I Abhor Begging

I just finished listening to a truly inspirational audio book, The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. I suggest this book to anyone with lungs, trust me, it is not just business related, it is life related. This guy is the one who wrote the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. In this book (the audio version is an abridged version) he gives 43 principles to help you succeed in life. While I don't remember them all, they have influenced the way I look at my life, the way I see myself and the goals I shoot for. Anyone can achieve anything with persistence, tenacity and passion.

A Window Into Our Lives:

For the past two years we have been reaching new lows in poverty every day. We have tried to get food stamps (SNAP) a few times, but the people in the office will not return our calls. I called for a month straight and got nothing but excuses. After that month they still hadn't even LOOKED at my application and said I had to fill out a new one beacuse they lost it. I swore I would never deal with these people again. I will not BEG them to do their jobs and give us money for food anymore.

This was back in December, when we waited for MONTHS to hear back from them. One day I called my worker 10 times in a row, hoping that she would pick up so I could find out what we needed to do to get noticed. When she finally picked up she didn't bother to even say hello, "Amanda! I know this is you! Stop calling me!!"
"I am sorry, I am just so hungry, my children are hungry. I just wanted to find out why we are not getting accepted."
"I don't know why you were not accepted, it looks like you should have been. Let me transfer you." Again! I had been shuffled between three workers, none of which could get their acts together enough to look at our papers and grant us acceptance. The next worker said,
"Yeah, it looks like it should have been accepted months ago. All of your paperwork is here. Let me transfer you back to so and so." I recieved voice mail this time (which happens 75% of the time) and left her a message. The next day she called me back saying that she LOST my paperwork and I needed to start the process ALL OVER AGAIN!!! That is when I swore off from the DTA (Dept of Transitional Assistance).

Two weeks ago my husband started the DTA process all over again, as I would have nothing to do with it. He has called and left about 5 messages, never getting a call back. I made him call 4 times today and he finally got a hold of our worker who claims that I have to get pay stubs from the place I worked at months ago. Christopher told him that I no longer work there. Now we have to go to that place and have them sign a letter stating that I do not work there (so much for the honors' system). Hopefully that is all we need. But why couldn't that guy have called Christopher a day or two later, instead of us hounding him for two weeks!?

See how annoying government assistance can be? Some people cheat the system just so they can reap the rewards, but to me it is SO not worth it. I am glad the system is in place for people who NEED it, but that is it. More regulations and better staffing. I am so ready to be out of this pit of poverty.

What it takes to be rich

Everyday is a battle. I am battling against my nature of going with the flow. I enjoy letting things happen as they may, but for this goal we are set on completing, I have to make things happen. I can't just wait around for riches to fall into my lap, because this seldom happens.

Although I love to go with the flow, I also love and embrace change. My problem right now is a lack of direction to go with. I am all for making waves in this pond, but I really need to know how I am going to do that, then full steam ahead! If someone told you exactly what to do to be rich in a year, wouldn't you do exactly what that person said (ethics considered)? I guess that is why it is so difficult to get rich, the "unattainable dream" as I have heard it called. Well some do attain it and I feel that I am no less than they.

I have it in my spirit, my personality, to be wealthy. I have never questioned my dreams and aspirations as to whether or not they will happen. The questions are: When? How? Well, we pretty much have the when covered with my goal (see sidebar) but the how is lacking. It isn't a lack of research either (see book list on sidebar). My husband and I have read all of the books on this list, we are still reading more and there are probably some we haven't listed. They inspire me, make me dream, hope and know that someday we will be like the "lucky ones" that we read about.

These people are not usually so "lucky" as they are tenacious. Yes, some people go with their gut and end up in all of the right circumstances and seem very lucky when great things happen to them. Most people who make it rich are not luck, more like the opposite. Most of their stories involve overcoming incredible odds, applying themselves more than would seem possible. These people truly deserve the wealth they have accumulated. These are the people that we hope to be.

That is why we are writing this blog, to document the incredible odds that we will be overcoming within the next year or so. To tell how we did it, what we were thinking, every step of the way. There are going to be some inspiring entries and some entries that are downright depressing. Stick with us until the end and you may witness a great story unfolding.

"I didn't say it would be easy, I said it would be worth it" -Brian Perry

A Work History

It amazes me when I look back at the various jobs I've held since I was about 13 (almost 17 years). I enjoy the fact that I have had some experience I can draw from in many different areas, from digging and selling clams to doing concession, from raking blueberries to lifeguarding at a beach, from working a day camp to attending a pool, from teaching swim lessons to working in a physical therapy department, from teaching ballroom dance to officiating intramural sports, from being a sales associate at a department store to personal training, selling memberships, and operating a fitness facility, from selling windows to working on running our own fitness-related and other businesses (almost). One of the biggest lessons that I learned is that you cannot trust that things are always how you view them to be, and you need to make sure your eyes are always open to everything and you need to continue to educate yourself. Your "secure" job could be eliminated tomorrow and then what are you going to do? Well, it certainly has been a struggle since such a thing has happened to me several times over the past two years. But we are continuing to learn from it and we will be all the better for it as we come out of the situation with our bright future ahead of us.

I invite you to leave comment on what types of jobs you have held and what kinds of lessons you have learned along the way.

Our Goal

This first entry marks my family's journey into unending wealth, security and happiness. Hi, my name is Amanda. I have a husband and two children. We have been living in poverty for the past two years, when my husband lost his job and our mundane lifestyle with it. It sucked, but in the end we decided that it would change our lives forever. At first I only dreamed as far as him getting a better job, perhaps at a YMCA, he wouldn't get fired there. After applying to the jobs he was qualified for, for some even over qualified, and never getting past the interview stage, we started reading up.
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Purpose:

To document one family of four's triumph over poverty in a down economy. This blog will cover my life before the blog (BB) and life since the blog (SB).  My husband and I are taking the steps necessary to take control of our finances, become business moguls and achieve every dream we have ever had. You are here to enjoy our struggles, learn a little and possibly even teach us something.

Starting Point:

We are currently making less than $20,000 a year as of June 2010.

My Goal: 

We will be making $200,000 a year by December of 2012.

You think I am nuts, right? Maybe I am.  Let's just say, for the sake of argument, that I am able to turn around our situation as a family, will you be amazed? Will this have helped you in your current situation? Will you have learned something valuable? The answer is YES!

-Amanda