Ernie --

 

I've picked up several of your books lately and I wanted to tell you how helpful they've been. 

    

I haven't had a real job in twenty-something years, although I had a real estate business for seventeen years or so. I got fired an awful lot when I was in cor-pirate America and was basically forced into self employment--the best thing that could have happened to me, in retrospect. I also discovered that I'm organizationally adverse, and could do five times as much work on my own as for someone else. 

    

I sold out from my real estate business some years ago since it was a bit too much and I didn't need the money any more, and since then I've hit a bit of a dry spell. I need something new to do in the way of enjoyable work, and your books gave me some great ideas.

    

As a result of having my own business and enough money to goof off I was able to volunteer in many different countries, spend a year in Mexico altogether (and a year in various other countries), develop many different hobbies, read thousands of books, teach myself all sorts of different things, etc, all while retaining my health and living a low-stress life (at least since I got out of real estate).

    

Your story of your early poverty was inspirational, especially about being tempted to get a job but deciding against it. I felt the same way many times, and I always felt that it wasn't worth the trade-offs that I would have to make. Whatever problems I had would have only been complicated by having a job, since I felt that most jobs that I had were detrimental to my mental health. It takes time to regain your serenity after leaving a bad job, time that you can't get back. 

 

You mentioned that your writing wasn't the best--your books are readable and offer good advice, I suppose that's the only standard that matters. Ever read Louis L-Amour? His style was awful, but he sold millions. He knew his audience. 

 

I really enjoyed your unconventional definitions of success from The Joy of Not Working.

 

Everybody seems to be reading from the same page in terms of "success", whatever that is, and being able to define your own success is the only way to being happy, in my opinion. It's nice to have the money and so on, but not everyone can achieve that, however everyone can define their own success and be the best they can be. 

 

Thanks too for your explanation of your book publishing [and book marketing]. I've sold some things to a few web sites, but nothing too profitable. I can write well enough, I just needed a little motivation, which you gave me. Your piece on being single was great too--I've always been single, but single people receive no support for their chosen lifestyle. 

 

Your style is very accessible, common sense, gently coaxing without being too preachy, at least in my opinion. 

      

Thanks again.

 

Brant Wilson