55 looking back

I guess I have always done my own thing so to speak my whole life.  When I was about eight I was obsessed with flying and being eight I made cardboard wings and strapped them on.  I’m not sure where mom was, but then again I pretty much was outside playing every second of everyday.  My friends said it’s not a good idea to jump off the house with cardboard wings! Did I listen, nope, but I did make a big pile of leaves just in case things went bad.  I learned that day cardboard wings won’t make you fly and limped away with nothing broken, but I did it my way.  I have always been an entrepreneur at an early age, selling True Grit, a national news paper door to door, tadpole sales, candle making, house painting, addresses on curbs, sign making and the list goes on and on, some made a profit and some didn’t.  After going to two years of electronics training I went to work for big corporate. I got a real dose of reality during those times, I will never forget working so hard trying to please the company and wanting to advance.  I took their psychology test for management and was disappointed to hear, you will never make it in management and you just need to be happy carrying a tool box the rest of your life. I left that company and went to work for a small business in which I seem to fit better until they sold out to big corporate and they were getting ready to give me the boot because I didn’t fit their mold. That’s when I looked for another way by starting my own business despite the fact I had no supporters except my partner Kent, even my wife was completely against me. I put everything I had on the line and worked hard as failure was not an option. I must have done something right cause in just ten years I had 22 employees working for me and over four million in annual sales. When I sold that company and called my employees in one at a time most shed tears as did I. In spite of big corporate telling me I couldn’t be a manager I guess I did something right.  The famous Zig Zigler told a story in one of his books I have always remembered about the fleas. He said if you put fleas in a jar and put a book over it the fleas will jump up and hit the book for a day, but if you remove the book after a day they will still just jump as high as the top of the jar not realizing they have the ability jump out because they have been trained that’s as high as they can go. He ask the question are you a trained flea? I will never forget this simple illustration.  We all get complacent like a trained flea and start believing we can’t go any higher. I guess all this rambling leads to me making a point. I f you wait for someone, anyone to validate what you are doing or waiting on them to go with you, Stop! Have the courage to move ahead by yourself and forget the naysayers and follow your heart, your desires, and your dreams. Very few people get it and never experience what they truly want out of life. Life is a gift everyday and I have been blessed with 55 X 365 of them.  I have so many things to be thankful for, my children, grandchildren, brother, father, my partner Miss Dee and her family along with countless good friends, many whom have shared good times onboard Raindancer.  People have told me single handing a 43 foot sailboat around the Caribbean is crazy to, but it’s my dream and I’m doing it my way!  I think I’ll go have a coldy and sit on the deck and gaze at this beautiful island paradise and celebrate the next 55 X 365, it’s going to be a blast!