ex-webby

Agreed 100%

LG John

P.S. I've had my sleep so I'm a little less grumpy....but not by much.

Oh, en example of the "little things". I very rarely sleep during the day now despite having complete control over my hours/working day, etc. But I tossed and turned all night with my man-flu so went back for an hours kip this morning. As additional background information you should know that I've lived in this flat for over 5 years and all the neighbours are excellent. There is no noise from any of them...ever. So there I am trying to sleep on this one occasion during the day so that hopefully I'll feel better this afternoon and still have a productive day. All I can hear is the neighbours new puppy howling and barking its head off and the women next door completely ignoring it (she's training it) rather than booting its nuts.

Stuff like that makes me

Matteeboy

Move to a detached house then.

And make a nice home made hot toddy - fresh lemon juice, whiskey and honey with hot water.

I also have a cold but cycled 10 miles this morning anyway - made me feel better.

Addiction is a different thing altogether. To me addiction = weakness. Harsh but true. If something is ruining your life, it's your own fault. Just stop it.

Spoon

To certain people it is that easy. Usually people that actually realise what they are doing isn't good for them and know they have to stop AND want to stop.

Those that fail eating less don't want to eat less. Those that fail to stop smoking don't want to stop smoking.

Before you say again its not that easy I've been around somebody who has managed both succesfully because they first became a happier person and stopped using eating and smoking as an excuse.

Remember, smile, laugh and fart and you're there.

LG John

Complete bull****. Again spoken nearly always from the perspective of someone that has achieved something they put their mind to. It's exactly as bad as "reformed smokers" that can't understand why other don't just STOP. Or ex-fatties that say, "how can you shovel that junk into your mouth".

I don't know Nat's circumstances but "ex-webby" agrees with him. I'm guessing ex-webby is Simon. That would be the guy that owned/ran one of the most successful internet forums in history? The same guy that holds a recognised world record? I'd say you're life has been pretty successful so of course you'd say that!

I drives me nuts when you get people like that Bannatyne fellow saying, "am just a nobody from Glasgow, anyone can be a millionaire with hard work etc, etc" What a complete load of sh*t! If it was that easy then everyone WOULD be millionaires.

Simon can you honestly say you'd feel the same way if you'd invested a lot of money and time in Scoobynet but everyone got pissed off with Chaos, Audiboy and that other fellow who used to love Soarers and the forum [business] failed. All that against the backdrop of spending hours and hours and £ after £ practising the continuous driving techniques only to fail every time you tried to set the record.

I've managed to make a living from playing with my ***** most of the day for the last year and a half with the odd hour or 3 of poker chucked in. There will be people reading this that probably bust their guts out for 50-60+h a week with weekend work/unsociable hours thrown in who make around the same as I make waaaaaaaaaaay less hours. From my point of view they look silly/insane as it's so easy to make enough money at poker to 'scrape' by. Easy from my perspective because I can do such things. However, the truth of the matter is it's really, REALLY bloody difficult. You can slog your guts out at it, be really intelligent and diligent and still fail if a few key ingredients are missing. Just this morning I was reading a post on one of the poker forums about a guy that gave up his job in 01/01/08 to play poker and since then he's played 700,000 hands and made basically nothing! I poured over his stats to see if there are any hints to his failing in the way he played and there were none. He's either been on a super-bad unlucky stretch or he's doing just a few things wrong that are killing his win-rate.


.....tell him life's easy if you put your mind to it. Also, before you question that guys work rate 700,000 hands of poker to most 'normal' people is a hell of a lot.

ex-webby

I think with the whole addiction thing.. it isn't actually "EASY"... but that doesn't mean a) it can't be done, or b) its anyone elses fault.

The first step is taking it on the chin that its your own fault, one way or another... and be really happy with that fact.. otherwise there would be nothing you could do about it.

Its a really liberating mind set.

A good example of this is ...

I believe 100% that some people are genetically conditioned to put fat on, more than other people....

Assuming you're not happy carrying that fat around.. and you've convinced yourself you are genetically conditioned to carry it around... you have two possible mind sets..

1) Damn it! I'm genetically conditioned to put on fat. Life sucks. I wish I wasn't that way!

2) Damn it! I'm genetically conditioned to put on fat. So as one of my things in life, I have to work a little bit harder than the next guy to get / stay in shape.

You'll also be genetically conditioned to have benefits over and above the rest of the world.. and to keep up with you, other people have to either accept they can't, or work harder at that part of their life.

There are no real excuses.

LG John

....another example of, "I've done it so it must be easy"

Spoon

Class A maybe, although you still commit to quitting at a particular point rather than just talking about it and then saying it can't be done, that's the big difference.

Alcohol, stop drinking, sorted.

parp.

Matteeboy

Errrmm - being a millionaire requires hard work - that's the key. It's not easy. It just works out for some who work hard.

Your last post is bordering on inane drivel and you say you make money by playing POKER?!! And a guy who is cr4p at it still carries on?! Why not do something useful, stop moaning and smile.

Bravo - if you're stupid enough to get hooked on drugs then you deserve a bit of pain to get out of it.

LG John

By the way has anyone seen the Simpson's episode with Frank Grimes; I relate to that guy a lot!

SJ_Skyline

But smoking IS easy to give up...............























......I've given up hundreds of times



I've stayed given up for quite a while now

LG John

So everyone who works hard can expect to be a millionaire....and I'm writing inane drivel?

There is far, far, faaaaar more FAIL in life than success. Think of all the businesses that fail, do you think these guys set up thinking: "god I don't know why I'm going to do this - it won't work!" Of course not, they take a risk, bust their **** in and - statistically speaking - despite all of that most of them will NOT achieve their hopes and dreams. Some will even pick themselves up and try again...and fail again. and again, and again.

ex-webby

I respect what you're saying, but.

I was very slow at lower school, and early middle school, especially at Maths. I was in the bottom set for everything. I worked REALLY hard, and passed my maths GCSE a year early, in the express set at upper school.

I started work as an accounts junior, and worked my way up to a senior position, but was not recognised for my contribution and only earnt £9K a year (based on my initial salary).. I couldn't afford rent.

So I took a massive risk, and quit and started on my own.

I went basically bankrupt (although not legally), so I went door to door at factories and found work doing things like painting the bumper on a lorry.. basically anything. and never gave up.

I started another business, and just as that was taking off, I had a really nasty motorbike accident and was told I probably wouldn't walk again.

My business collapsed, and my car was reposessed.

I eventually proved the doctors wrong, by being able to walk even though they said I would need 2 years of operations to even stand a chance of being able to do this.

I started contracting as soon as I could walk on crutches.

I really liked scoobynet.. when I woke up one morning and saw it had been closed forever, I was upset by this, but instead of just saying "life sucks", I bought it and dealt with all the legal issues surrounding it.

I had another business started by now, which was doing well.

I ran scoobynet to the detriment of this business (which was a stupid mistake), and it nearly went under.

I had an eneormous legal battle on scoobynet, which all but bankrupted me again, and I nearly lost my house.

I worked really hard and never gave up.

Eventually I sold "one of the most successful internet forums in history" as you put it. But I hope you can see that I'm not someone who's life story isn't just that snapshot.

At each of those stages, I could have given up and just said "life sucks.. and its not fair", but each time I decided it was my own fault. I was glad for the experience and lessons, and moved on better prepared for the next time it started to happen.

When I had my accident and then subsequently started to put weight on because I couldn't play all the sports I used to play (still can't now - over ten years on - although I bl*ody will do one day), I could have just blamed that as the reason.. but I eventually decided I didn't like the way I looked, so did something about it. I can't run, or use rowing machines.. a little bit on the bike, but not a real one. So I just have to work MUCH harder on everything else.

-

The world record.. took MONTHS AND MONTHS of negotiation with Guinness World Records, MIRA, etc, etc.. it didn't just "has happened to me". It requires getting on with it. Bare in mind, at some point I had to learn to drive on the limit again with a knackered leg!

I'm no better equipped that you or anyone to learn to drive, to set up a business, to recover from an injury, or to set a world record. It just requires actually doing it.

AND IT'S REALLY HARD sometimes. But you CAN decide to do it.

dpb

You want to get some fresh air man before you drive youself mad ..


- the world is made up of 'failures'

Matteeboy

Bravo - sorry, I didn't actually mean you personally, I meant anyone!
Sure help is needed to get off drugs but it's an excuse IMO. The poorest, most abused people still lift themselves out of it and get involved in the community.

Saxo - did you see my key word "works out for SOME who work hard?" Clearly not.

My Dad's business failed - from multi million turnover and great profits to £2k to the liquidation firm in the space of six months. The reason? The recession. Did he roll in a ball and give up? No he didn't.
My own business didn't do too well - good turnover but average profits. So we stopped it and did something else which now works well. I even did site labouring at one point having struggled to find anything.

My uncle was suffering from depression and pretty desperate. He's now worth many millions through hard graft.

My father in law very nearly died in a car crash and is still often in pain. He got on with it and now sails around the Med on a nice big yacht.

Duncan B had a string of failures and went to prison TWICE. He's doing okay now through being damn brave and working like a nutter.

Peter Jones business went pretty much bust - he's now very wealthy.

So I'm sorry but it doesn't wash with me. You have to keep on trying. And smiling. The world owes no one any favours.

Spoon

Why do you think these people say it? They've succeeded because they've stopped the talking and got on with it.

Also another mistake to imagine something as being that much of a great deal too. It only serves to make you feel less of a person which compounds your negativity. With the importance you've attached in this particular point you come across as somebody who thinks something quite ordinary to achievers as something impossible to yourself. Therein lies the difference in the perception of something and someone. So called celebrities on TV are hailed as special because of this type of approach, when in reality they are no different and often less talented than most.

No, not everybody because talk is cheap and most are not prepared to put in the genuine required graft. Bannatyne, love him or hate him, was and is a doer.

ex-webby

@Spoon

Couldn't agree more. (wonders will never cease! )

Spoon

I never, ever get this 'I proved the Doctors wrong' line.
Unless you are paralysed which there is no known cure for you are always going to walk again in some fashion no matter how long it takes, its going to happen.

Dieseldog

My dad's Bill Gates

Matteeboy

That's what "winners" do - they learn from everything and never ever think "it's unfair."

Spoon

Simon, you see I don't see it as a 'wonder'.

unclebuck

Sounds like a quote from an american self help book.

Only losers believe that kind of crap.

Spoon

Or in your case struggle to read past the preface.

ex-webby

Obviously there are circumstances you're not aware of.

LG John

Which is precisely why I don't and never have given up even when things are going bad. But I'm not going to live in some cloud-cookoo land of positivity that everything will work out when it might not/probably won't.

Spoon

Well you're not paralysed to stop you walking so there isn't. Had you lost the leg you could still have had a prosthetic limb.