Depending on your current employment, you might have a different thought process than someone else does, or maybe not.

Graveyard! Let’s pause for a second there. What a term! Whoever came up with the nickname, “graveyards” for the night shift hours, should have copyrighted that. It’s like death for employees. In most jobs, it’s considered the crap shift…the one nobody wants. The only time I though graveyards were fun was in my adolescent years, because the boss wasn’t there and I could do whatever I wanted!

On with my point, here’s a little story about the graveyard shift that nearly killed me. Seriously.

The graveyard job that almost killed me!

I remember my first experience, or I should say, my first attempt at working a graveyard shift. The job was a 45 minute drive from the town I lived in. I was fresh out of high school and was saving money to serve an LDS mission. The job was a fuel clerk position at a truck stop in a small town named Road Forks, off the I-10 in New Mexico. Surrounded by cigarette smoke and weird looking people, I completed my first day on the job. Pushing buttons, printing receipts, filing records, easy stuff!

On my trip home, I dozed off and woke up to find myself going 50 MPH with my left tires off the left side of the road. I jerked the wheel (NOT the right thing to do, but I was a bit startled after realizing where I was), sending myself skidding sideways across the highway, well, it was more diagonal than sideways, with the rear of my car leading the charge. When my front tires hit the shoulder of the road on the opposite side, my front end swung back around, and I skidded to a stop just inches from a mile marker sign.

Needless to say, I was VERY wide awake for the remaining 7 miles of my trip home.

When I arrived home, I called into work and quit. No more graveyards for this dude!

Later that week, my Dad asked me why the car was wobbling like all the tires had bald spots on them. And as any idiot teenager would do, I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Huh? I have no idea!”

I actually didn’t tell him what had really happened until last year!

Fact of the matter is, graveyards are horrible. Heck, any work schedule other than one chosen by you, is horrible.

So here’s my proposal…

No matter what your circumstance, job situation, chance for advancement or current income, there is a much easier way. I have been working from home for nearly a decade, and as a result, choose my own work schedule. There are times that I do pull a “partial” graveyard shift, but only if I choose to.

Take a look at the opportunity I have here for you. It’s affordable for anyone and can provide you with a lifestyle very, very few people currently enjoy.

Fill in your email address into the contact form below this post and you’ll learn how to get yourself out of that job, and into a lucrative vehicle that can provide you with the freedom you seek.

Or…you could just keep doing what you’re doing.

I can’t say I know it all, but I know more than I knew before. And one of the things I learned there was their ability to maintain a controlled environment for their employees, an environment in which they could stay productive. With so many computers, and people working on those computers, it would seem to be a difficult task to keep them focused on their job, instead of browsing the internet all day.

Besides splitting the floor up into teams, and placing a supervisor over each team, they also were able to control your desktop through VDI monitoring software. I like to call them the Oompa Loompa’s, because they were the guys behind the scenes that you never really get to see much of, yet they do everything! So the guy next to me could have access to more troubleshooting tools, being considered “Hosting Certified,” while I was stuck with the basic tools of a greenie.

But at least I knew that if I was having trouble with my desktop, I could just call up the Oompa Loompa’s and they’d take over my screen, fix the issue and send me on my way.

There’s no better way to manage that size of a work force.

VDI Monitoring in Network Marketing?

Which brings me to my comparison. I think that some people who jump into network marketing for the first time expect that kind of support. They expect to see some sort of VDI monitoring or remote desktop help, especially when they get stuck in their marketing efforts. Instead of doing what every successful entrepreneur has done, which is figuring it out, they look to the Oompa Loompa’s….which don’t exist in network marketing.

In nearly every home based business I’ve been involved in, all of them had some sort of a system to follow. And that system involved several main steps one must duplicate in order to experience success. Everything else outside of those steps had to be figured out. That’s what separates the winners from the losers.

Heck, that’s probably the main reason I’m still an entrepreneur. I don’t want anyone telling me what I do or do not have access to, and I actually enjoy “figuring things out.” It’s a game!

So if you think you have what it takes to, as I said earlier, “figure it out,” then take action today. If not, that’s okay too. Some people really enjoy those ‘controlled environments.’

Are you ripped, rich and famous, or does any of that matter to you? Maybe you’re the “down to earth” rich guy that still wears his paint stained jeans around town, yet, has all the money in the world?

For me, I know EXACTLY what the ultimate me looks like.

And with that knowledge, I also know EXACTLY what I don’t want to be like.

So here’s a few guys I’m glad I’m not like, in several ways and for many different reasons. You may be offended, heck, you might even agree with my picks. Whatever your stance, at least it’s a stance.

I’m glad I’m not that guy!

#1 on my list is Richard Simmons. I’ve got tons of respect for the guy and all he has accomplished in his lifetime. He’s an inspiration to many. So me saying that I’m glad I’m not that guy to Richard Simmons isn’t anything against him personally. I just don’t know how he gets away with wearing some of the things he does, being a man and all. There are all kinds of different types of “males” in the world, but my vision of a what a man is does not involve striped shorty shorts.

Glad I’m not that guy!

#2 is a character in the movie, “Bedazzled,” with Brendan Frasier. Sunsets are inspirational, but not enough to cry…and some people look good in turtle neck sweaters, I do not. To clarify, I like to watch his movies and think he’s hilarious. I’m just glad I’m not the “Sensitive” guy he plays in the movie.

Glad I’m not that guy!

#3 is any dude who takes pictures of himself without a shirt on in front of their bathroom mirror, and then uses that picture for their Facebook profile or some other social network. I’m not a woman or anything, at least not last time I checked, but I think most of them think less of guys who do that. Your not impressing anyone.

Glad I’m not that guy!

#4 is President Obama. Of course I had to throw something political into my list. Although he is in a position of power and has the ability to truly make a difference, for the good, in this nation, I don’t feel he has done that. Not every President of the Unites States is loved by every citizen in this country, I know that. In Obama’s case, he is either extremely loved or extremely hated. There’s not much in between.

Glad I’m not that guy!

#5 trumps them all. Out of everyone on and off this list, this is the one I’m most grateful NOT to be. It’s an employee.

Some of you may feel I’m being ungrateful, conceded, self righteous and judgmental. Go ahead a feel that way. I have nothing against those who have jobs, the world needs people to fill those positions. Not everyone can run their own business. Not everyone can have the discipline to choose their own work schedule and remain productive, work through the night to complete a project, give themselves a raise, pay cutt or a day off, or deal with the stress of not having a bi-weekly paycheck. That’s why we need employees.

You see…I’ve been both, and now that I’ve experienced both sides, I’ve become the most miserable employee. I remember the days of waking up to an alarm clock, packing my lunch and heading off to work for nine hours of the day. I remember the work cubicle, the time clock and the boss….and I despised every single second of it. Maybe I just didn’t have the right job. Who knows?

In my eyes, miserable employees are entrepreneurs in the making. The only difference between those employees and entrepreneurs, is that one has already taken action because if he were to stay stagnant for one more minute, he’d burst out of his skin.

As an employee, someone can go on hating their job for a very, very long time. Yet, they’ll get up tomorrow morning, pack their lunch and head out to work, just like they’ve been doing for the last however long….because they’re terrified to change their situation.

Change takes courage.

And for those of you who despise your jobs, no matter what job that is, it’s time for a change to happen. Maybe you’ve looked into something before, yet, you didn’t act. Next time you’re faced with that decision, ask yourself this one question, “If I don’t get started, what’s the alternative?”

The alternative is….you can always go back to what you’ve been doing…working for someone else instead of yourself.

Make the change. I believe in you. You can do it.

This past Saturday I celebrated yet another birthday and turned a whopping 36 years of age. I had a great day filled with family and food, both of which I love and can’t live without.

Life is Way Too Short

Every year, somewhere near my birthday, I seem to get caught up into reflection on my life up to that point. This year, I realized how flippin’ fast the last twelve months had gone by and to be honest, I started to freak out a bit. The more that these birthdays pass by, the more I realize that life is way too short!

We live in a farming community here in Central Arizona, and the main crop is cotton. It seems like those fields were white, all ready to harvest, just a few months ago. When in reality, they were harvested a year ago. My kids are now a year older and busier than ever and sometimes I wonder if I am having the influence on them that I should, and could.

I’m sure those of you with children can relate.

I recently had a conversation with a colleague of mine about the choice I made to work in the online world instead of a more traditional way of providing for my family, such as a job or brick and mortar business. I had to end the call a bit early because I had to teach my daughter’s P.E. class that day. I then expressed to my colleague how grateful I was to be able to do those things. I am present in the lives of those who I care about the most. If they need me, I can be there, and my business allows me the flexibility to have more of an influence in the lives of my kids.

Life is way too short to work at a job or business you aren’t passionate about!

It really is. Too many people go to their jobs just for the paycheck. The only thing motivating to them about their chosen profession is the fact that they get paid every other Friday, receive health benefits and can afford a mortgage payment.

I’m not saying that having a job is a bad thing. It’s a good thing for those who don’t mind that sort of a lifestyle. It provides some sense of security knowing that you have a source of income.

But for those of you who want so much more for you and your family, life is way too short to waste on a job you aren’t truly passionate about. When you start packing on the years, and you look back on your life, make sure that you can honestly say to yourself that you gave it all. Be sure you can say that you followed your dreams.

I was grateful for the opportunity they gave me to work there, even though it didn’t work out. But there were others who worked there during the same time that were let go as well, and they were vengeful, and bitter. They would bad mouth that employer all around town, every where they went.

I received a spam email the other day from a disgruntled ex-employee who was trying to get back at their previous employer by showing people where they could go to get that product for a much lower price. He was trying to put them out of business, but wasn’t making any profit from it.

Apparently, he had worked there for a good period of time and was let go due to down sizing. So he became angry and blamed the company for all of his misfortune, and I have a big problem with that. He should be grateful for the opportunity he had to trade his time for money. That company paid his bills, put food on his table, probably provided health benefits and much more. Even though the new healthcare laws, primarily the ACA tax credit benefits, make healthcare a bit more affordable, he should show gratitude  instead of being angry. After all, he put himself in that situation.

So if you happen to find yourself fired, let go or down sized, here are a few things you can do about it.

1. Stay positive. Striking revenge at your old employer will never get you anywhere!
2. Of course, you can look for another job. But, being pro-entrepreneur, you may be putting yourself right back into the same situation again.
3. You can start a business. You only have so much control over your financial future as an employee. Your wages, your work schedule, your job, all depends on your employer. With a business, you have absolute control over everything.
4. As an employer, I know that every employee that I hire is a potential competitor. How many disgruntled employees have you known that have started a business in the same niche they were fired from? I know plenty who have….and they’ve taken a good portion of their old clients with them. Rather than being upset and trying to destroy your old employer, become their competitor. Do what they didn’t do very well, better!

Loosing a job is a hardship, but never the end of the world. Even in a somewhat downed economy, there is plenty of opportunity. Stay positive, stay focused, and get what you want.