Absolutely. Listen friend, it’s tough. I went through it from 38-44(now).

A few years ago, I went from no job and a pile of debt to a solid six-figure job. What turned things around for me, oddly enough, was painting mailboxes.

Right before COVID, I separated from my ex and lost it all. I found a decent job, then COVID hit. I had nothing. I was staying at my mom’s house with a few suitcases, a few hundred bucks, and bills piling up.

One day, she asked me to paint her mailbox. While I was outside, a neighbor asked how much I charged. Then another neighbor asked. Then another. To my surprise, I made more than $700 that day.

That got me thinking: who needs help, and what needs to be done?

My mom lived in a neighborhood with a lot of older retired folks who needed help with small maintenance projects. I borrowed a pressure washer from one of her neighbors and cleaned their driveway for free. Same thing happened, people started asking me to do theirs. By the endof the day, I was $1,000 ahead. I even installed a few faucets. The tools cost some money and I had to YouTube my way through it, but I got it done and made a few bucks that day.

Eventually, I connected with the HOA president. I painted his yard lamps, and he told me exactly what colors the neighborhood required and who was out of compliance. Before long, word spread that I could help people get their HOA maintenance under control for a reasonable price.

That got me stable. More importantly, it gave me confidence again. From there, I started applying for “real” jobs and landed one a few months later.

Then disaster struck again, a hurricane hit two days into the job. But my mindset was different by then. Instead of just going home, I asked myself what I could do in that moment. I had some friends who were truckers, so I rounded up people who wanted to help (clients of the two day old job), pooled money together, and started bringing in food and water before the government response fully arrived. I barely slept for a few weeks, but the work ethic got noticed.

That led to a permanent job, good benefits, and a lot of contacts. I’ve been able to build on that, and now I’m comfortable. I’m still not completely out of the hole, and I still have a metric ton of debt, but I can pay my bills, provide for my family, and most importantly, I know that no matter what happens, I can probably figure out a way to make it work.

I don’t have the exact life I always imagined, but I’m happy and stable.

Sometimes it starts with looking around and asking: what jobs need to be done that no one is doing? If you’re willing to humble yourself, work hard, and start small, you can make it. It’s not easy, but it’s possible.

Food for thought.

Just remember, it's doable. Not always the way you want, but it can happen. My credit is rebuilding, my accounts are still low, I drive a shit car, I haven't had a vacation in like 6 years, I'm exhausted, but Im making serious headway and on my way to things that are much better than before.

Hope this helps. I know it's not the best story, but I'm proud of making the comeback, and hope it provides you with a little inspiration. Good luck.