| This is my story. I'm sharing it with you hoping it will help | | | | Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, and |
| someone through a desperate crisis in their life. I know | | | | The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph |
| you can come through anything because I did it. | | | | Murphy. |
| For many years I lived a mostly happy life in a small | | | | 3. Finding one or two people to confide in and then |
| rural town with a wonderful family, living way beyond | | | | trying their ideas whether or not I agreed. I was too |
| my means. I have a financial background and should | | | | close to the situation to be rational. |
| have known the consequences of my actions; I | | | | 4. I wrote a list of problems and made solving them |
| ignored everything I knew. Marital problems cropped up | | | | my goals. One at a time I worked on each one, solved |
| but I ignored them thinking they would eventually go | | | | one at a time. If you try to do all at once, you'll get |
| away, especially if I poured enough money into the | | | | frustrated and overwhelmed. |
| relationship. Things just got worse and everyone | | | | 5. Trust no one except those in No. 3 above. People |
| should know you can't buy love! | | | | like to see others falter or fail because it makes them |
| The wake up call was a heart attack. By this time I | | | | look so much better! |
| was too expensive for my company and they found a | | | | Based on my experience, my advice to anyone in this |
| way to get rid of me so I never had a chance at age | | | | kind of situation would be: |
| discrimination! And I helped them do all of this to me by | | | | ONE. Do the five steps above, because they work! |
| telling myself everything bad or unpleasant would fade | | | | TWO. Become a member of Pre-Paid Legal Services, |
| away and everything would be fine. Nothing went | | | | Inc. In most states, about fifty-seven cents a day will |
| away and everything became awful. I did have a | | | | get you the best legal service available, on retainer. I |
| chance at medical malpractice, but couldn't find a | | | | didn't know about this until my problems were over. I |
| lawyer. That's just as well because I really don't want | | | | belong now to keep something like this from happening |
| to make my living suing my friends. | | | | again. |
| Right here I want to take full responsibility for | | | | THREE. If you have to, get food stamps and go to |
| everything that happened to me. There were some | | | | Social Services for help. There's nothing wrong with |
| factors that influenced my action (or inaction) but I | | | | this. It will help you through a rough spot, and you've |
| could have controlled the situation and didn't. It's all my | | | | paid for this for others. I have a friend, in his forties, |
| responsibility and it was something only I could drag out | | | | makes a million bucks a year; twenty years ago he |
| of.. | | | | was on welfare for a year. So what! |
| Four months after heart attack I had no job! Rather | | | | FOUR: Pay yourself from now on. Never work for an |
| than fight I just quit; went from a good income for that | | | | employer! You pulled yourself out of a mess, you can |
| area to zero just at Christmastime. Really bad news. | | | | do your own thing! You don't need to make someone |
| Deeply in debt, I lost my home and filed for bankruptcy, | | | | else rich. |
| something I had always felt was about the worst thing | | | | I recommend Multiple Streams of Income by Robert G. |
| anyone could do. I backed myself into a corner with no | | | | Allen. It has a blueprint for many different ways to tap |
| other way out. My family quickly fell apart | | | | into several income streams, just like the wealthy do. |
| Within nine months my whole life was over. | | | | All eggs not in the same basket. |
| All the bad things I ever imagined happened during the | | | | FIVE: Keep on learning. Cheap courses, free access to |
| next few years. Deserted by "friends", nearly | | | | computers, a lot of free information at community |
| homeless, no money, depressed, betrayed by a | | | | colleges. |
| business partner, income tax problems, you name it. | | | | SIX: Find a different town or location, in an area you |
| Just by not giving up, I rebuilt my self esteem because I | | | | really like. Seek the lowest cost of living section in that |
| found inner power to survive that I had no idea was | | | | area to start with and conserve your assets. This will |
| there. I also looked around and discovered a couple of | | | | get you away from bad memories and allow you to |
| people, not real close friends, who didn't give up on me. | | | | start over in enjoyable surroundings. |
| I was able to get ideas from them; I tried the ideas and | | | | SEVEN: Never forget that you had some help |
| most worked very well. I climbed out of the sewer! | | | | somewhere to get up out of the dirt. So, make one of |
| The main things that brought me back were: | | | | your money goals to help others in some way. My |
| 1. Persist, hang on, never give up. | | | | reason for wanting to make more money than I really |
| 2. Make use of self help tools. Free or low cost | | | | need is to fund a foundation to help people like me and |
| seminars at community colleges. Two books that | | | | you who just need a little kick start. |
| helped me a lot were: | | | | Generosity, rather than greed, fosters success. |