The night before, I had been reading part of "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind" by T. Harv Eker. While some parts of the book are annoying and goofy, the principles it outlines are pretty sound. It's also refreshingly honest in its analysis of average poor, middle class, and rich minds. I've tried to do more reading in the evenings before bed, and this was a quick, easy read.
The particular idea that I read about that night was (roughly) "rich people don't complain". A challenge was issued in the book to not complain for seven days. So naturally, I spent the rest of the night until 11:59 complaining while I still could. Spoiler alert: I wasn't successful in the seven day challenge. I was, however, wildly successful on the first day.
I woke up and went to work as usual and had a typical morning. Around 1 pm, I drove out to grab some lunch. A couple miles down the road, my truck hesitated a little, then cut off completely. I couldn't get it back on. The not complaining thing was certainly being tested. I called AAA and got towed to a service center. I had to leave my truck and either find a way back to work or home.
Since I was still hungry, I walked down the street to Arby's. After that, I decided to walk a couple blocks down the same road to a card shop. The card shop (Tenth Inning, Hampton, VA) is a relic of the past and likely hasn't changed a single price tag in years. They do have a ton of cards, though. They are only open from 10-4 during the week, so I was pleased I finally got to walk in.
I had to buy some packs, so I picked out one pack each of 2000 Topps Finest S1, 2000 Topps Gallery, and 1994 Topps Finest S1. Here's what I got:
I have another post coming soon with the bonus pack the card shop guy gave me. Hopefully I'll get it up quickly. hehehe.
After leaving the card shop, I had three options: 1) Call my wife, make her wake our daughter from naptime, and make them come get me; 2) Call someone from work and have them pick me up (then need a ride home at the end of the day); 3) Walk home.
I went with option #3, knowing it was a loooong walk. It was mostly a straight shot down one road with sidewalks, so I figured I'd at least start walking. I could always call someone if I needed to. Did I mention I was in dress shoes and khakis? Oh well, at least it was a beautiful day. I enjoyed the first half of the walk quite a bit. It's nice to pass things at a slow pace that you typically drive by. I stopped at a Taco Bell about midway since it was Happier Hour and the freezes were $1. Excellent timing, I thought. I got a Orange Crush Vanilla Float Freeze, and it was fantastic. A FedEx driver came in at the same time and commented on how good the freeze looked. I told the cashier to make another one for him, my treat. He thanked me following a brief conversation, and I set back out on my journey.
This half of the walk was a bit more painful and perhaps a bit more beautiful. Finally, I arrived home sweaty, sunburned, hurting and way more at peace than I had been in quite some time. It was a little over 7 miles of walking in dress clothes on a June afternoon. I decided to not worry about my truck because it's paid off, and, for lack of a better phrase, it is what it is. Positive thinking breeds positive outcomes. The truck ended up only being $200 bucks to get up and running, which isn't bad at all.
That day, I threw away my dress shoes. Bad shoes aren't worth it. I now wear quality athletic shoes to work. I got them on clearance at Marshall's for under $30, so they didn't break the bank. My feet hurt less, and I'm happier.
That day changed a lot for me. I didn't succeed with not complaining for the whole week. I'm okay with that. But I succeeded in changing for the better. This story may sound ridiculous, but it really did help me put things in perspective.
I don't know if things happen for a reason or if things just happen, but what I now realize is that everything that happens is an opportunity. If you want to be happy, put your energy on what you want. Stop blaming, stop playing the victim (even if you are!), stop complaining. It's not worth the time.
Some of you may think I've gone off the deep end. But that's okay, the deep end is part of a pool, and who doesn't love a fucking pool in June?
