of you can understand. Sometimes you wonder why even bother? Why not just leave? We've all been there.
The long and short of it, I finally landed a job. Not just a job, but a "dream" job that I'd lusted after unconsciously for many years.
And the pay! It was more than double anything I'd earned before. When you have a sudden influx of (what you think is) a lot of money, you start feeling better about yourself and life in general. $30 an hour may not seem like a lot to the millionaires here, but it was like a million to me at the time.
So I started earning this new income and getting my finances in order. Got out of debt (have only one student loan), no credit cards, don't owe anyone anything, plenty of food on the table. It felt good. I started getting comfortable.
Which is where I had my very fortunate realization. Comfort for me meant to keep doing what I was doing, to stay at that job, put down a mortgage for a house, car, etc - living the "normal" life. I fell into this hypnosis after getting this job.
I'm not sure what woke me up out of the comfort I was feeling... perhaps that nagging feeling at the back of my mind that says "you can do better" and "take more". Maybe it was knowing I deserved wealth and had been without it too long. I'm not sure, and I'm certain it doesn't matter. What matters is I woke up out of the dull trance of being statically comfortable.
It's funny how the universe works when you are mentally aligned with a new purpose. I'd made up my mind that I needed a new direction financially even though I had my act together. It was similar to what I experienced when I got off my butt to find my current job. That's when MJ's terrific book landed in my lap.
This book is the best book I have read on business, life and wealth I have ever read, hands down. It is so clear, sensible, blunt and refreshingly honest. It all makes so much sense. I wish I had learned about this (and had the discipline to apply) 10 years ago. I know through applying it I will shave YEARS of mindless toil off of my road to being rich. The wisdom and knowledge is without price. If you haven't picked up the Millionaire Fastlane , you need to. There is some free human resource for you, MJ!
So it really hit me - how much I was falling into comfort, which is really saying falling into indolence or apathy, both ingredients for a pedestrian life. How often am I allowing the winds to carry me hither and tither without manning the sails and rudder myself? I'd done it far too often for far too long. I've made the decision to become a millionaire, lead a fantastic life and abandon "comfort" for the sake of freedom. Synchronistically, MJ's book showed up. Student ready, teacher appears.
I'm very thankful to have the book and this forum. I hope to be a member here for many years to come, sharing and gaining wisdom from like-minded folks.
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