How a Garbage Bag Breaking Changed My Life
Like everyone, my life has resembled a roller-coaster. Periods of highs and lows, with most of it spent in the middle trying to make sense of it all. Fortunately, there have been fewer lows than there have highs.
There is one particular low, not the lowest low I’ve ever experienced, but it’s the one that changed my life in ways I never thought possible. And I owe it all to a garbage bag breaking.
Yes, I Was A Failure.
Some years ago, I was in my mid-20’s, and I was struggling. There was a lot of joy in my life, being a new husband and father, but getting a career kick-started and getting traction financially was proving to be a struggle.
There wasn’t much opportunity for a recent grad with a B.A. in Sociology. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew that I didn’t want to pursue a Master’s degree. So, by default, I entered the sales profession, following in my father’s footsteps.
And I began to fail miserably. I was selling electrical equipment to large manufacturers, calling on purchasing agents who were twice my age and ten times more experienced than I was. While they were cordial, they weren’t buying what I was selling.
And I was embarrassed. When people asked me what I did for a living, I responded that I was a salesperson, but in my heart of hearts, I knew I wasn’t. I felt like a failure. A pretender.
The Bag Breaks
One morning before work, with pennies in the pockets of my cigarette-burnt pants, I walked into a humid, upstate N.Y. summer morning with a garbage bag from the kitchen trash can in my hand. My mind was elsewhere as I descended the concrete steps leading from the back door of the rented duplex to the driveway where the garbage cans were located. It seemed like a day like any other. Little did I know that my destiny was about to change.
I hadn’t noticed that the green Hefty trash bag was extremely full, and many of the heavier items inside of it had settled on the bottom. Without warning, the bag broke, and the garbage inside of it came tumbling out, finding its way all over my pants and the cheap plastic loafers I was wearing.
It was at that moment that the light came on for me. I told myself that I wasn’t going to live like this any longer; that I was going to change my life. No more scraping by with too much month left at the end of the money. No more stifling summer nights in a brick house with no air conditioning. Things were going to change.
Along Came Joe
I knew that for things to change, I had to change. Unfortunately, there was no one in my life I had faith in to help me. So, I set out to look for a mentor. Fortunately, I found Joe Criscitello.
Joe was a professional salesperson and had been for thirty years. He saw promise in me and committed to me that if I followed his instructions, I, too, would become a professional and earn more money than I ever dreamt possible. It was music to my ears. It turns out he wasn’t lying.
Over the next two years, Joe poured himself into me, and several others that wanted to change course. He trained us in the classroom and in front of customers. He modeled everything he taught us to do, and success followed quickly.
A Happy Ending
Within six months, I had accumulated enough of a down payment to purchase our first home, all from selling telephone systems to businesses in Binghamton, N.Y., a tiny city three hours from NYC. Joe was as happy for me as I was, and I’ll forever be in his debt.
A few short years later, that company moved me to Tampa, Florida, where I would embark on a decades-long, successful career in sales. Fortunately, I’ve had the chance to mentor some young salespeople along the way, and I believe I’ve made a positive difference in their lives. Joe told me to pay it forward, and I have.
Don’t Wait For Your Bag To Break
I hope you won’t wait for an event as dramatic as your trash getting all over you to motivate you to change direction in your life if you need to and want to. There are now so many resources available to light the way for you. Podcasts and YouTube videos are just two ways for you to find a mentor like Joe.
And there are still some excellent books to serve as a guide to your better future. “Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle”* by Jim Rohn is one that comes to mind. I bought it for $15.99 from Amazon. It’s been an excellent investment.
I wish you the best on your journey. You can write a new chapter in your life beginning today. Get started before your bag breaks.
*Affiliate link to “5 Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle” by Jim Rohn.
