Hitting Rock Bottom – Oops I Did Again Today!
Bit of a story to share here. If you can see through the through the camera here, I’m actually just leaving the garage (gas station) where I’ve just been getting some fuel for my car this morning.
I just actually had to have my fiancé follow me to the garage because stupidly I arrived home last night, and my car’s one of those cars that’ll tell you how many more miles you’ve got left and fuel in the tank.
And I am just pulling up on my driveway after coming home from the office yesterday evening, glanced down and it says one mile left.
There is literally nothing – there’s this blue bar that shows how much fuel is left and it had gone through the red line and it was non-existent – it was gone! It said I had one mile left, and the nearest station here to get fuel is like probably four/five miles. So I just had to basically drive to get fuel on…
Pure Fumes, Goodwill And Good Luck
But obviously there’s a good twist to the story. I made it! And this is actually what I want to talk about. You know what it just reminded me of? As I was doing this Drive, and I’m literally willing myself to make it. I’m hoping, you know, please make it! Please don’t break down! I’ve got a lot to do today, please don’t break down!
And you know what it just reminded me of? It reminded me of when I was in the first few years of starting my online business.
And I’ve come to see since, having been in this industry for more than a decade now, that what I did is actually kind of what happens to a lot of people. And so I want to address that. I want to talk about it. Now what am I talking about?
Why Is This Relevant At All?
…to my nearly running out of fuel this morning? Well back when I was starting my online business, I went through a period of literally buying and trying-(minimally I will add) every possible thing I could come across.
Whether it was a twenty seven dollar plugin, or a five hundred dollar video course, or a two thousand dollar program, or whatever it was, and everything in between. Whether it was software, plugins, information, you name it – I was trying it. Network marketing, MLM, affiliate marketing – everything! For four years.
And eventually, if you don’t know my story, the quick version of it is, or the ending of it is: After four years of trying, by the time 2008 arrived, I was literally (at around about 20/24 years old) I was almost bankrupt. I was basically over $60,000 in debt, had five credit cards, two bank loans, and was just living a complete nightmare!
I Was At Rock Bottom, Okay, Real Rock Bottom!
Not only financially, but psychologically as well. Because I was so ashamed that nobody in my life knew of that position I was in. As far as anyone else knew on the outside – everything was great. I was in a decent paying construction job, not huge amounts of money. But for a kid with no qualification, no college, no degrees, nothing – you know – to be earning two-and-a-half/three thousand dollars a month, I was doing well in that sense.
But nobody knew I had all these debts. And my minimum payments on these debts – my wage wouldn’t even cover it. And so I was at real rock-bottom in my life. And this was 2008; so nine years ago.
And something happened at that time. Yes, I used the last bit of money I had on a credit card to actually go in a coaching program. It was my kind of last effort. But I joined many programs in the years before.
So What Changed?
Well I believe that, for some sad reason, I actually had to hit rock bottom before I would do what it takes. And what just happened to me this morning kind of had me thinking about it.
Because you know, for some reason, I had to get to the point where I had zero fuel hardly in the tank, in order to spur me on to the action of driving to the station, to the garage to fill up.
Y’know, why didn’t I see it a couple of days ago? Well I probably did. And probably thought to myself, “Well I’ve got a bit more left yet, I can go tomorrow. Well I’ve got a little bit more left yet, I can go tomorrow”…
Until this morning – now rushed and late, because I got in the car and completely didn’t think about it. I completely forgot that had to go this morning. And so now, I had to hit ‘no fuel’ before I did what it took.
And in my business…
I Had To Hit Rock Bottom Before I Did Put In What It Would Take
…before I put in the relentless work, the relentless hours, and have relentless focus on that one path, through that one coaching program. And as I say, I’ve seen over the years now, that so many people do not do what it takes until they are at real rock bottom.
So I want to give this message today because, you know where hitting rock bottom is – or maybe you do / maybe you don’t. But financially, you will know where rock bottom is. You will know, I only have one credit card with you know $5,000 on it, and then it’s all gone. Or you will know, financially I’m at rock bottom right now and I have nothing left. Now is the time – I’ve got to do what it takes.
If I could somehow, in some way, encourage you to NOT hit rock bottom, to NOT wait until that point – to DO what it takes…
I Would PLEAD With You To Do It!
But the irony is that for me, that’s what it took. I had to hit rock bottom before I did what it took to make it. And so many people do, but if you could somehow find the courage, the focus, to try to do what it takes before that point, you’d be so much better off. Because pressure is a real pain in the ass sometimes.
Some people like me actually operate well under pressure, but when you’ve got financial pressures beating on your door and you can’t focus correctly on building a business correctly, it’s going to be tough – y’know, it is tough if you’ve got those kind of external pressures.
And so I just thought I’d talk about this today. As I say, the journey – it’s now 8:45 am. I’m normally here by about 8:15 / 8:30 am at the latest. And so what has it done this morning? Not only has it set me back – waited until I hit rock bottom with the fuel. And now late. No doubt Chris is waiting for me and, you know, that’s just not a good thing.
So I wanted to share this message today try not to wait until you’re at rock bottom, because external pressures can be a bit more tough on you. So yeah, have a great day. I’m here, time to jump in and get on with things. I shall speak to you in another episode – Conquering Fear And Pulling The Trigger In Your Business tomorrow. Take care, bye bye for now.