Not possessing the amount of money needed to do the things that you want is a feeling that we do not like, a feeling that we do not want. We do what we have to do in life to make that feeling non existent. We work, work, work and work. We put together smart ideas to make our money grow. We exert effort around the clock to become a success story. Before actually reaching our goals and adding a lot of money and wealth into our lives, we once were left out on a lot of moments of appreciation; we were devastated because of so. One of those appreciative moments happens every year for the people we love. That moment will be revealed in this article. And that moment/moments should be revisited mentally, and your next step should be to take action accordingly. This will be good!
Our loved ones can be loud, annoying and rude a lot of the times. They can be funny, nice and nurturing at times. They can even be cold, deceitful and untrustworthy at times. No matter how they are towards you they are your flesh and blood, and you still have to love them. Its family, they are not perfect, but you have been blessed to have them in your life. I’m sure you remember when Uncle Roy taught you how to fish. Or Aunt Kathy, who told you to “Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn”. I’m sure you remember when your cousin Randy beat up that scary bully for you in middle school?These are memorable times that are to be valued. You will always remember that time when your family told or did something for you that changed your life or the way that you felt, in a positive manner. That’s what family is for. We all need family, no matter if we may think we don’t, for whatever reasons. They are a part of who you are.
I remember when I started a toy business in 2015, my Uncle Ronnie was the one who helped me finance it; at this time, my uncle was a millionaire. He invested in bitcoins when they first hit the market in 2009, and as you may know, bit coins took off tremendously since then and so did my uncle’s bank account. My uncle and I have always been close, a lot closer than my other uncles. He was the one who introduced me to IRAs, and now I have a retirement plan. I have kids and I would love to be able to enjoy the company of their kids. I can imagine it now! My wife and I sitting back in our porch rocking chairs, enjoying a nice spring day with ice cold tea while the kids play tag in the front yard, not having to work a lick. Every chance I get, I dedicate my efforts and time to pay my uncle back, even though he tells me to not never worry about paying him back. He tells me, “don’t worry about it nephew, we’re family, this is what family do for each other! Don't take after Uncle Jerry, he is not what a family is all about”! Lol! My uncle Jerry liked to drink way too much, and would fart all of the time. My business failed tremendously, and I never, since my business started, had any money to do anything but to pay bills, and it sucked big time! I could not contribute a dime to anyone. I didn't have a girlfriend because I couldn't afford one. I couldn't even buy ice cream for my little nephews. I was a loser and I felt bad for myself. I was in debt BIG TIME!
I have a large immediate family: six nephews, five nieces, 14 cousins, five aunts, seven uncles, four brothers, two sisters and three kids of my own. We get along well for the most part; we’re a family so their are some differences, but that’s not the point that I’m trying to make. We see each other quite often. We hang out: we laugh, eat, play, drink, create...the list goes on. During birthday parties, we all provide gifts for the birthday person, as supposed. Unfortunately, I was one of the family members who couldn't afford to give a gift, but they always appreciated the fact that I still showed up and shedded my love for el familia. They always love to see my face, but I felt bad not being able to give gifts to the people that I loved on their birthday. So you know what I did?
I’ll tell you what I did. When I finally got my finances in order, and started making nearly $150,000 per year, one of the first things that came to mind was my family. I thought about my Uncle Ronnie, especially because of what he did for me with my business. I thought about my cousin Karon who would give me rides in her Toyota Camry when I needed to get to work. I thought about my Aunt Jackie who always kept me in a good church. I also thought about my Aunt Tonya who always provided me with fresh fruits and vegetables. I never could really pay them back because I really had nothing. They would, however, appreciated the fact that I could lift heavy objects and could do math as well as anyone. I wanted to do more for these people (my entire family) because they were there for me. What could I do that would not only pay them back, but represent the type of great person that they know me to be? Ah Ha! I got it! This is what I’ll do!
I sat down at my desk in my lovely home and thought back during the time when I was basically broke and couldn't provide gifts for my family, this tough time for me was around 2013, two years prior to starting my toy business. From 2013 up unto 2018, five years, I missed out on doing something that is considered as special, typical, traditional, caring and respectful: giving my family members a gift on their birthdays.
Five years had passed and I hadn't once purchased a gift for any of my family members for their birthdays. Five whole years! I made a list up of all of the names of my family members and I went out for shopping. It had to be over 25 names, as I left out a few people who, although were close, many times failed to show for our many, many, family events. For every year that I missed giving a gift to these family members on my list, I would buy a present. So each one of the 25+ family members on the list would receive five gifts a piece. That was over 100 gifts. I could afford it, which made me a happy man, but when I see the looks on their faces when I show up with these gifts will make me an even happier man. Some may agree that I should let the past birthdays be the past and move on from them, as my family aren't dwelling on the fact that they didn't receive a gift from me. I’m sure they've already put in their two cents about what they thought about me. But that’s another story. But I cannot let it go. I feel as though I failed them, I failed as a human being to not be able to afford a gift on their birthdays and I’m in my 30’s. I’m a decent man with a good work ethics why has it been so long since I’ve given them a gift? It's embarrassing. Now I can redeem myself. Thank God for my persistence, my will and my dedication. They may feel a little weird accepting the gifts, as this most likely hasn’t happened to them before, so I’ll give it them behind closed doors, to make it less weird.
I can't wait to give them these gifts. It should be an experience worth cherishing for the rest of our lives. To be continued….
Comments
Post a Comment