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- Jul 24, 2007
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This got me into a lot of trouble early in life. At least it seemed to.
I had a troubled childhood with my family subsisting on welfare, an extremely mentally ill mother, and a father that was not around.
Most people have the ability to defend themselves with words. I was not able to. There was always a feeling inside me that led me to defend myself with lashing out. This frequently led to verbal outbursts or violence.
I had a lot of insecurities and felt "less than" most of those around me.
I did have a lot of things going for me in that I was a star cross country and track runner. I also found school to be too easy.
I managed to find a way to get booted from school and sports. Yell at teachers, get in fights, and skip school. Did not even have enough units to get through tenth grade.
My father signed for me to enlist in the Marines at the age of 17. That was short-lived as well with insubordination and more fights.
Interaction with people was very hard. I could not even call people on the phone at this time unless I knew them. I would have friends (the few that I had) call to inquire about car parts, jobs ads, or anything that required discussion.
I found a landscaping job at the age of 18. The owner of the company was only 20. He was a real go-getter. I blossomed under him. He allowed me to work my a$$ off for 14 hours a day. I became the crew leader. I began to come out of my shell and worked with the customers on a limited level.
I went to work for another service company that required some sales and a lot of customer interaction. Feedback to the company about my performance was positive which gave me more confidence.
My life was feeling better but I still could not manage being told what to do. Instant barricades would go up. It felt like I was slamming into walls all the time.
I went to work for a large company and had great success. I climbed the technical side for a number of years before going into management. Still clashing with superiors along the way.
One day it dawned on me... I don't have to do what people tell me. I quit my promising career and went out on my own. Relief never felt so great as that day.
That was 17 years ago.
I had a troubled childhood with my family subsisting on welfare, an extremely mentally ill mother, and a father that was not around.
Most people have the ability to defend themselves with words. I was not able to. There was always a feeling inside me that led me to defend myself with lashing out. This frequently led to verbal outbursts or violence.
I had a lot of insecurities and felt "less than" most of those around me.
I did have a lot of things going for me in that I was a star cross country and track runner. I also found school to be too easy.
I managed to find a way to get booted from school and sports. Yell at teachers, get in fights, and skip school. Did not even have enough units to get through tenth grade.
My father signed for me to enlist in the Marines at the age of 17. That was short-lived as well with insubordination and more fights.
Interaction with people was very hard. I could not even call people on the phone at this time unless I knew them. I would have friends (the few that I had) call to inquire about car parts, jobs ads, or anything that required discussion.
I found a landscaping job at the age of 18. The owner of the company was only 20. He was a real go-getter. I blossomed under him. He allowed me to work my a$$ off for 14 hours a day. I became the crew leader. I began to come out of my shell and worked with the customers on a limited level.
I went to work for another service company that required some sales and a lot of customer interaction. Feedback to the company about my performance was positive which gave me more confidence.
My life was feeling better but I still could not manage being told what to do. Instant barricades would go up. It felt like I was slamming into walls all the time.
I went to work for a large company and had great success. I climbed the technical side for a number of years before going into management. Still clashing with superiors along the way.
One day it dawned on me... I don't have to do what people tell me. I quit my promising career and went out on my own. Relief never felt so great as that day.
That was 17 years ago.
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