Lessons in Time Management.

Yesterday I didn’t go out to sell StreetWise. I spent most of my morning on the phone talking with distributors in network marketing companies, my ex-boss and the human resource department, talking to my dad, learning more on designing tables and then ending the evening with my computer class at school.  I realized that I had no income for the day and that left me negative for what I’m suppose to earn (which I fully haven’t fully calculated yet.)  I still have to earn money and enough to earn a living. Just thinking about that depressed me the entire day.

New Business Venture

Even though I’ve been able to go out in the world and make some money selling StreetWise, and I have my own business, it doesn’t bring in enough cash-flow for me to sustain and support myself as I’m negative if I don’t put in more than 10 hours a day. I just don’t have that. So I found a business that is in the nutrition field as I’m getting very serious about my health now. The product is a liquid vitamin and the company is called GBG. I bought a domain name called www.chicagoliquidvitamins.com to start marketing it through flyers.

Health Log

Weight: 215 lbs.

Jog: 40:37 min.

Personal P/L

Unleashing the Creative Beast 

Yesterday while selling StreetWise it occurred to me how much my creativity is increasing. Ideas are coming to me faster than Road Runner could run from Wile E. Coyote. Book ideas, ideas how to supplement my income, blog post ideas, and a host of business and investment ideas. I came up with an idea to sing “StreeWise” instead of just shouting it. I could practice my vocals while working.

Letting Go of Fear

I decided yesterday not to call in sick if I wasn’t going back. Why waste energy and time of calling in sick if I have no plans of returning? Letting go has allowed room for me to focus on investing in me. Now, at 9:30 a.m. I can blog without the worries of being caught doing it on the company’s clock. I can think and write clearly without feeling guilty that I should be working rather than blogging (not that I really cared.)

Learning about Me

This new time that I have on my hands has given me a clear understanding of who I am. I’m not defined by a title someone offers me by occupation, a negotiated wage compensation from an employer, or what others might think of me. I discovered yesterday that I’m a creative being in search of releasing my creative expression.

Health Log

Weight: 215 lbs.

Jog: 30:58 mins.

Personal P/L

Time Allocation

Now that I’ve purchased eight hours of my time back each day I have to figure out how to use it. Even though I’ve fired my employer, I still have to earn a living. I’m still selling StreetWise except I’m at a different location now. I’m looking into a new network marketing business as well.

Enjoying Moments of Time

Yesterday there was a moment that I was reading one of my books outside a McDonald’s patio at 2:00 p.m. It was a short moment of joy as I listened to the city’s music of cars and street conversations. If I had been working at my job I don’t think I would have appreciated that moment.

 Income and Expense Project

While selling StreetWise it occured to me how much I actually need to live. I began to think of all the collection of things I have in my apartment and how much I actaully use them on a day-to-day basis. Do I really need those things or are they just “stuff.”

With a portion of my free time I plan on studying tables this week. I’m going to spend about an hour each day. I would like to include them as apart of my blog. So, the first table I’m going to work on is my daily income and expense needs.

Weight: 218 lbs.

 Jog: 35:52 min,

Breakfast

2 Apples

1 Plum

6 crackers.

The Price for Freedom

At what cost would you be willing to pay to be free? Free from a job commitment that treats you unfairly, free to create your own life the way you want it, and free to explore your creative side? Today, my price tag for that freedom is $30,000.00. That is what my corporate slave master paid me in exchange for forty hours of my time each week. What I realized over the last month is my freedom and time is worth much more.

Two days ago I have reasons to believe that my employer has hired a Texas law firm, Strasburger L.L.C. to investigate me. My claims are based on searches done in Google. Why would a law firm from Texas specializing in employee termination put in Google “eric p. martin chicago?” Why would my employer a week prior put in Google “eric p. martin chicago” unless they wanted to gather information about me to use against me.

The only person who could have initiated that would have been my manager. The same manager that I had a talk with about my career just two week prior to these searches who assured me he wasn’t the enemy during our heated discussion. These action just validates my beliefs and attitude towards Corporate America being untrustworthy and unworthy of  any loyalty.

Today I begin my journey on the road to freedom. I will take the resources and time that I have to explore life and all its possibilities than exchange it for injustice from an establishment that only looks at me as a “human expenditure.”

Weight: 218 lbs.

Jog: 31:02 min.

Today was my forth day selling StreetWise. I didn’t sell any today. I went to my normal location at Clark and Division. There was a farmer’s market going on. I was told that I couldn’t sell in that area so I headed towards Ohio and Rush and stood there for about an hour before heading to the library.

Acts of Kindness 

One of the greatest lessons I learned this week selling StreetWise was the gracious kindness that was bestowed upon me from strangers. People from all walks of life offering to help me by buying the a copy of the paper. All of the beliefs I had of people being callous of people with unfortunate circumstances were shattered each time somenoe purchased a paper from me.

Earning Per Hour

I sold a total of 14 StreetWise papers that took about six hours of my time. I earned $19.00 with tips from customers which averaged to $3.00 per hour. What did I learn? My earnings are  directly proportioned to the value that I put in the hour. I’m certainly worth more that what I earned.

I was walking down State Street and seen this guy with this sign up. I couldn’t resist passing up a picture of this.

Picture of young guy on State Street holding up a sign looking for people to smile.

Registration Day

I’m leaving shortly to go register as a StreetWise vendor. Registration is at 10:00 a.m.  I’ll be taking my camera and a new journal to record the experience.

Orientation

I arrived at the StreeWise building exactly at 10:00 a.m. I rang the button and was buzzed in. I went directly to the cage where I was politely asked by a man whom would later be introduced to as Ron. Ron picked up the phone and told someone that they had someone here for orientation.

 A very tall man wearing black train conductor’s hat, a black tee shirt and black jogging pants with a red strip going down the side of his leg came in and introduced himself as Johnny.  His first question he asked me was if I ever sold StreetWise before. I had assured him that I hadn’t. I was told to follow him into the next room and fill out some paperwork. I sat down at the round wooden table that was to my left as soon as I entered the room.

The room that I was in had painted red concrete floors. To my left were a dozen Gateway computers along the wall. One grey-haired man sat there with his back turned to me on one of them. He seemed to be in his late fifties, early sixties.

After I finished filling out the paperwork and reading StreetWise’s Mission statement, Johnny came back and gave me a history of Streetwise. I noticed as he walked towards me that he walked with a limp. It seemed he was born with one leg shorter than the other or he had an artificial leg.

Continued Tomorrow.

Weight: 218 lbs. 

Jog: 27:01 min.

Breakfast

1 Apple 8:05 a.m.