Well, this entry begins with a bit of my story. I come from a middle-class, working family, with deep spiritual roots. I was taught what I believe many others have been; work hard in school, get good grades, value your education, go on to higher education, and get a secure job with great benefits.
So, I did that exactly, with the exception of going to college. Fortunately, I was blessed to obtain gainful employment with a leading hospital in my city, Philadelphia. I was also fortunate to be a fast learner and a hard worker. My supervisor, at the time, served as a review board member for a major pharmaceutical company and referred me for a position that opened. I was hired and went on to work for the company for eight and a half years.
At my tender age, in what I believed to be the prime of my life, I was earning a really good salary. The benefits package was excellent. I had access to a solid 401K plan. My schedule was steady, and I was off every day by 3:30pm. I wanted for nothing! I didn’t have to deny myself anything because of my income. I had successfully achieved what my parents taught me to do. The story seems dull and uneventful, right? Well, that would be true if that was the end of the story.
The reason I’m no longer working there is a peculiar one, to say the least. For a while, as I worked this job that others would have killed for, I was feeling a sense that I needed to be doing something to serve others. I was feeling as though there was supposed to be more to life than social success.
So, in my eighth year, on my incredible job, I wrote and submitted my letter of resignation. It was crazy! I felt trapped in a vacuum, like I was watching myself do something incredibly stupid but just couldn’t stop myself. I scheduled a meeting with my supervisor to discuss my intention to resign. I presented him with the letter and went on to express my gratitude for the opportunity to work there. To my surprise, he immediately went into sharing how he and the company really valued my presence and how he would hate to lose me. Wait! It gets even better. He then says, “Rashiid, if it’s the money, we can work that out. I can get you more money.” I felt like an idiot! I didn’t know it was that easy to get a raise. All I had to do was quit.
I denied the offer for more money and stayed the course on my decision to resign. I was leaving the corporate world for a life of service in ministry. I felt compelled to offer my gifts, talents, and abilities to the world. I wanted to do what I could to help others who were suffering. I never once thought I’d be joining them. I left corporate America to serve in ministry with my local church. It’s a progressive, non-denominational, charismatic church, full of great people. It’s a large ministry by statistical standards, but it was being hit hard the developing recession that began in December, 2007.
I was newly married to the love of my life. She’s still my wife and the love of my life after 14 years. We weren’t even married a year before I acted upon my noble idea. Then, she tells me we’re pregnant. I was excited but secretly worried. You see, I had taken a 45% pay cut in making my transition. So, although we weren’t poor or missing any meals, life was certainly different from what we had been accustomed.
There’s also the issue of lifestyle. We were living commensurate with our combined incomes, and while our income changed our debt load didn’t. We were very responsible, but that was only relevant in the context of my former employ.
Now I’m feeling stressed, uneasy, and uncertain about how I would be able to sustain my new family. Our first child was born in August, 2000. I can’t adequately describe the joy we shared at his arrival, but with his arrival it also meant more expenses. We now had to buy diapers, clothing, shoes, food, furniture, etc. Life was happening, and it was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
Let me fast forward the story a bit. Almost two years later, my wife shares with me we’re pregnant again. I have to be honest. My first emotion and thoughts were not of pure joy and excitement. I’m sorry! You can stone me later. My very first thought was, “Oh no! How am I going to afford another life?” I didn’t show it, but I felt a sense of fear and terror. If there’s a word heavier than terror I’d use it because it’s what I experienced in that initial moment.
Things did get more interesting. Our second child was born in April, 2002. We now had the commonly described “Rich Man’s Family” with one exception, we weren’t rich at all. I felt like I was behind the eight ball, like I was failing my wife and children. I felt like I had to make something happen. I began to think I should go get another job to help relieve the financial strain on the family. By the way, I forgot to mention, my wife is a hair stylist. Although she’s excellent at what she does she doesn’t get paid when she doesn’t work. Aaahhh! Sorry! I felt the horror all over again.
Fast forward even more. It’s 2010 and our children are now ten and eight. I’m beginning to think of college and the associated rising costs, and my wife and I truly intend to empower our children with the opportunity to enter their young adult lives without educational debt. I perceive educational debt is the new means of control over an entire generation. However, I digress.
I was literally praying for a miracle, for direction, for a light to beam down and show me what to do to change my circumstance and condition. Our new reality was silently and secretly chipping away at my self-esteem, my confidence, and my sense of self-worth. I was feeling desperate for a change.
Then I received a phone call from our church’s administrator. He informed me they needed me to come into the office the next day for a business meeting. Those were the words spoken to me, but for some reason I heard, “We need you to come into the office so we can proactively address the church’s current financial woes.” My mind was playing tricks on me. My wife and I were home-schooling both our children at that time as we couldn’t afford private schooling anymore, and I was the primary teaching coach.
I went in the next day excited about the prospect of change. To my surprise, when I arrived, with kids in tow, I saw two gentlemen in our chapel, where our meeting was to be held. There was a table set up. There was a laptop on the table, magazines were strewn about the table top, and it was looking like “one of those things.” I can’t tell you clearly enough, just how angry I became. I was infuriated! My blood was boiling! I couldn’t believe they had me change my schedule around, reprioritize my day, put my kids’ education on hold for one of those things. You know… a MLM, a direct marketing scam, a network marketing “opportunity.” I couldn’t believe it!
I had to calm myself as we went into the meeting. I was so disinterested; I began clearing old text messages and emails from my phone. I was totally shut down and cold. I know the gentlemen that came to make the presentation were hoping I would just get up and leave. But then something truly remarkable happened. The presentation took a real turn. It began to appeal to my sensibility, my pragmatism.
The presenter asked some very compelling and thought provoking questions. Once the questions were on the table I was instantly transported from the room. I forgot about my displeasure with the fact I’d been tricked into seeing or hearing this opportunity, and my mind immediately jumped to thinking of all the people with whom I could share this exciting information.
I became so excited I stopped the presentation midway to ask what I had to do to get in. I wanted to immediately seize my opportunity. I felt like my prayers had been answered. I felt like a bright light revealed itself at the end of the long tunnel I had formerly been staring down. There was no delay or hesitation in me once arriving at my conclusion. I knew I’d found what I was looking for.
Well, the rest is history, as they say. I made my first $1000.00 dollars in a very short amount of time, and since then, I’ve been able to build a rapidly growing team. All this was and is possible for a guy that absolutely hated the very idea of network marketing. I, probably just like you, had been part of some in the past, and they all seemed to be nothing more than scams. But this opportunity made sense, and it’s also been said; if something makes sense it can make dollars.
I’m creating the life I always desired and intended. I’m attaining total freedom with my opportunity and I’ve been able to help many others do the same. I have to pinch myself at times to believe the change is real. I look forward to each new day because I now know they are the creations of my design. I am now the architect of my reality, circumstances, and life’s condition. I have reclaimed the power and authority I felt I had given up to serve others, and it feels great!
So, I’m inviting you to push past yourself, your objections, your cynicism, your pessimism, and your indifference to change. If you’re willing to do so I can help you realize the most incredible life you’ve ever imagined. You too, can live the life of which you’ve always dreamed. You can live life as you determine and believe is right for you and your family.
If you’ve been looking for an opportunity, look no more. If you’ve been praying for a miracle, here it is, staring you in the face. The question is… what are you going to do with it? Will you allow this to pass you by and therefore relegate yourself to the context of what you already know and have or will you act now to become the change you so desire and need?
If your answer is the latter, and you’re serious about attaining the highest quality of life contact me at: rashiidkcoleman@4regalliving.com or 484-693-1616. Also connect with me at www.facebook.com/rashiid.k.coleman
