Jack's an only child.

Now 8 years old. Since he was 4, all he ever wanted for his birthday was a puppy. So every year, Mom and Dad would say the same thing.

“You’re too young.

You couldn’t take care of it.

When you’re 8, you can get a puppy,” they said.

So on Jack's 8th birthday, Mom, Dad and the birthday boy go to the local kennel on the corner of Haywood and Robinson.

The parents say, “You can get any puppy you want, big, small, black, white, furry, hairless, anything !”

So Jack runs from pen to pen, and he sees 4 or 5 beautiful gray furry balls of puppy in each of them.

Then he finally sees in the next pen an identical one all by himself.

He asks his parents, “How come this one’s all by himself?”

So Mom tracks down the manager.

She says, “Excuse me, Sir.

How come this little puppy’s all by himself and he’s not with his brothers and sisters?”

The manager says, “Oh, that’s the saddest story in the whole store.

That puppy was born with a bad hip and bad leg.

We’re going to have to put him to sleep.”

The boy asks,

“Put him to sleep?

Why?”

The manager replies,

“Well, I know it sounds harsh, but the truth of the matter is nobody will buy him.

He’ll never be able to run and play with a little boy like you.”

The boy asks, “ Would I hurt him if I picked him up?”

The manager says, “No. Go ahead.”

The boy picks up the puppy and scratches the head.

The boy falls in love with the puppy, and he says, “Mom, Dad, I want this puppy.”

The manager’s right there, and he says, “If you do take this puppy, I’ll have to charge you the same amount.

And it will cost you thousands of dollars in medical charges for operations.

And there’s no guarantee his leg will be fixed.”

The parents say, “Well, we’re in a bind.

We told him he could get whatever one he wants, and he wants this one.”

They go to the cash register.

They pay for the puppy.

The family is just about out the door, and the store manager tracks them down again.

“Excuse me, Son.

I hate to bother you, but you just have to tell me.

My curiosity is too great.

You could have had one of the healthy puppies.

Why do you want this one?”

The boy gives his Mom the puppy and he bends over and picks up the pants on his right leg, and he shows the store manager the brace on his right leg.

He says, “Mister, I want this puppy because I can understand what he’s going through.”

And that is the difference between sympathy and empathy.

To be honest, I will never know what you're going through.

But I know this:

We both strive for a better life. This is why we hated our jobs and we wanted to get out. That's why we bust our asses off to find freedom. Whether that means paying our debts, traveling the world, or helping people less fortunate than us.

I know your online endeavors lack the necessary oomph to propel you forward.

I know for a fact that I can help you with whatever it is you are struggling with.

So join me today and let's start working on your path to freedom.

Sincerely,
Arlene & Don

P.S. Just when I read this beautiful story, I saw a sales letter of a well-known online guru.

The guy says "But life wasn't always fair to me. I know exactly what you've gone through”.

Um, no pal.

Sorry.

You don’t.

You can't know what everyone has been through because we all face our own demons. We battle with them. Sometimes we win. Sometimes we lose. The solution is to keep fighting and moving one step forward every time.

As we battle, we find comrades.

They help us in those fights.

I have found my comrades.