MILLIONAIRE SUCCESS HABITS
but was fired after a disagreement with his boss. He even took a job as a low-paid door-to-door encyclopedia salesman. Looking back on that time, J.P. says he learned another im- portant, lifelong success habit. “I would knock on fifty doors, and all fifty would be closed in my face. So I had to learn how to be just as enthusiastic on door number fifty-one or one hun- dred fifty-one as I was on the first door.” He learned to overcome rejection, communicate with people by listening to them, and persuade others to take action. This was not a dream job, but he was building some of the key success habits that would allow him to achieve breakthroughs later in life. He didn’t realize it, but his habits helped him persevere. At the time, the average door-to-door encyclopedia salesman working for straight com- mission lasted only three days. J.P. lasted three and a half years. Despite his work ethic, J.P. still became homeless as a young adult. “When I was homeless the first time, it was in my early twenties. My wife just couldn’t handle being a mother any- more, so she left our two-and-a-half-year-old son in my arms and took off with all the money we had. I soon learned that she hadn’t paid rent for three months, so with no money and being three months past due on rent, we were evicted. I was in between jobs, so my son and I were on the streets with no money coming in and attempting to live in an old car I owned at the time. I remember saying to my son, ‘We’re going to make this together.’ I went around to vacant lots and picked up Coke bottles and 7UP bottles, because in those days you got two cents for a little one and five cents for a big one. When you’re broke and you can’t pay the bills, those are some of the most difficult times as a man and as a father. But what I learned was that when you’re really down and out, and you’re at the very bottom, all you can do is look up.” As difficult as J.P.’s circumstances were, he possessed an ad- vantage that many others in much better circumstances lack: He had a vision for his life! He was determined to start his own company, and after selling encyclopedias door-to-door for those three years, he knew he didn’t want to work for someone else. He could make it on his own.
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