Credit and Action

Have you ever applied for credit only to be turned down? It is a frustrating experience to say the least. Have you ever tried to get ahead but your paycheck will not allow you to save any money? Have you ever felt you work and work and work but only have enough to pay your bills? Have you ever had your car break down and not had enough money to get it fixed? The list could go on and on, but you get my point. With the cost of living there are many people who just live pay check to check. They just can’t seem to get ahead and it is not because they are not working.

Happened To A Friend
I have a friend who was in this situation. She had a steady 9-5 job and she felt like she was boxed in with no way to increase her income. She had a family and wanted to be home in the evening, so she did not want to take a second job outside the home. She could see no way to increase her earnings as she worked for the government and they were on a job freeze and a wage freeze and no opportunity for any overtime to make some extra money. She wanted to get ahead but felt there was no way; she felt very discouraged and could see no solution to her issue. Things as simple as birthdays and christmas were very difficult for her as her paycheck just covered her bills each month with no money left over for gifts.

To Help Her
I offered to teach her how to do websites. She could work on them at home after her son went to bed. It seemed like a great way for her tomake some extra money. I explained to her about how the websites are like any other business and they require time to develop. You do not just set them up and start making money. I emphasized they are not a get “rich quick scheme”, you have to be dedicated and work on them for awhile before you will see any income resulting from them. But I explained to her if she just worked one hour a night, every night then it would pay off. “Yes, yes,” she said. She was so excited to get started. Her enthusiasm was enough for me to invest the time in teaching her.

I spent a few days with her showing her how to do it, giving her all the information that I had learned over the years. She had a head start with this information. We had a website built within a week. I explained to her the secret to building a website is to add new content every week. Even if she did one hour a night, that would add up and it would help her website move forward and eventually she would see income result. For the first few weeks, content was added. But then as the weeks went on and no money was being made, no work was done.

She then told me it was not working for her. I tried to explain she needed to continue each week and the business would start growing, if she just gave it a few months and she stuck with it that I was sure it would pay off. But really she did not want to put in the effort and work on her business every week. She just wanted to see the money come in now not three months for now. And, the sad thing about this is if she had stuck with it, the money would have started to come. She would not be a millionaire but she could have had extra money each month to pay for the unexpected issues that occur and to pay for gifts she wanted to buy.

It Does Take Work
Alot of people are all talk, what they say and what they do are two different things. As the saying goes, talk is cheap. Without actions behind the talk, it is all useless.Many people are in the same boat – they complain, they receive an opportunity, but they don’t want to work at it. They would prefer to sit and watch tv or sleep rather than put in effort to build something that could assist in improving the situation they are in.

There is no such thing as free money or fast money just like there is no such thing as free credit. You must work at it. All businesses take time to build, you do not open your doors on day 1 or even on day 30 and have a huge income; it takes time and it takes work, every day. And, just like any job, you don’t get a promotion just because you show up at work, you must work each day going the extra mile, proving your abilities and your dedication.

I am always reminded of the wisdom said by Thomas Edison, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” If only she had stuck with it for a couple more months, she probably would have seen success. She was so close yet because of her attitude she was so far.

Now she is back in the same position, not enough money, she can’t get credit, and she is complaining she doesn’t have enough money to make ends meet. And it is probably good that she cannot get credit as I am not sure how she would pay for it once she used it. Credit is not the answer to being short on money in the long term. You always need a plan and have the ability to eventually pay it off.

Talk Is Easy
Many people complain yet they don’t want to take action. They are quick to tell you all their problems, and hardships, yet they take no action to create a better situation. If you develop a goal, set an action plan and take action, you are closer to success than most. Talk is easy, writing a plan is easy, but taking action day after day is not easy. Sometimes it is easier to give up than to keep taking action. As W. Clement Stone once said, “I think there is something, more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers, there aren’t enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision.”

My hope in sharing this story is to encourage you not to give up easily, take action and persevere! Do not expect instant success. Success takes time!

Inspirational Quotes for Reflection:
“Remember, once you have started your journey towards change, the only things that separate those who succeed and those who do not are perseverance and determination.” Ian Tuhovsky

“If you are doing the things that are moving you toward the attainment of your goal, then you are “successful” even if you are not there yet.” Meir Liraz

“Don’t worry about genius. Don’t worry about being clever. Trust to hard work, perseverance and determination. And the best motto for a long march is: ‘Don’t grumble. Plug on!'” Sir Thomas Treves

“Despite information available to the contrary, it would seem that a lot of people would rather complain and moan about what they don’t have, can’t do, or wish they could have or do without exercising even one act that could start to turn their lives into a positive.” Bryon Pulsifer

“There are people out there on the internet flashing images of tons of cash with no effort or work. At the end of the day people are trying to get you motivated to take action towards something. So finding motivation isn’t really the issue. Taking the action and evaluating your results is.” Scott Wyatt

“Success cannot just happen to you, rather success happens because you make it happen, with your actions, judgments and initiatives.” Elma N. Collins

This I do know beyond any reasonable doubt. Regardless of what you are doing, if you pump long enough, hard enough and enthusiastically enough, sooner or later the effort will bring forth the reward.” Zig Ziglar