Show me the “no money“ job

List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter.

1. Teaching. Part of my job in the military was training. I loved passing on knowledge to others and see them grow professionally. Our teachers are grossly underpaid and way under-valued.

2. Woodworking full-time. I do plan to do this, but only after retirement. To do it now would be awesome and relaxing.

3. Artist. I wanted to be an artist but the term: “Starving Artist” convinced me to pursue electronics that would pay for my art hobbies.

Work Ethic

What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?

My family is Scottish, German and Slavic.

I think we aren’t happy unless we are getting our hands dirty. Our passion is creating, fixing, building, and….drinking. 😉

The Brand of Me

What brands do you associate with?

I went through all the phases of trying to follow the crowds. Whatever the clothing brand was, sneaker…music….etc.

The ‘80’s was all about The Crowd.

Pacific Coast Highway clothing, Member’s Only jackets, Puma, Nike sneakers…wine coolers….etc.

But once I got into the Military, I discovered new focus on things other than myself and selfish needs. It helped wearing jungle fatigues every day for 20 years. :p

But once I retired and had to rediscover myself, it took a long time and it was an arduous journey.

But eventually I figured out that I have to focus on my mental health and well-being.

I don’t worry about what other people think about me and what I wear, what I drink….

For example: I like Bud Light (with Lime) I could care less who Budweiser sponsors. Those things are a blip on the radar and then they find something else to promote.

This is the problem with the cult of personality. “Worshipping” people or brands that contribute nothing to society.

Follow and Celebrate “You” for a change. You will be a lot happier.

Less is better

What could you do more of?

My blog title says it all: letting go of the past.

I’m not stuck in it, unable to move, but it haunts me sometimes. It encourages and reminds me of what I went through to get “here”.

Like the “I am they” song: Scars

I’m thankful for these scars. It’s proof I survived and moved on. Mostly.

I think when I’m idle and not going 100 mph in my head with busy work, that’s when the Past gets my attention.

So…I will try to dwell just a little less on the Past.

Baby steps.

Remember

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

A few days before I left for military basic training, my Recruiter looked at me and said:

“No matter how bad it gets (in basic training) remember why you walked into my office.”

It wasn’t a warning, it was real advice. My life was coasting, I wasn’t maturing, I was lost with no direction or discipline.

So when I almost choked on Day 3 of Basic…yes, 3 days. (It’s also called Hell Week) because they push every button you have and push you to your limits. They need to make sure you can adjust and finish a task. Also you can work together with a bunch of strangers.

Well, I thought about why I walked into his office. The thought of quitting and realizing I would be back to square one…was too much. I needed to push through. I needed to make this new career work. I was backed into the proverbial corner and the only thing pushing me into that spot was myself.

I made it, felt relived, proud…and started on a journey that would last 22 years.

They were days, nights and long deployments that would push me to those limits again. And I wanted to quit, take an easier path.

….but I remembered why I walked into that office on my birthday many years ago.

The Reckless Love of God

http://Reckless Love https://g.co/kgs/dwiXRC

I had some long term side-effects from my new meds to help me sleep.

They are enough to have me pause any drinking. I’m not an alcoholic, but I could use more Dry Time.

I’m also worn down, and stayed off my other meds for now, which makes me feel like an untethered Astronaut. I get a little more emotional easier…I won’t have any bad episodes, I’m just more aware of my faulty circuit breaker.

If you are on the fence about your Faith, not sure where you stand with God, have doubts if you are worthy about receiving Grace and Forgiveness, from anyone…listen to this song. It pulls me up every time I hear it.

I am not a perfect Christian, I can’t quote verses or scripture, I can only give a few examples of things that really hit home with me.

I know I am at this better place in my life due to a “cast of thousands”, both those still here on Earth, and those who left too soon.

Even those who slighted, stepped on, backstabbed and lied to me….they are part of my journey.

But…God placed them in my Life at the right time, and even at the “wrong” times because I wasn’t paying attention to the whole picture.

I don’t deserve some of these heroes and deep-down beautiful people in my life, and for that, I am forever grateful and humbled.

I only hope that I can reciprocate it.

Booster Shot

What things give you energy?

Purpose…and coffee, lots and lots of freaking coffee.

5-Alarm F@ck-up

Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.

I was heating some instant ramen in the microwave oven at work.

This was during my time where I was burnt out and needed a change.

So….I forgot to add water to the bowl and the microwave committed suicide. It flashed brightly and proceeded to blow out thick black/grey smoke.

The smell was acrid and burned your lungs and eyes.

I unplugged it and tried to seal it in a large garbage bag.

Unfortunately, the electrical burning smell got sucked into the ventilation system and was traveling through all 10 floors.

Oh….the building was mainly for the City Police HQ. My IT department was only on 1-2 floors.

So I immediately took to the stairs to let EVERY SINGLE FLOOR know that it was a microwave oven and there is no fire….

Thank God the Fire Department didn’t get called and the whole building evacuated….

So….that was my most epic and embarrassing cooking fail.

Hindsight learning

Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.

I wish I had an easy answer for these types of questions.

Learning something valuable earlier sounds like time travel and affecting my present.

The default ones are save money, don’t drink so much in the early ‘80’s…going back further, the ripples and changes would have been greater.

I understand now, that all my mistakes, missteps and decisions got me to this exact moment.

My lessons learned have shaped me, nudged me into adulthood. The good and the bad stuff playing a part in this journey of constant learning. Trial and Error.

This evolution of me has made me more patient in one area, angrier on something else…in love with this and bitter at another thing.

There is no saving answer, growing up is about facing your decisions.

Whether you choose to listen to advice or opinions is up to you. My younger self was stubborn and selfish. I would have ignored me….

Lead, Follow, or get out of the way.

Do you see yourself as a leader?

I use to be a leader, I use to also wear a suit. I had the window office with a view.

I lead by example. I got my hands dirty along with everyone else.

I gave everyone second, third and fourth chances sometimes. Sometimes.

But after awhile, the office with a view, the title, the pay, didn’t make up for the stress of being beaten up daily by trying to get some of my team to do the minimum. (This was the long term culture when I arrived)

In the military, I had to tell my team to slow down. Usually non-performers would get out when their enlistments were up. Self-cleaning gene pool.

So after getting severe burnout, I took a step backwards and focused on being happy, fulfilled and at peace.

I joke that I am no longer “The Man”, and now I’m just “The Guy”.

The Guy is waaaaay happier.