Some of us have a defining moment that pushes us over the edge.  We know what we want to do.  We know how to get there.  But we keep putting it off . . . for whatever reason.  We simply need that little push to get us over the hump and on the fast track towards our dreams and goals. 

My defining moment came on December 24, 2007.

I had been working at this firm for a year and three months, and I wasn’t crazy about the amount of time my job required.  I also wasn’t nuts about the irrational crap (for lack of a better word) I had to deal with on a daily basis from my boss and The Man in general. 

I knew this profession would be like this, but my plan wasn’t to do this forever.  I had an investing strategy in place (largely centered around real estate), and I simply needed to get it started.  My wife and I kept putting it off only because we wanted to pay off our credit card debt first.  I had patience, and I figured that we can’t achieve financial freedom overnight.   

Then, on Christmas Eve, my patience wore out.

The Telephone Call

On the afternoon of Saturday, December 22, I arrived home from the gym.  I noticed the red light on my Blackberry flickering.  I also noticed that my cell phone had a missed call and a voicemail message.  I checked both.  Turns out that a guy I worked with (whose name was Carlos) was calling me from the office about an assignment I had turned in the day before (Friday).  Carlos was a couple of years ahead of me, so he was my superior.  Carlos also worked for my boss (who we will refer to as Beaker from here on out). 

I called Carlos back, and he asked me a couple of questions about the assignment.  As it turns out, one of the facts on which I had based my research and my conclusions was wrong.  (Mind you, I didn’t make up these facts.  Beaker and another individual had given them to me.)  Carlos told me that Beaker had asked him to take a look at my research and the case in general.  I explained to Carlos what I knew and from where I got it.  He told me he was going to call Beaker to see what the next step was.

Let’s Meet On Monday

We hung up, and I went upstairs to take a shower.  About five minutes later, Carlos called me back.  The conversation went as follows:

Robert: “Hello?”

Carlos: “Hey Robert.”

Robert: “Hey.”

Carlos: “I talked to [Beaker].  He said he wants to meet on Monday at 10:30 a.m.”

Robert: “On . . . Monday?”  (Monday was obviously Christmas Eve.)

Carlos: “Uh . . . yeah.  So . . . I just wanted to let you know so that . . . you could plan accordingly.”  (He was stuttering himself at the absurdity of this request.)

Robert: ”Alright.  Um . . . do you know how long this is going to take?”

Carlos: “Uh–”

Robert: “You know . . . so that I can make arrangements.”

Carlos: ”Um, I . . . don’t know.  Probably not too long.”

Robert: “OK.  I’ll see you then.”1christmastree-med.jpg

I hung up.  For about two minutes, I was livid.  Why in the world would anyone schedule to meet on a holiday?  Was it really necessary?  Couldn’t this be done over the phone today?  Heck, send me an e-mail with whatever questions, concerns, or issues you have, and I’ll take care of it from home.  I know this might not bother some workaholics out there.  But I’m a family man, and I cherish the little free time I have with my family.   

I calmed down a bit.  I told my wife the semi-bad news.  Then came the all-important question.

My Wife: “Do you know how long you’ll be?”

My answer to that question was always wrong.  I never had any control over that.  I thought that our little meeting couldn’t possibly take that long.  Maybe an hour.  An hour and a half.  It was Christmas Eve.  People have plans with their families.  I guess it was OK to wreck someone’s weekends here and there throughout the year with work.  But certainly not Christmas Eve, right?  Beaker had some sympathy.  He had a heart.  Right?

6.8

On the software program into which we enter our billed time, the number in the box for December 24 shows “6.8.”  That is the number of hours I billed–the number of hours I worked–on Christmas Eve.  I spend almost 7 hours in the office that day.   

At our 10:30 a.m. meeting, two remarkable things happened:

1) Beaker attempted to chastise me for basing my research and my conclusions on incorrect facts that he played a role in giving me.  (You can’t make this stuff up, folks.)  Of course, I defended myself, but he absolved himself of any guilt by forgetting about it entirely and moving on to what needed to be done.  (He’s a piece of work.)

2) Beaker instructed me to read an entire statute and write a memorandum summarizing its relevant parts and how it applied to our case.  (This was a 30-page statute with various highly-technical provisions that was about as exciting to read as watching two snails race.)  He wanted the memorandum e-mailed to various interested individuals that day.

I spent from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in my office completing this assignment.  I worked as fast as I could because I wanted to get out of there.  I was intent on at least spending that evening with my family.  I was good about not wasting time.  I didn’t go to the bathroom as frequently as I normally did.  I also didn’t eat lunch.  Oh the sacrifices we make. 

If there was anything positive about that day, it was that those 6.8 hours elapsed quickly.  The sun seemed to race across the sky.  I finally got out of there, and I made it home by 7:15 p.m.  

The Last Straw

On my way home, I lost myself in my thoughts.  I had just lost one of the best days of the year–the excitement and anticipation of Christmas Eve–to the Man.  I felt as if a piece of me had disappeared.  Like part of my innocence was gone. 

I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t let another day pass without that day being part of a different path.  Up to then, my days were steps on a path towards success in my profession.  On that day, however, I had reached a fork in the road.  To the left was a continuation of the same path I had taken.  To the right was a new path.  A path whose steps were a progression toward a different result: financial freedom.  I wanted every day after this one to be a step on that path.  I wanted each day to bring my family and me closer to wealth and financial freedom.  And working for the Man (the path on the left) wasn’t going to get us there. 

I was done making excuses or putting off our plan and investing strategy.  I decided that I was going to start doing something–anything–that would jump-start our efforts.  Without the right amount of money, the options seemed limited.  But I knew that that was just an illusion.

Starting a Blog 

I decided that the best thing I could do was start a blog.  Writing posts about my business and investing ideas would help me catalog my thoughts in an organized fashion.  It would also open up those thoughts to other like-minded people who could offer their own thoughts and suggestions.  I could also write in general about my monetary philosophy and develop that further.  This blog would become my Bible for financial success.

Within a couple of weeks, after some research, I got the blog up and running, and I started writing.  For three months, I haven’t let up, and I don’t plan to.  I have enjoyed posting my thoughts, ideas, and stories, and I feel like I have finally set my plan in motion.  I’m finally moving myself and my family in the right direction. 

It was that day–December 24–that put me over the edge.  Some of us need that little push every once in a while.  It may come in different forms.  The important thing, however, is to grab hold of that defining moment and channel it into something positive.  When life pushes us over the edge, our first instinct is to fight back.  But the right move is to use that push as motivation.  It’s a message that’s telling us to get moving. 

The only one who can achieve your dreams is you. 

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