I learned a valuable lesson in my early 20s. By the age of 23 I had already had the pleasure of having 19 incredibly low paying jobs. As a consequence, when I began my career in commission sales, I had high hopes however, deep down, I didn’t have high of expectations of what I could earn. I got what I expected, I barely got by. It would be safe to say that I struggled. My highest annual income was less than $35,000 a year. But then something amazing happened I fell in love! I met Stryker Dunda who worked for a well-known speaker and author. After a long-distance courtship, I decided to join him “on the road”.
In the beginning, I didn’t even work for the company, but since I was there they decided to put me to work. I began giving presentations and in no time, I was leading the team in sales! The company decided to hire me, smart move.
Looking back, I’m not sure if it was the new relationship, living in a different city every 6 to 8 weeks, or the fact that I completely believed 100% in the speaker I was promoting, it was probably a combination of all of the above. Whatever the case something in me was changing! My first month on the payroll, I earned $8000. (It was 1992) For sure I thought I had won the lottery! In my past commission sales position, it would’ve taken me four months to earn that same income. So, what changed?
Was I the same me, or was I?
I began to notice as the months went by that my expectations and my belief in what I was capable of was moving in a different direction. I was now seeing myself as a six-figure earner. Therefore, the more success I had, the more success I had!
Mr. wonderful asked me to marry him and shortly thereafter we left the road to begin our fairytale life together. I contemplated returning to that original position in my former company where I had lived from check to check. I began having some of those same insecure feelings that I had felt before. I remembered how I produced those mediocre results, and I got a sick feeling. I asked, “was the success that I had been experiencing just a fluke?” I felt like Cinderella at midnight leaving the ball and being faced with going back to her “real life” I almost didn’t return to that company. However, I had limited options so I decided to give it a whirl and see what I could do this time.
It quickly became obvious that something was different with me. I walked, talked, and felt as if I was capable of earning top dollar! I’ll bet you’re wondering, “Did she make 100K in her first year?” The answer is no. However, I did earn $75,000 and a luxury automobile to drive! I reached that six-figure mark the very next year!
So, what’s the lesson learned those many years ago? Everyone has a FINANCIAL THERMOSTAT. Your thermostat is set at a certain temperature. Currently, your temperature may be low because you are in a position or company where you’re not really happy or fulfilled. Maybe relationships or circumstances in your life need to be improved. It simply starts with awareness. I am certain that we can change our personal financial expectation as easy as we can adjust the thermostat on the wall of our homes. My advice? Turn it up, it’s ok!
Is it hot in here or is it just me? 🙂
