Quote: (02-19-2013 06:37 AM)blackglasses Wrote:
I thought it was gross at first but there is nt much you can do when you need money
Quote: (02-20-2013 04:42 AM)Blaze Frazier Wrote:
Making less than someone working at Wal-Mart, so I need to figure something out soon.
Not going to comment much more on black glasses since I don't know if he's kidding, trolling, or the victim of a hacker, but I've been dwelling on money dynamics a lot lately and have come to the conclusion that it's absolutely crazy to not be able to make money. I find being broke a lot of the time has to do with simply thinking you're too good for the type of work that pays. As if you should have somehow been doing something better by that point and taking a grunt job is an admission of your failure to live up to your potential.
Mainly, manual labor is what I'm getting at here.
I've actually got stuck in that mindset before too, without even realizing it, and put myself in broke-ass situations because of it. So I can't talk too much. But it really is crazy when you think about it in the right perspective...
Maybe it's just the area I'm from, but manual labor has never paid me less than $20 per hour, and if I were to be completely honest, I have no real skills in this department.
Don't want to ruin your body? Work a dead-end job? or hang with ignorant meatheads your whole life? While all those points are debatable on their own merits, there's no point in even addressing them because of this...
You don't have to do it forever.
Here's a scenario for a guy with a goal.
- Get a manual labor job working for $20 per hour. Hell, I've mowed lawns, run weed-eaters, and dug ditches for $20-$30 an hour. None of those require more skill than you could teach a 13-year old in fifteen minutes.
- If you work 10-hours a day, common with hard labor, that's $4000 a month, and in this particular scenario, you'll hopefully be working under the table, so no taxes (only if you're outside the US, of course, because I'd certainly never imply gettin' one over on "Uncle" Sam tsk tsk).
- Live on $1000 a month. Yes, I know that sounds like fuck all in the States, but you could if you tried, so bear with me here. How bad do you want something better?
Hell, I'm pretty sure I could live on $500 a month in most places if I really wanted to...
The problem with most laborers (who actually make decent cash), is they're shit at keeping it in their pockets. They like cool toys, they travel long distances to work, they throw money at women, and, most of all, they like blowing buckets of cash at the bar with their buddies.
So commit to living at $1000 a month. Find the cheapest accommodations you can. Make a low-budget plan for food. Tiring yourself at work will make it so you don't need to go out as much, and if you've got extra time on the weekends, start an internet biz, wait some tables, or watch movies on Netflix and jack off.
- Put the left-over $3000 a month in savings or a stash of cash for now. Every. Single. Month.
- Get this. In 5 short months, you'd have $15,000 saved up by following that plan. 5 months goes by fast when you're on the grind...After all, what did YOU accomplish in the last 5 months?
- Now, go do something with that 15K that puts you up to the next level. Do not waste it on stupid shit!
Hell, you might even decide to stick with it for a year and set $36,000 aside. Or spot an opportunity somewhere in there that could turn into something much bigger...
But even if not, can you think of some way you could leverage that initial 15K? Some training you could get or a place where you could take a cashed-out RV and bust your ass (North Dakota) to the next level?
Of course you can.
Will you have to make sacrifices? Sure. But you'd learn a lot too, maybe build some valuable skills. Learn how to socialize with other guys. Prove something to yourself.
Even if you're embarrassed about being a man that doesn't have man-like skills or that true grit, just keep in mind that everyone has to learn somewhere. maybe you'll even have to start at $15 because of your lack of experience - oh well. Sure, the homies at the job site will clown the new guy at first, but even if you had more skill than them they'd clown you about something else. It's just what they do.
Shit, walk by a work site and you'll see that most laborers aren't made of steel or anything. They're just average peeps who use their bodies to bring in a paycheck.
Anyhow, not even sure what you do for a living, Blaze, but I just thought this post would fit here. Hope it helps someone who's in a bind.
Beyond All Seas
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling