I never kept a record of my time but was easily working 60 to 70 hours a week. I know that because at two AM when I was finished in the office I used to pass up my bedroom on the way down to the couch so when my wife got up at six AM I would wake up get off the couch and hit the shower to get ready for the day. Way, way too much work, was working on my attitude. My positive mental attitude was working on me. I didn’t have a positive mental attitude, I had a negative mental attitude. I set my salary at $500.00 a week and my take home pay was $425.00. I was probably earning about $7.50 per hour for every hour I worked. I remember thinking that even if I worked at a fast food restaurant, that, at least I would be paid time and a half over forty hours. My sprit was dropping fast. My attitude was poor at best and becoming more negative day by day. It was the end of the first year about eleven months invested and I was ready to quit!

It was December, I was on the phone with my brother, I was telling him I going to resign. My brother is older than me and has a PHD in behavioral science. He started asking questions (uh-oh). He asked me how much gross volume did you do this fiscal year. I said $840,000.00 he says “how much volume did they expect you to do?” I tell him I can’t say… he says…. “why?” I said, because you are going to convince me not to quit and I am fried, done, put a fork in me and turn me over, I want to resign. He says “how much volume did they expect from your territory?” I tell him I can’t say. He says “you need to tell me.” Finally, I tell him $400-600,000.00. He says “you’re doing great!” “No you don’t understand” I’m not making any money! I’m working for $7.50 an hour!” “But you’re doing great! You are running 35 to 40% over their prediction and expectation. You’re doing great! As I have previously mentioned my attitude was poor at best. It was actually terrible! Somehow and I don’t know how he got me to “Get on My Feet and Change My Seat” and look at the opportunity from a different prospective. I decided to stay, even though I continued to quit in my mind’s eye every day.

A year later even though I had tried to look at the opportunity from a different place I was ready to quit because in my opinion, nothing had changed. It was December and the same conversation of the previous year was taking place with my brother. “I think I’m going to resign”. My brother says “how much volume did you do”? I say “I can’t say because you’re going to convince me to stay. He said “what was the projected volume for the territory”? I tell him they didn’t have a sales quota for my territory or if they did they didn’t tell me. He asks again “how much volume did you do”? I mumble one point one five million and then of course he says “how much did you do last year”? I tell him I can’t say. He knows what I’m up to and tells me to come clean. I tell him $840,000.00. He says “You’re doing great! Quick math, that’s like a 35% increase”. Yes, I know but I’m still not making enough money for the effort. And again, I don’t know how, but he convinced me to “Get on My Feet and Change My Seat”. I decided to stay the course