image source: http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/
Here's Ramit's first email response to me:
On Sun, Jan 31, 2016 at 8:17 AM, Ramit Sethi [email protected] wrote:
- How serious are you about this?
- How open are you to listening to new ideas?
My response to Ramit:
Ramit,
- Dead serious
- Extremely open. Meaning, I'm ready to follow directions from someone smarter than myself
Ramit's response:
On Sun, Jan 31, 2016 at 8:34 AM, Ramit Sethi [email protected] wrote:
You say you are financially "fucked" and "desperate."
I recommend you stop pursuing starting a new business and get a better job.
My response:
Ramit,
Ok, let's see if it works.
Thank you, Leah Stephens
Ramit's response:
On Sun, Jan 31, 2016 at 8:34 AM, Ramit Sethi [email protected] wrote:
Write me back by Tuesday night at 11:59pm with an update, please.
My response:
Ramit,
Ok. My brain is reorganizing itself to be hired. Take
a look at my LinkedIn profile to see if I should delete stuff.
Maybe I should work at a recovery center since I used to be an alcoholic....
Please note: I didn't go looking for a better job at this point. I went looking for freelance gigs, anything that could utilize my writing and creativity. I stopped looking at jobboards, job ads, and I stopped sending in my resumes. I began searching for creative opportunities through friends, and I began using my networking skills to create my own income. One of my freelance gigs I got in March I scored just by talking to a guy on Linkedin who worked for a software company. I started wheeling and dealing, making up my own rules. In my mind, when Ramit said "better job", I interpreted that as meaning going out and finding a traditional job through the normal ways. I rejected this advice, and just started making my own income from my writing and creative talents in a kind of haphazard, scrappy way.
Ramit's response:
none.
After Ramit stopped responding to me, I wrote an update after I decided not to take his advice and instead pursue my dream of writing and creating businesses around my creative pursuits. Around March of 2017 I got a very low-paying writing job as a science/tech writer with Interesting Engineering. I also got a job as a ghostwriter for a CEO of a software company. Neither one of these freelance jobs was considered lucrative, and I was still just scraping by, making about $2000 per month. I was working my tail off, writing several articles per day on very complex subjects. It was grueling, but it was better than driving, or selling cars. My mind was happy....Then, after I found Steemit, and was making decent money, pursuing my own creative, entrepreneurial pursuits on here, I decided to write to Ramit to give him an update on my newly found gold mine:
July 7, 2016
Ramit,
I wanted to update you. I became a freelance writer 3 months ago and this month I pulled in $7500. My life has revolutionized.
I no longer do the 9-5. I'm pretty happy.
-Leah
Ramit's response:
none.
I wrote another two emails to him for reasons not even clear to myself. I think I wanted him to praise me or something. He never responded to any of them, but here they are:
July 25, 2016
Ramit,
Hey I wanted to give you another update on my finances:
I made $12,000 in four weeks on steemit.com.
I was the #1 content creator and I worked hard posting 2 high quality posts per day.
My talent and hard work paid off.
Here's the article I wrote about my experience:
https://steemit.com/steemit/@stellabelle/how-i-made-usd12-000-in-one-month-on-steemit
And just for fun, I wrote him a final email today:
Dear Ramit,
Hi, you probably don't remember me from last year. I'm now in the best financial situation of my entire life because I followed my dreams instead of following your advice. I have four different sources of income now and total creative freedom. I just wanted to update you on this development from the last year. I do want to thank you for actually replying to my emails in the past and asking me some tough questions. Those questions did enable me to double down and get serious. It was your specific advice though that wasn't useful to me.
Thanks, Leah
What do you think? Did Ramit help me help myself?
Have you ever written to a famous entrepreneur or self-help guru and received advice that helped you?
Part of me thinks I'm a total bitch for writing that final email to him. At least I'm honest. His advice was really not good for me. His questions were good, but he failed to understand my personality and how I could harness my natural creativity.
Sorry Ramit, but you didn't make me rich. I did, because Steemit was invented. Dan's invention made me rich.
Cheers,
Stellabelle
@stellabelle YOU are my Ramit Sethi, at the moment... I am going to read your other article and the part 1 of this one and try to follow the path you have made here on steemit... I am exactly like you in a lot of ways and I am just DONE working for the man, as it were... I was recently fired from another crappy ass job that did help me build character that was sorely lacking for sure, but I am a damn good artist and pretty good writer, and steemit could be my end-all be-all if I just stick with it. I have not been the overnight success that I always want to be, but I can see that I could make it here if I just keep striving for it... thanks for this article - and YES Ramit did help you - or your Higher Self helped you through Ramit - because - in my mind - he hit you in that "Done" place and you just were ready to hear it at that moment - and were able to jump into the Abyss and drag your true self out of it... Timing.
ok, if you think you can do it, go all in. Half measures won't cut it.
we'll see
Stella, that is wicked inspiring hun, way to double down and keep trying. It just goes to show too, you never know somebodies past.
Interesting Leah, I wrote to Derek Sivers and he gave me helpful advice about the book I was writing . But even better, he volunteered that he liked my blog, and I didn't even ask him about that. Life changing in making me not give up!
hmmm, so his feedback was tailored to you specifically...interesting!
Yes, he said he didn't know much about my topic so he referred me to someone's work he admired on the topic. I had never heard of her, but she was awesome and I used her quotes and studied her ideas.
and i knew you way back when 😉 good job! i always knew you'd find something that suited your particular set of talents and thanks for introducing me to steemit. i've been getting kinda bored with facebook and could use some extra money 😜
Just seen you posted this on Steemit Blogger Central. Resteeming for you now. You should join our slack one of these days, you might like what we are doing in there for SBC and the community. Putting this on our Twitter and Facebook.
ok thank you so much. i have too many things to do. not enough time!
Totally understand, trust me I know how that is, its been crazy for me here too lately.
part of the issue is that i am running too many facebook pages....steemit newbies would be better run by someone else with more time/energy
Yea that could be a time consuming side to helping the community. How long have you been running that? I would say I could help but this Slack opening with the pages is kind of the same, coming at me every second of the day lol. I could put some feelers out for you though if you want to find someone to help lighten the load
yeah sure
I will see what I can dig up. I do have one person in mind though, @sacred-agent came to me wanting to start up something to help new users out, kind of give them a workshop so he might be interested. He probably isn't on now but I can message him in the morning and see
I love it. You survived here on Steemit and kept posting when things weren't looking good on Steemit. That is cool that you wrote one last e-mail to him.
I have a question though. How did you initially find out about Steemit?
I was working as a science/tech writer for Interesting Engineering. I up in the middle of the night, having just discovered a breaking story about a programmer who automated his job for 6 years. I could only find 2 sources, Reddit and another small magazine. I went scouring the internet for any source that described this guy, and I found one small post about him on Steemit. Once I saw that dollar amount below the post, it was all over. I quit my writing job the next day and dove into the steem rabbit hole. it was meant to be. i came in with nothing and no one.
That is really cool how you found it. Most people came out of the crypto world. I suddenly saw it shoot out of nowhere up on CoinMarketCap and was like "What is this?" Started reading into it and it was very interesting. Started posting and the rest is history.
yeah, but in march i did get burned out and went to find a new community.....now i am in 2..
What other community are you in now?
this is great, inspiring, following your dreams got you where you really should be, I am glad I read it, thank you for this post
Wow! This two post converted into an instant follower! Great job! I will have to read your posts now because they are hidden gems
oh, yeah, i do like hearing these words.....thanks for your honesty!
Yeah, I much prefer your route to his recommendation, if you can call it that. Definitely better to go and do what makes you happy. Strange that his response was get a better job, seems to go against a lot of what he has written in the past....maybe like you sort of said in Part 1 he is like all the other self help gurus and is all a front. Glad your shared your experience! Thanks!
glad you found it entertaining.
He can make you a rich and miserable corporate workaholic - that's how I feel about him.
Another thing we have in common. We are "polarity responders" ;) (Maybe not always but often.) Meaning, Ask for advice and then do the opposite ;)
oh yes! we are contrary, too! I have noticed that about us!
You for the win!!!! Congratulations on doubling down on yourself and making a much better reality/circumstance yours. I really enjoy reading where a staunch individual stays their own course and prevails. Good on ya'!!!!
Way, WAY cool, Stellabelle! Good for you! Wishing you much continued success in the future! Thank you for sharing this with us here on Steemit!
Cheers to following STELLABELLE
Thank you, ryan313.
BTW, is your "313" any relation to Detroit? I'm a native Michigander and just curious.
Your welcome .. and 313 no not Detroit I love Michigan Basketball though since Chris Webber and the FAB FIVE! Have nice day!
Cool! Thanx!
you're welcome! I think a lot of turning points in my life have arrived due to desperation and not caring what people think. That's the part of success that people fail to understand. It's when you have nothing that everything can change.
Yes! That has been my experience as well. Several times (way too many!) I've reached that "end of the rope" period and it was then, maybe out of sheer desperation, that things turned around.
Congratulations to you, stellabelle (Leah) on your wisdom, your insight, and your stick-to-it-ivity (is that a real word???). I was just telling my partner, Gina, about what you have done and how she needs to see your success.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for your sharing. Keep up the good work!
Terry
Thanks! You see, i was always an idea rich person. I just didn't have the right platform and a community...steemit is that community and decentralized platforms were the missing piece for me.
Yep! I know what you mean.
Hey, I just had an idea. Would you be open to doing an interview with me for my YouTube channel/ Steemit/ My Blog? I would love to talk with you about your story you told of moving from "yuck" to your success. I think it would be an inspiration to a lot of people.
You can see examples of what I've done on my blog @ TerryBrock.com. Many of the posts have video and you'd also get a chance to know more about me, what I do, etc.
I would be honored to do a video interview (using Zoom --- I'll help you if you need assistance with that) where we can highlight what you did, how you did it with writing and what advice you'd give.
Who knows, maybe that Ramit Sethi will watch it someday and be really pissed that he dissed you! :-)
If you don't want to do the interview and would feel uncomfortable, I'll completely understand. No problem.
BTW, I think you and I might have corresponded over on the Dash Slack site. I did an interview with Tao of Satoshi as well as Amanda B. Johnson earlier and you might have seen those.
Either way, I'm sending you a High Five across the miles and cheers for your success. I'm proud of you and would love to share your story with the world.
Whatcha' say?
ok cool. i have used zoom before....
yes. so do you use steemit chat? i'd like to pm you my email...
I just got on steemit chat but don't know much about it. How about email? [email protected]
yes, i know exactly who you are! my answer is yes!
I'll be really interested to watch that when it comes out and find out more about the lovely Stellabelle! You have such a fascinating mind Leah - just as interesting as Dan Larimer in your own unique way. I'm so glad to read how your fortune turned around through employing yourself. The economy is changing so fast these days in ways no one could have predicted even five years ago. Viva la crypto!
Very inspiring story showing that hard work and dedication can pay off. Does remind me the important of why I need to keep trying and not get discouraged.
You said it push through don't get discouraged!!
Curtis.. I'm going follow you and read through your blogs ...Look for my upvote!! Stay positive!!
Ryan, thank you that genuinely means a lot to me. Motivates me even more. :-) Like many others I'm looking at things such as cryptos to help make me a bit more secure and not so dependent on my 9 to 5. I appreciate it and will be following you back.
Look into bitconnect it's a robot trading platform where you lend $ and get interest payments each day . Then after 299 days of payments you get all your $ back . They have a calculator so you can put in $ figures to get ideas. Watch YouTube videos on it it's simple and returns are great. Use my code if you want . ryanj3 let me know what you think!!
Wow, your story is pretty encouraging. You are an example of perseverance that overcome the difficulties. I want to thank you again for your help. Regards!
the reality is that without Steemit, i would still be lost.
Ramit was dead ass wrong, he couldn't see beyond the Horizon and his great nose😆😋
ha ha! I know he was wrong........it's not surprising..he confirmed my suspicions about self-help gurus...
But it was just your intentions to overcome your situation that allowed you to find steemit and hold you until you reach the goal. Good things happen to good people.
yes true...and i found myself some writing gigs even before steemit, so that move was bold.....i dove into the unknown, and without any financial security out of knowing i wanted a creative life.
Hi again, by the way.. I would like to translate one of your post to Spanish, this https://steemit.com/steemgigs/@stellabelle/how-to-write-your-first-steemgigs-post
Yes, of course. You don't need to ask me either but i appreciate it. Keep all the rewards for yourself.
Its done! Here is the translated post https://steemit.com/steemgigs/@siersod/como-escribir-tu-primer-steemgig
Just from the email Ramit seems like a dick lol
ha ha!!!! At the time, when i was desperate, I felt lucky because he actually responded........but who knows? it's hard to tell if he's a dick or not....
Well it's great to see that you are earning way more than you would with a job, I wish you the best! Also I was rolling on the floor when I reads "it's hard" (that's what she said :D)
what's hard? your dick? or how do i not understand this joke?
oh wait, i get it now.
I am really naive sometimes...
LOLOLOLOLOL I'm crying. Sorry lol, I'm being too immature at the current state.
it's ok, no problem. i like raunchy stuff.....Pon Farr and all. Vulcan.
Stella belle..! Great story, I have heard a ton of stuff and listen to podcasts interviews with Ramitand how he can make you rich . I read books by the author James Altucher and listen to his podcast. Ramit has been on a bunch of times. Always wanted to speak to someone who tried this program so it is interesting to see his face in the blog. Thanks for your article!! P.S. Great job creating multiple streams of income and I wish you all the success in the world STEEM ON !! And I'll be upvoting and reading all the way !!
thanks....James Altucher, on the other hand did help me a lot....I read his stories, and he has a personality that i could relate to: kind of crazy, introverted, and creative...so he created an example for me...
James helped me change my life!! I'm introverted and have choice myself and it really works!!
His podcast has excellent guests esp Ryan Holliday.. I'm reading The Obstacle is The Way now . Just got done reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson.
Maybe in some way Ramit did help you. You took one look at his mediocre suggestion - it's not like he actually put much thought into it, and took it as a challenge. And here you are...bigger and better.
And anyway, steemit has gained more talent!
yes, i needed to get some bad advice and do a challenge
Haha brilliant! I wonder what Ramit is thinking today as he reads this! keeps eyes peeled for @ramitgetspwnd
ha ha ha! Ramit is running a multi million dollar company. he doesn't read this stuff.
Oh! Well anyway very well done on the turnaround from dark times, inspirational!
Ramit's goal is to get people to buy into his "get a dream job", "how to follow through" [not the actual titles], etc., courses. You didn't need him really (perhaps only to spark you into action), and maybe he took a look at your LinkedIn profile and saw that you didn't need him and wouldn't be buying his courses, so he dropped you. Based on what I learned about him, that's what he does. He's just trying to attract the people who are a good match for the stuff he is selling and who will buy.
Resteemed.
yes, so he couldn't make me rich, then his website is kind of a lie.
That's exactly right. The only one who gets rich from Ramit Sethi's products and training is Ramit Sethi.
ha ha you're right! and this post might actually help him too...
He does actually respond to people's emails!
that was the test!
for people who have a lot of ideas........ask Stellabelle!
🙌🏻 follow your dreams! And this is why I love #Steemit! I love writing, sharing #recipes and giving #lifestyle advice and here we make a profit. Even though I'm not making a lot of #money but it's more than none which is what I was making on social media.
here, take my $2.23 upvote!
Grazie! You just made me smile :)
Following :) Enjoy the rest of your day☺️
Congrats on becoming rich your own way.
He stopped responding to you because you asked for his advice, he took time out of his no doubt ridiculous schedule to give you his two cents, and you ignored him.
I would suggest next time you ignore someones advice, don't rub salt in the wound by succeeding so damn hard! haha :P
I imagine it's quite difficult giving financial advice to strangers, he played it safe, which is a noble thing to do from a "get rich" guru. You ignored him and took a massive risk, which is equally as noble, and I commend you for that.
What a beautiful gif :P
Congrats... you have a very inspiring story
Inspirational!!
And then, out of the blue, ramitsethi becomes the highest earning tag of steemit for today!
nah, lots of people, don't really care for my stuff at this point.
he he. 3K followers & your solid rep => your voice is well heard here. Nice to read your posts.
thanks, i appreciate that. Without others, i would not be where i am.
That is awesome! Congrats to you
thanks.....nothing really has changed, as I still work my ass off, and think still that i have nothing. That is the edge.
Yes, I also believe that is your edge, because you still push as if you haven't made a dime yet. You still have a "I got nothing to lose" attitude that keeps you genuine instead of catering to the whales so you can get away with posting low-quality crap for bot votes. That's a great edge really, and it's freedom. Might be nice to get multiple whale votes again, but you don't "need" them.
Nice by reading other people's replies I am starting to learn more and more!
Yes, unlike other social platforms, you can learn a ton sometimes from the comments section on many of the posts.
the dolphins of today will be the whales of tomorrow.
The minnows of today will be the dolphins of tomorrow.
I always try to re-aim for the minnows, and try to create something of value, that can help or entertain.
Sometimes it takes others traditional responses to help you find what you really need in life. Congrats to you and the fact that this new platform has helped common people like yourself to realize financial freedom doing what they love. Sharing content!!!
That's the best steemit success story I have read so far. You did an excellent job by following your dreams and not listening to that guy. Wish you more success!!
thank you
Lol..wtf is that?😂😂😂
idea economy
Wow. Great story. This guy did not do anything. He did not believe in what you are and what you are doing, so he was saying , that you should do the save thing and go get a job, that your dream is not possible. This is a stupid advice. Anyway YOU HELP YOURSELF.
yeah, that's what i thought too. This goes to show you that you should ignore self-help gurus!!!!
THEY DON'T KNOW OR CARE ABOUT WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY!!!!!!
If your whole story was real, and if you said the last words to him really, it will be like punch on his face. Glad you trusted your instincts and stick to your path. Happy ending.
this is a true story. all emails were just copy and pasted. It's all real.
I don't how I missed your posts from my radar(just 8 or 9 days old..but looking for good authors to follow). Not gonna miss your posts now. Thank you
@fisteganos is a good one, too....really passionate writer who inspires a lot of people
I will take a look at @fisteganos... Thank you
😭 this is so cool. Thanks for the endorsement!!
Thank you for sharing this, Stellabelle. I think that sometimes we can get a little extra motivation "fuel" from a naysayer or when we feel like we're not respected. A little chip on the shoulder can be a powerful thing. However, I think the underlying passion you have for writing is what continues to propel you forward. Continued success and best of luck to you!
well I have high respect for Ramit and therfore I think if you feel a calling so loud inside you, you ignore his advice it is just right to follow it.
Life is not only about money. If you do what you like and you get good, I mean really good at it, the money will follow.
That was such an interesting read and got to know more about your history. You deserve every bit of success because you got it with your hard work.
Don't know who that guy is but it's pretty rude not to reply, that too so abruptly.
ha ha! well he's rich. he can do what suits him. Thanks!
All hail, Steemit! :)
Double down and get serious! Hell yeah. Congratulations. One of the best success stories I've read so far.
thank you! i like the 'hell yeah' part.
As many of others " gurus," Ramit Sethi has done it wrong, its pretty easy to analyze someone and then judge it with your own perspective and vision , thats what more or less this guy its claiming to do, selling the gold´s egg "recipe".
Are you earning your potential ? but .... POTENTIAL IT´S NOT EARNED , we all have the potential to do the things we want to its an inner feeling a state of mind , an explosion of deep inner energy that awakes the giant in ourselves
Wich makes us like in this case todo not listen to bad advices .
Im really glad that you overcome your situation and that you can share it and embrace people like me to take the same actions, we all have a role in this lifetime experience, if you really want to help someone just make them questions to find out what they really want and embrace them to fill the gap between the present situation and the place where they want to be in the future . You could be a really good Coach.
"The path to success it's to take massive, determined action "
TONY ROBBINS
I bet the he will see you as one of his success stories. These gurus love to take credit for people's success and live off of testimonial like yours.
I did the same thing with a guru in my industry, Martial Arts. I purposely did the exact opposite of what they told me and became extremely successful ON MY OWN. Next thing I know they were using me as a testimonial of how good they were.
yeah, possibly. James Altucher could use me as his story.........because i followed his advice for writing.
You are where you are because that’s exactly where you want to be (Quote by unknown)
It is because of YOU that you succeeded. Faith in your own abilities, hard work and your confidence in Dan's invention made you rich.
Well done! I respect a self-made person. Upvoted and followed.
I admire your brass and for shouting out about your talent, hard earned success and new found wealth 🙂
This guy can't be serious with that url. Funny
he's dead serious.
cracks me up. good play on your end. from that url, you know he deserves it.
If I may play devil's advocate for a moment,
Ramit's advice was good for the majority of people, those of average talent. It's safer, and while it precludes true success, it decreases the likelihood that he'll know of anyone sleeping on the streets directly due to his advice.
Particularly, since your financial situation seemed so dire (from your own emphasis), and you had a dependent that you were "fully financing" (ahem, that makes it sound like I'm talking about a new car), I would say defaulting to very conservative advice is appropriate.
It's just that conservative advice is rarely glamorous and never leads to the type of stupendous results your talent resulted in.
If I had to guess, Ramit probably didn't respond because he didn't know what to say. He could give you a lecture on results-oriented thinking being a fallacy, maybe use the analogy of gamblers at poker wining with a bad hand and thinking that means they are good...but it wouldn't matter, and probably wouldn't apply in your case anyway. That is more of a concern for the talentless hack who gets lucky. He could congratulate you on your success, but may not want to be quoted or interpreted as supporting the high-risk, high-reward route.
Or, he could just be annoyed and knows better than to say anything negative. =)
good observations. yeah, it would work for most, i suppose. There's nothing conventional about my mind though.
That is a success story if I ever read one. Fantastic job. Who the Frick is ramit?
thanks nedspeaks. he is a guru
Welcome. Glad you went your own way.
happy for you and wish you make more money and more achievements in your life.
you deserve it.
thank you for sharing this good motivating post.
Thanks and you are welcome
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I don't believe in those "gurus", and im impressed because even after asking to him what to do, you did what you felt right, that's very inspiring. Cheers!!
thanks. It didn't feel exactly correct at the time but i am soooo glad now.
haha - Man I hope I can get there one day. I have a few people I'd like to email. lol Thanks for sharing - bet it felt good to stick it to em.
email them. today.
Hey i am new on steem it
can you please check my posts and give me some upvotes please
yay! way to go!
thank you
Great story! I wrote a couple of gurus a couple of years ago who shall remain nameless and did not hear from them but I did receive a response from the staff of one of the gurus who offered to send me a free book.
Damn, that was a fun read!! :)