My first earnings and the lesson

So after my Bigger Pockets Podcast came out, I was very touched by how many people reached out to me and told me how inspired they were with my story. A number of people asked me if I was writing a blog where I discussed the good and bad things about my business. I had always thought about writing a blog, but thought no one would ever be interested in what I had to write, but after receiving several messages, I think this is a good time for me to get started on my blog.

This blog will not be just about real estate, but about general business and other things that are going on in my life. I will try to write as often as I can, but will be at least once per week.

I will write all the blogs myself and English is not my first language, so all the English majors out there, get your red markers out :)

I first want to start out with a very important event in my life. It's about my very first job and my very first dollar I ever earned in my life.

Saturday, Feb 3, 2001 - I will never forget that day. I had just moved here and I had heard that US was a land of opportunities. With that thought in mind, I went out looking for my opportunities. I lived in college dorms in a NY suburb. I remember I walked 2 miles to the closest market and I went store to store asking store owners if they needed help with anything. After 10-12 rejections, finally a convenience store owner agreed to let me help her at her store.

It was a convenience store with a small parking area in the back. I had to clean the parking area and restock the cooler. I was so excited to have found a job that I never even asked her how much she was going to pay me. I worked 3 hours at her store and she gave me $20 for 3 hours. She handed me a $20 bill and I asked her if she could change the $20 into one $10 and two $5 bills.

I couldn't wait to get back to my room. I wrote 2 letters - one to my family back in India and sent them the $10 bill and the 2nd to my then girlfriend (now wife) with one of the $5 bills and I kept the other $5 bill for myself.

When I was setting up my office few years ago, I wanted to keep the $5 bill. I couldn't find the one I had saved for myself. I must have lost my $5 bill between all the times I had moved. I told my wife about it and she still had the letter that I had written to her with the $5 bill. Just to give a little background about my wife and I. We met and started dating 2 months before I was moving to US. We were in long distance relationship for 5 years before she moved here and we saw each other only twice during those 5 years. So anytime we hear anyone say long distance relationships don't work, we look at each other and say "It does when you are with the right person"

I always keep that $5 bill framed on my desk. It reminds me a very important lesson every time I look at the bill - as long as I work hard, there is nothing I cannot achieve.

This is the actual $5 bill that I earned from my very first job.

If I ever spend this, it will have to be the world's best $5 foot-long :)