THE MORALE OF THE STORY OF
PABLO AND BRUNO
by Burke Hedges
WE LIVE IN A BUCKET-CARRYING WORLD
Who are you? A bucket-carrier............
or a pipeline builder? Do you get paid only when you how up for work like Bruno the
Bucket Carrier? Or do you do the work once and get paid
over and over again like Pablo the Pipeline Builder?
If you're like most people, you're working
the bucket-carrying plan. It's the timefor-
money-trap. The problem with bucket carrying is that
the money stops when the bucketcarrying stops. Which means the concept of a
"secure job" or "dream job" is an
illusion. The inherent danger of carrying
buckets is that the income is temporary instead of ongoing.
If Bruno woke up one morning with a stiff
back and couldn't get out of bed, how much money would he earn that day? ZERO!
No Work-No Money! The same goes for any bucket-carrying job.
Once bucket-carriers stop carry buckets for any reason, they won't
continue to get a paycheck.
Real-Life True Story:
My previous dentist was the best dentist I
ever had. A complete professional. Great personality. Great technician. Every
visit was virtually pain-free. She loved what she did and set her own hours. She
was only open three days a week so she could spend four-day weekends with her
family. She pulled down more than $100,000 a year
working three days a week at a job she loved. This was a bucket-carriers
dream job if there ever was one!
One problem. Before the age of 40 she
developed arthritis in her hands and couldn't work anymore. Today she teaches
at a university earning one-third the income she earned as a dentist.
There's no such thing as a secure
bucket-carrying job no matter how great it seems.
The problem with the time-for-money trap
is that if you can no longer trade-thetime, you no longer get the money!Most people mistake bucket-carrying for
pipeline building. We observe 99% of the people in the world are carrying
buckets, so we assume bucket carrying is the way to get what we want in life.
We grow up surrounded by bucket-carriers,
so we figure that's the way-of-the-world. It reminds me of a bumper sticker I
saw recently: 100,000 lemmings can't be wrong! People think the same way about
bucket-carriers. 100 million bucket-carriers can't be wrong.
Well yes they can!.
Let's face it. there are a lot more
bucket-carriers in this world than pipeline builders.Why?
Because bucket-carrying is the model that
our parents followed and the one that they taught us to follow. The
bucket-carrying model tells you here's what you do to get ahead:
Go to school and learn how to carry
buckets.
Work really hard.
Earn the right to carry bigger buckets.
(get promoted)
Resign from "Bucket Company A"
to work for "Bucket Company B" which lets you
carry even bigger buckets.
Work longer hours so you can carry more
buckets.
Put the kids through bucket-carrying
college.
Try to get promoted from carrying metal
buckets....... to carrying plastic
buckets............ to carrying digital
buckets.
Dream of the day you can retire from
bucket carrying after 30-40 years. Until then, keep carrying those
buckets....................... or, the bucket-carriers dream comes true. You hit the big lottery!
(the odds are 1 in about 14-15 million against them, but hey most all bucket
carriers think it could happen to them, so........... until then, keep carrying
those buckets)
What do all those bucket-carriers earn for
their efforts?
Surprisingly little. According to Parade
magazine's "What People Earn" survey, the average worker in America earns
$28,500 a year. Subtract almost 20% for taxes, and that leaves $22,500
take-homepay.
Let's face it, that's not enough for most
people to live on.
What do bucket-carriers do when they need
more money?
Because they have a bucket-carrying
mentality, they come up with a bucket carrying solution............ if you need more
money you've got to carry more buckets!
"I'll get a second job carrying
buckets in the evenings and on weekends," Daddy
Bucket Carrier decides.
"I can go back to the bucket-carrying
job I had before the kids were born,"
Mommy Bucket Carrier says.
"The kids can get bucket-carrying
jobs after school and in the summer," they
both say.
The Results?
Today North Americans work the longest
hours in the world. Yes, even more than the work-obsessed Japanese. Is the
earn-more-money-by-carrying-more-buckets plan working?
No. Here are the facts.
Consumer debt is at a record high. The
average household has 95 cents worth of debt for every dollar earned.
The proportion of women working to support
their families more than doubled
over the past 20 years. More people are taking second and third
mortgages on their single biggest asset............ their homes.............
to pay the bills.
Hello! What's wrong with this picture?
It's the fallacy of carrying bigger
buckets. Bucket carriers tell themselves everything would be okay if they could
just carry bigger buckets. Bucket carriers are forever wondering how
much money other bucket carriers earn. True, the doctors bucket is a lot
bigger than the cook's bucket............. about ten times bigger! But that doesn't
mean the doctor is financially independent. He's just as dependent on his
bucket carrying job as the cook.
Why?
They spend more! Truth is, the doctors and
lawyers making six-figures are spending most of their income to support
their lifestyles.
a. The average worker drive a $5,000 used
car. The doctor drives a $45,000 Lexus.
b. The average worker sends his kids to
free public school. The doctor sends his
kids to private school............ and on
and on and on.
The doctor spends just as much of a percentage
of his income than all other bucket carriers. All are living
paycheck-to paycheck. If you don't believe check the bankruptcy records. You'll see every
kind of bucket carrier listed in there!
All Buckets Eventually Dry Up
All buckets dry up no matter how big they
are. Pipelines, on the other hand, are self-sustaining. But pipelines require
sacrifice. Pipelines don't build themselves. You have to be willing to put in the time
and effort to build them.
A Bigger Bucket Won't Solve The Problem.
Why?
Carry as big a bucket as you can but build
a pipeline on the side, because as long as you carry buckets, you have to show-up
to get paid, and no matter how big the bucket is... it will dry-up. Many a person has gone from the
"Millionaire Next Door" to the "Bankrupt Person Next Door". This person had a HUGE bucket and now has
nothing!
His name is Darryl Strawberry.
Professional baseball player. The 38 year old outfielder broke into the majors as a
teenager and was hailed as the next Ted Williams! Strawberry has made a fortune in his
career............. $2-$5 million every year. That was just from his baseball contract!
Add a couple million from endorsements, speeches, autographs and
more and he's earned $50-$100 million before his 40th birthday!
A guy like that has to be set for life
right? WRONG!
According to a local newspaper report,
"Strawberry has no income or savings to support his current wife and their three
children."
What Happened?
Strawberry bought expensive
everything........... including drugs and alcohol. Strawberry didn't build a
pipeline............. because he thought he had enough money to last forever no matter what. He
can't play baseball anymore because of his drug problem. He won't be allowed
to play ever again. He's Broke!
It's Your Turn To Choose
What sounds like the best plan to you?
Remember, most of your friends and neighbors won't understand! They've been
taught to carry buckets. Time Levels The Playing Field
It doesn't matter how much money your earn
............ or how little money you earn........... we all have the same
amount of time in each day. 24 hours.
It doesn't matter if you're a doctor, lawyer,
or cook. It only takes time to build a pipeline. Yes you'll need
tools................ but those will cost relatively very little.
So everyone has an equal opportunity when
it comes to building a pipeline!
Timing
Some people put off building their
pipelines because "right now isn't a good time for me." Guess what? Right now is a
bad time for anybody! We're all stressed. We're all busy. We're all putting out
fires and dealing with unexpected emergencies. There's a word for these bad
times. It's called life!
Some people waste their lives waiting for
the "perfect time" to do x, y, or z. Well, they'll die waiting because there's no
such thing as a perfect time. If someone told you they'd give you $1 million
dollars if you'd sit in a corner and knit for two hours every day for one year, you'd find
the time right?
It wouldn't matter if your son broke his
arm.............your car wouldn't start........
the cat got sick. Rather than forfeit $1
million dollars, you'd find the time no matter what.
Waste Not Want Not
People often ask me why they should take
the time and effort to build pipelines when things aren't going so bad for them
right now. They say they deserve to relax in the recliner and watch TV after a
hard days work. Got a few bucks in the bank.... kids are doing good in
school........... no need to "rock the boat". There's no better time to build your
pipeline than when things are going good!
A Final Thought
A man was on the 30th floor of a fancy
hotel overlooking Central Park in Manhattan. He pulled back the
shades........... and threw open the window to enjoy the view. As he leaned out the
window, he was startled to see a man falling past his window.
"How you doing?" he asked the
falling man.
"Fine so far," came the reply.
The point is, there are lots of bucket
carriers in the world that think they are "doing just fine". But they
can't stay in the free-fall forever. Sooner or later they'll meet the ground.
For bucket carriers
it's................... don't or can't show up for work............... no more paycheck!
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