A strange thing happened today: a subscriber on my other list wrote to ask me to stop sharing pictures of my two-month-old son because they were, in a sense, triggering for him.

Here’s what he wrote:

Tom, I know you're ecstatic about your baby boy. But every time I see a picture I'm reminded how my son never had children. It makes me very, very sad. I don't, imho, think it's necessary to brag, do you? I appreciate everything you do. I've been a lifetime subscriber to your Liberty Classroom. I guess I feel, if you wouldn't mind, to share pictures in person with others. Personally, all the other pictures you share are fine!

Just wanted you to know. Thanks.

Here was my reply:

You are looking at this the wrong way. It is not bragging to share pictures of your children. It is an expression of joy.

 

You must run into people with their children all the time. You must see them in all sorts of media. It is not healthy to resent the happiness of others, no matter our own misfortunes.
 

I had years of unhappiness in my life. I would see other people who were very content. It was difficult not to resent their happiness, and I regret to say that I was not always successful in avoiding it. But when I was tempted in that direction I always knew that that was my baser nature at work and that I should fight against it.
 

I'm afraid you may need to endure additional photos of my son. Should that be an insuperable obstacle for you, there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email.
 

Cordially,
Tom Woods

I do legitimately feel for him. Losing a child, or losing the possibility of grandchildren, is a sorrow I can only imagine. When you’re carrying something like that, a moment that brings joy to someone else can strike you very differently.

But the exchange made me think about something I’ve seen many times over the years:
 

Two people can look at the very same thing -- the same opportunity, the same blessing, the same tool right in front of them -- and where one person sees possibility, the other sees only frustration or confusion.

The difference isn’t the thing itself. The difference is whether we know what to do with what’s in front of us.
 

And this applies just as much in the business world.
 

We live at a moment when ordinary people have access to tools that, even ten years ago, would have been unthinkable. Tools that, when you know how to use them, can turn a business idea into a fully functioning online operation in a shockingly short period of time.
 

You may have seen me write to you over the past couple of weeks about a webinar I'd been running. The theme there was similar: we have more opportunities today than ever before, but most people don’t know how to make use of them.
 

What I'm writing to you about today is not that same presentation. This one is practical to the point of being almost unbelievable.
 

Because this time Paul Counts, my business partner, is going to build an entire online business right on your screen, from scratch, in 30 minutes, showing you the exact tools he uses, and how they fit together.

No fluff, no "drink a green smoothie in the morning," no "meditate for an hour a day." All practical.

It’s the difference between hearing that something is possible and watching someone do it.
 

Even if you saw the previous webinar, this is something entirely new. You may already have ideas bouncing around your head. This will show you how to take those ideas and turn them into something real, and fast.
 

If nothing else, you’ll walk away amazed -- “I had no idea it could be done that quickly.”

Here’s the link to register:

https://www.tomwoods.com/tomandpaul

Tom Woods