A Journal entry marks the beginning of my book.  By this time I had learned a whole new mindset apart from the counter-culture one I had embraced most of my life.  

Here begins that portion found in the foreword of the book... 

I knew, by this point, that I was really onto something and that I had a message for the world. ?Helping You Rise Above Mediocrity? would become my motto. I began contemplating the writing of a book. In my personal Journal I wrote the following entry...

May 15^th, 2007

?What is the Purpose of a Book on Consumerism?

The book will teach the common person (known as the consumer) who leads the average work-to-spend lifestyle that there are forces levied against them, for the most part, their very existence lends to methodical manipulation, or better said, invasion, of their life-long income. The scope of the book will be for each of the readers to discover and explore the unseen forces at work right under their noses. Bringing about anger that such manipulation exists and that they are being used, and there are other alternatives out there for them are the desired results of the book.

The information in the book must be, in every way, accurate, and fair to both sides. It should be non-conspiratorial in nature, so it is not considered second-rate information, even though consumers have been indeed conspired against by the tactics used by the forces which generated them. Information that is inaccurate could bring about lawsuits, etc and a bad reputation. Quotations should be used throughout. Every effort should be made to protect myself from these insidious forces. I will be revealing information these forces would not want exposed.

Information is the guiding light of wisdom. This is not to say what the beginning of wisdom is, that is, the fear of God. Other than what is instilled in a human being, other than experience, it takes information to be able to go intelligently in a certain direction. It goes without saying that information, if it is malicious, can bring destruction by the hand of an evil person, or protection for the wise person who reads it for that purpose. An example would be computer hacking. A malicious person would use this spurious information for destruction of others' data, whilst a wise person would read it to build fortifications around his data, otherwise, not knowing how such would leave him defenseless. The state of being of these not-so-good forces shout silently throughout the masses and the financial conditions of their lives.

Do consumers need this book? This is a resounding YES! Despite the vast amounts of information on the subject that is far more available than ever before and easy to understand, there are herds and herds of people being drawn into corrals and led to financial slaughter. YES again! This book is needed. What is not yet know to me, the author, is whether they would WANT this book. Time and testing will tell.

Consumers need to know that they are really on a conveyor that has been proposed for them to be on. They have been lured onto it with sweet grandma's voices and down-home comforting words, "Come with me and I will give you some candy!" The real scheme that awaits them at the drop-off on the end of the conveyor is financial ruin and little to show for their hard work as consumers. How many thousands and thousands will meet their end in this way? I don't know, other than approximately 95% of the entire population in the United States will indeed meet such an end. This is staggering!

I will conquer my fears in this undertaking by putting into writing the things that I have learned for the benefit and satisfaction of plucking some of these people off that conveyor to pursue lives they never knew exists.

Should the consumer want this book, though they do need it, with them in mind, I will write it properly, and in good English (and possibly Spanish.) It should be successful in accomplishing its purpose.

The effects of consumerism in my life, despite my learning about it over the years is dramatic and devastating. Not having as many answers to the problem as I do now, but struggling to implement changes, has left me vulnerable. I am now homeless, having to impose on one of my best friends for the most basic need in life, a place to live, in constant financial turmoil, nearly penniless, lacking means of income, disqualification from obtaining unemployment benefits, which I am trying now to steer away from, but have too few resources to replace this. I am very ill, most likely from acute anxiety. I have half the battle won however. Despite this I will most likely have to re-enter the work force as an employee and grapple over my time that I will have to hand over to the lucky employer who gets me until I can replace the employment with other income sources.?

It wasn't long after having begun this book that I realized I really needed to narrow it down to one topic: Employment. I would later write about other facets of being a consumer in separate works. This this book was born and has been edited, re-edited and improved upon. It strives to be unbiased in this Topic and provide some real value for its readers.

Since I left the trailer, I had been given a wireless adapter so I could access the Internet from my RV. Having joined two astounding memberships, Steve Little's Perfect Biz Finder Program andWealthy Affiliate University, the communications with other members would be instrumental in helping me change my negative outlook on life to a positive one and the scarcity mindset to a one of abundance. I need not forget the Every Day Is Saturday Programs I had gotten involved with! Great stuff!

FINIS

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Though it doesn't appear much has changed in the way of life for me, it has indeed...I'm a slow learner but I learn.  I'm a slow doer but I do.  I have my fears, but I plunge.  I fall many, many times, but I get up and do it again.  From here, I give the reasons why I've started the book from a later standpoint...