The email read we are doing a show on windfalls can I call you. I like what you have written on your blog.
I emailed back telling her 2pm would be okay.
She called at 2pm on the dot. I opened the fridge to make dinner while I took her call but before she could begin I said I don’t think that I am the right fit for your show. This wasn’t a windfall we worked for this life.
No no, she replied we have sports stars, actors all attending. She was very ‘confident’ and proceeded without breath.
Okay, I thought perhaps I misunderstood, and so I proceeded to answer her questions.
So how has this job changed your life she asked.
Immediately I was confused but given I’m easily confused I continued.
I said to her we have always worked this way, and we have always worked, so nothing had really changed, so we have always made good money. I have always worked three jobs, my husband, the same. I started work at 13 years old my husband started worked at 11years old neither of us have ever stopped working.
She asked more questions, and I answered but I either wasn’t understanding or I wasn’t giving her the answers she was looking for it could have been either. I continued telling her initially when we started offshore it was a money then roster decision, but now we have children, and we are older its roster. We work this way for the lifestyle now not the money the lifestyle was the windfall I said to her.
So she asked again quoting my blog how has it changed your life well I said I am a stay at home mum I guess otherwise I couldn’t have been. And what about your home she said? Our home? I asked confused. Yes, your home she repeated back. We have the same house that we brought when we were twenty-three it was then I got the impression she was asking about other ‘toys’ that ‘winfalls’ can buy. And so I said we don’t have a flash house or ‘toys’. We don’t have new cars. All the money we make goes towards our dream of being able to retire early so we can enjoy our life with our children. We have invested our money we haven’t flittered it away on ‘toys’.
What about additional holidays do you buys extra things for the kids. No, I said we might go on a holiday other every year that other families can’t go on, but my kids don’t get toys given to them.
I was still confused how our job could be seen as a windfall as I don’t believe in luck. I don’t understand how my hard work my husbands hard work before then and now could be seen as windfall. Nothing more than a streak of luck something that randomly happened by sheer coincidence and so I am not sure I answered her questions correctly. Because frankly I was so confused how it wasn’t blatantly clear that this wasn’t something we won in the lottery. This was a job like any other and it paid well but for a reason. We worked for the tickets; we applied for the job, we got not backed, we tried again, we persevered for two years, we got the job, and we lived a hard life at times by our choosing so how was that a win fall. The same went for our financal position, our kids, our life.
I was also confused how sports stars would have their talent and hard work seen as a windfall and that perhaps I had been delusional all these years. And I was completely off the mark.
I could sense she was frustrated by my inability to give her what she wanted.
So at that point I started to doubt my stance my position that one we lived this for the lifestyle and two that had been given to us, and I was just ignorant of it.
So I said trying to explain perhaps my inability to answer her questions that I was nervous about talking to her as a lot of people assume we are money hungry when it’s not the case. I was trying to cover for what I thought was my mistake, my misunderstanding. She explained the reasoning for asking the questions it was to see if I was suitable for the show.
Okay, I said fine still not seeing the point and we recommenced questioning.
So how has the money changed your marriage she asked.
I was in the hallway at this point, and as she said it I looked at my feet while rolling my eyes because I knew at this point I wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t delusional and my belief that none of this happened by accident was right and so I answered with a flat it hasn’t.
It hasn’t she said at all?
No, I said it hasn’t.
I could still hear her typing furiously in the background.
Then it came.
Debbie, I think your right you’re not the right fit for our show. We will be in touch.
I haven’t heard from her, and I’m rather sure I don’t want to.
I also pity any of the actors, sports stars or any other FIFO participants who have taken this five minutes of fame offer. The very concept will downplay every effort they have made towards their career their goals their successes to nothing but a windfall something that is given away to any Tom Dick or Harry.
A successful life be it FIFO or not isn’t a windfall it doesn’t happen by accident or a game of chance it’s not luck it takes work. It takes hard work by every person on the ‘team’ and nobody should downplay it to a ‘windfall’.
What do you think? Should any attribute any of their success to luck?
