When Life "Sucks"...Read This...

Do you ever have one of those days (or weeks - or even perhaps months) when things just seem to 'suck'?

If your human, of course you have! We all do at some point....
Sometimes it gets to that point when you want to pack it all up, by a one way ticket like John Reese did (article I wrote below) and just check out of regular society for a while and travel to free from the stresses and restraints of every day life.

The other week I posted this 'tweet' on my twitter account after I got 'tripled teamed' & slammed by tons of different people and situations of pure dramatic insanity that made want to delete & forget each of them from my life and crawl back into bed.

Know the feeling? I shared that thought on Facebook saying:

"we should create an island & ship all the f*cked up people to go live on it to create drama with their own lives and other drama queens & leave us normal people alone". Harsh. I know, but if you went through what I experienced last week, you'd agree.

Want a glimpse of my week last week and why I said that?

Well, first of all, if you missed my post below called 'Scar Tissue Stag' were I relay my near death experience were I crashed a 4 Wheeler ATV by driving it off a cliff in Whistler & landing on my head during a friends bachelor party and ending up in the hospital via a stretcher and neck brace with whiplash, just lucky not to be paralyzed or dead, that is how my week started off...

-then I somehow lost my digital camera / video recorder in Whistler that was a special gift from a special someone...

-When I got back to Vancouver, I got a call from my tenant that I am renting my Yaletown condo to, and was told that it got broken into because they left balcony door open! I had to buy a new door lock & security system. Brilliant.

-Then when I was leaving the building to bike back home, my bike (that was locked up) was stolen....Sweet!

-Then as I was walking home, I get a call from my lawyer and was advised that the 4000$ retainer I agreed to needed an extra $1800 dollars due asap due to other 'incurred costs'. Scandalous.

- At this point, I was about to snap - but that's not all...

All I wanted to do is go home and connect with my son Ethan as I was supposed to see him tonight. He & his mom are in the middle of moving to California next month (long story), but I wasn't able to see that night him because his mom's phone is turned off and I am couldn't get a hold of them both for 2 days. Then when I did get a call back from her apologizing, she tells me that she is getting engaged & married to the guy she has been dating for the last few years. Terrific.
One simple smile from this little guy and all my worries always disappear :)

- The next day I check my email and bank account, I see that a 2500$ check I was supposed to get from a teaching contract never came, I make a phone call and they refused to pay me what I was owed - That's why I hate ever being an 'employee', even if its for a good reason.

- Then, on top of that I see that for the past 24 months I have been registered & billed on some kind of monthly auto payment plan by the Bank Of Montreal Mastercard were I have been getting charged 97$ / month for 'credit insurance'. That's 2400$ I have basically given away in the past 2 years for something I didn't want, need or even knew existed. Unreal!
I called Mastercard customer service and spoke to a supervisor named 'Paul' who played back the tape of when a telemarketer called me and talked me into this 'great deal'. Brutal customer service & I had to fight like crazy to get a small portion back refunded!

-Talking about terrible customer service, I realized that I have been living at my new place for 6 weeks and Telus has still not come to connect my phone & buzzer after 4 phone calls to request them to do so - I pick of the phone again and talk to an automated operator before I get transferred to someone who doesn't even speak comprehendable English. I hate you Telus!

-Then I get a call from a new customer / partner were I was supposed to make a 900$ commission and was told that his order was declined and now his payment and funds were missing (we got that sorted out the next day, but it was just a hassle).

- Then on my way out to meet up with friends for a much needed drink, I ran into my new landlord (who's actually a great guy) at the new building I have been living at for the past 6 weeks, he advised me that I already have 4 random complaints from the people who live below me about things as trivial as dripping water down onto their balcony when I water my plants ummmm - "HELLO" - people, it rains all the time in BC and its just freaking WATER! Get over it & get a life.

For the past 12 years since I have been living away from home, I had NEVER had ONE complaint - but in just six weeks, I have 4 complaints about random BS from this one neighbor!

To top it off, I wake up early this morning (after being up till 3am) to blasting techno music, screaming and horns are blasting for the Gay Pride Parade right outside my building on Beach Ave. The headache begins.

I go to get groceries and I am stuck in a 2 hour street parade surrounded by 1000's of naked dudes in speedos trying to grab and grind up on me as I walk through downtown Vancouver carrying bags of groceries (btw: I am straight) then of course one of the bags break and there is my food rolling everywhere....

At this point, all I could think was 'FML'...

All that drama happened in the last few days and it made me feel like Kurt Douglas in the movie "Falling Down" about a normal, reasonable good guy who just kept on getting screwed over by 'the system'. I think its things like this that either make or break people. Watch this video of him --->

But wait, there is alot of good that comes from these bad experiences.
I like to consider myself an optimist. I try to look at the good in everything, like instead of being angry & pissed of for getting hurt in my ATV accident, I was thankful and so grateful that I was not paralyzed or anything worse...

Today, I clearly needed a break, and in the past I enjoy attending church on Sunday, its like my quite meditation time to just go and unplug and be active in my community but to be honest I have never read the bible, which is like the ultimate Personal Development book. Today the pastor talked about this guy named Job. Apparently Job had it all: family, land, riches, tons of animals and slaves.

The saying "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away" comes from The Book of Job and anytime you are ever feeling like life 'sucks' I suggest to put things in perspective...read Job. This guy lost EVERYTHING, his family was all slayed and killed and he was even cursed with burns an boils all over his body but he was thankful for all his hard lessons and life's experiences. I copy & pasted the messages that Job got and all the crazy stuff that happened to him that makes anything that happened to me pail in comparison...

"And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
15: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
16: While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
17: While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
18: While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
19: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
20: Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
21: And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
22: In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.


I think that its truly admirable how people can just get broken down, and then they can pick up the pieces and re build.

I was listening to a recorded coaching call from CarbonCopyPROs founder and my mentor Jay Kubassek and he talks about just keep 'showing up' in life and in business REGARDLESS - and during that week of wares, I led a workshop that I really didn't want to lead at the time, but it turned out to be one of the best so far and made some of that money I lost back, just by simply showing up :)

So, thanks for reading my random rant and hopefully all the BS I went through last week will make you feel better that you didn't have to deal with it - but know that if you DID have to deal with it, you'd overcome it and get over it and nothing is as bad as Job's story.

I know that this week is gonna be great :)