How did you get where you are?

My parents knew I had artistic talent when my crayon pictures looked like 9th graders' work & I was in the 1st grade. I always had an interest in biology and could draw an average cell w/ all its parts at 8. In high school nothing changed much except my dad gave me a high-quality telescope. So now I wanted to walk on the moon. Stepping into reality: Went to college and received a premed BS in biology and an BA in art - my 2 true loves. Found a job w/ University of Georgia immediately as a graphic designer/photographer. 10 years later I took a job at a teaching hospital where I have a nice portrait studio and get to photograph unusual cases in the Operating Room as well as special events that involve medical education. I also design research posters for conferences. This is my dream job that I have had now for over 30 years.

Figure out:
1. what you are interested in. 2. what you have natural talent for. Combine and you get critical mass.

 

3. If someone is already doing it find a way to do it better.

I have worked in sales since I graduated college. I started working in the medical device industry, I noticed a lot of room for improvement so I started my own company. I didn't reinvent the wheel, I just made the wheel run a little smoother.

 

I hopped in my car, drove south for 18 hours and stopped in Charlotte County, Florida, where I promptly retired.

Oh, you mean before that? Got lucky, silver spoon, you know the same old story.

Ok, not really. Ran a mfg company for a long time, until I couldn't do it anymore. Then I drove south, yadda yadda.

D

 

As a boy I idolized my father, as many do. He asked me what I wanted to do with my life when I was around 9. I said, be like him. He playfully, but forcefully enough, smacked me upside my head. He then showed me his hands - swollen and calluses from a lifetime of manual labor. He told me to get all the education I could, find a job that I loved that utilized my mind & not my back, marry a great woman - and I'd be on easy street. Check, check and double check...T

 

Grew up way below the poverty line. Transferred schools in HS and rode my bicycle to get to class...No joke. Submersed myself into a culture of higher earners and it rubbed off. Gambled everything to leave my humble beginnings an pursed my life long dream. It was hard, 4 jobs at once, homeless for a couple of months bla bla bla. But I never let go of what I wanted in live for what I wanted at the moment.

Now Im chasing the dream of being self sustaining without working to be able to retire with a full head of hair. hahah

 

I'll add to this great advice. Find something you like that will let you enjoy life. Quality time with the great wife and friends and family is much more valuable then a Ferrari!

The old saying money doesn't buy happiness, well it should be materialistic things don't give you happiness long term.

 

As someone still struggling to find my place in the business world, you quickly learn the the majority of people who are successful in whatever it is they do struggled and failed before things began to take off in a positive direction.

 

My father died when I was 14. I was young and reckless from then on, but have always followed my heart and done exactly what I've wanted to do. Graduated HS. Graduated college. Moved to California. Failed. Moved back to the East Coast. Took a 100% commission job and didn't make a dime for 4.5 months (try going home to a fiancé with that "income"). Stuck with it, and things started going well. Joined the Army too. Commissioned. Came home. Kept working, and had a lot of good breaks. Bought some great cars, bought an FCar. Deployed to Kuwait/Iraq, been home for three weeks, and now it's time to take more chances and live life even harder!

A nutshell? Take risks (good, smart, calculated risks). Accept failure or success, but build on it and always move forward. The easy way is the mediocre way. Life is way to short to be average.

 

Unwise choice of spouse, good ability in my field, low self-esteem, high work ethic, risk-averse, strong desire to see my daughter every day, ability to put up with a lot of bull**** and internalize the stress.

Of all these things, your choice of spouse and how many kids you have or do not have can do more to determine your level of happiness or at least non-misery than any other. Choose wisely and you can overcome most anything, choose poorly and it almost guarantees as life of unsatisfying "almost there" emptiness. You'll die waiting for it to be your turn to get to enjoy the fruit of your labor.

I'm thinking about writing greeting cards...

 

posted to soon

 

From late teens I started to really become interested in business/starting a business.

I read everything I could on the subject and many other subjects.

Took about a decade(and many dif jobs, a couple degrees(not business degrees) before the stars aligned and the right opportunity presented itself.

On track for a Black on Tan 360 before I turn 35.

Read, read, and read some more on everything.

Im a big proponent of bios and autobios. In only a few short pages you can see a persons life from start to finish and the related results of choices they made throughout their life.

Eventually youll find possible examples of how you may want to live your life in those books.

I take ideas from all the big name business people as well as many unknown small business owners.

Plan seems to be working so far.

Most interesting thing Ive helped start so far is an alcohol brand.

 

with the help of family and friends...those who saw more in me than I was able to see in myself.

...and lots of luck

 

I definitely agree with dont rush the kid thing. One is manageable but im always amazed at how many just start pumping out 2-3 before theyre 30.

The energy it takes to raise the kids as well as start your career in whatever has got to be brutal.

I dont see myself having the kids till early 40s.

 

This assumes your wife is younger than you by several years, or that you can successfully do things like IVF. A woman's fertility drops dramatically after 35 and by early 40's it is a tiny fraction of when she was 18-30. Eggs degrade as she ages too, and the chances of having birth defects such as Down's Syndrome go up a large amount over 40.

This also assumes you and your wife will even have the energy to raise babies at that age. My wife is 44, she has said more than once no way in hell she could be pregnant or have a newborn at this age. And I'm not complaining at that mindset either.

Long way of saying, there might not be a convenient ideal age to have kids.

 

100% this ^
I don't think I could be much happier if I had 25 Ferrari's and a bank vault full of money. A happy family life is the most important thing.

 

And add to that good health for yourself, the wife, and family to maximize the situation.

 

My wife will be younger lol....

 

Started in insurance in Lloyd's in London straight after high school. That scored me a transfer to the USA at 25. Worked hard. Dino at 27. Surrounded by really, really strong clever peers and kept head above water, led to several unfortunate marriages, some really nice cars, aforesaid Dino, Jag, Audis, BMWs, Pantera. Sale of said strong company set me up. Worked a few more years. Bought a boat. Sailed the world for 4 years with my wife. Needed more $$. Went back to same company (don't burn your boats!) for a few more years. Retiring again this year. Enjoying the 456. The wife part featured in many other posts is a given. I wouldn't be here without mine. A true partner in every respect.

 

I was going to say what shaped me growing up. One asset that is better then any degree or other qualification. Its social skills. My life is more interesting then most and was formed by many situations that required strong social skills.

The most successful people either have strong social skills or surround themselves with people who do. Vancouver has a homegrown self made multi billionaire. He started his business career selling used cars. Now he owns grocery store chains. In the 1980 he made his daughter get a job in retail. He wanted to teach her normal social skills. She worked at Seven Eleven. Real estate needs social skills big time. Even programming needs social skills.

 

Thats a great post. Give your kids the tools to do for themselves. And Ill second the social skills.

 

A bit morose but no truer words ever typed. Not a great future in greeting cards I would suppose though.

For those that marry, wife and kids replace water and oxygen in importance.

 

Absolutely learn to make the right choices. Start with picking the right friends. I don't mean rich kids. Just the right ones. Kids that have mostly positive attributes. Learn to weed out the losers.

Growing up my Dad was mostly working and travelling. The few times he was home if my older brother had a friend or two over. My Dad would tell my brother that kids a loser stop hanging around them. My brother laughed it off, Dad doesn't know the kid what does he know. Now that I'm old I see my Dad was 100% right. Every kid he said was a loser was a loser then is a loser now.

Net result my brother is horrible at weeding out losers even today.

You don't have to be a social climber or even animal. But treat high school like a career you want to master and succeed. Both grade wise and socially.

 

Brute force:

Work hard, delay gratification, get your ducks in a row (pay off debts), marry wisely, have fun in moderation.

A wise man once told me the key to financial success in life was: One house, one car, one wife.