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Hello there.
My name is Stephen and I have a day job.
It’s weird to type that, as it causes me pain. Not physical pain (like the carpal tunnel that I am certain to get, along with my other colleagues here in Corporate America - hereafter known as “CA”), but emotional pain.
You see, when I was a boy I never saw myself as a corporate drone/slave/tool…I saw my life as being interesting/important/meaningful.
I always told myself - I won’t be a sellout!
Then, a mountain of debt fell upon me along with my cap & gown from Carolina…and four years ago, at the age of 31 I found myself in $40K of debt - credit card debt…and it was growing.
I had to get my SH$* together and stop this tide, otherwise I would end up in CA forever. Drowning in:
“Stephen, can you…BLAH BLAH BLAH BELCH…and send it off to the client in 30 seconds”
“Stephen, why don’t you…GRUMBLE BURP BLAH BORING COMMENT…and lets get it off to ‘the team’ in under 2 minutes, and then order me a soup”
Imagine hearing that forever.
Maybe you are hearing it right now?
Well, I forgot I had a dream, but I remembered it about 18 months ago.
Every year we receive a bonus here, and I decided - smartly - to apply most of it to my credit card debt.
This was about the time that I bought my business partner out of my online dating advice business (don’t believe me? Here it is: www.how-to-get-a-girlfriend.com)
I realized I could now adhere to Kiyosakian principles (he’s the guy who wrote “Rich Dad/Poor Dad”) and reduce/eliminate my debt, grow a bit of savings, and build up my business so that the income stream was as close ‘freedom’ as possible…and then…
Make The Break!
Well, I have 33 days to go…
That’s right - I’m nearly there.
The finish line is WELL in sight!
Dec 21, 2007 is my final day in CA, or should we now call it:
“Corporate HELL” (CAH)
My online business is at the point of needing my full-time attention.
My savings is into 5 digits, so I can rely on that if I need to.
My overhead is VERY low…as low as it will ever be. And, most importantly:
As of Nov 15th - I WILL BE OUT OF DEBT.
There is some question around that. You see, last year I received a bonus. It is fair to expect (according to my boss) that this year’s bonus will be the same or higher. If that is the case - I will be totally debt free on Nov 15th.
My amazing girlfriend and I will then head off to NC/MD for the holidays, and then we’re going to celebrate by learning spanish in .
For a whole damn month we will.
We leave on Dec 30th and return Jan 26th. Ever go to paradise for a month? Not many have…
I am calling this DETOX time…detoxing from CAH.
Then, I focus on my own business and grow it…and risk.
For today, I will leave you with my favorite all-time quote on the subject. It’s from Saul Alinsky:
“Because Life Is There Ahead Of You And Either One Tests Oneself In Its Challenges Or Huddles In The Valleys In A Dreamless Day-To-Day Existence Whose Only Purpose Is The Preservation Of An Illusory Security And Safety.”
Sound familiar?
Read all about my journey at:
http://www.fireyourdayjob.org
Stephen. |
