Can you do it?
YES YOU CAN DO IT
Most people believe “It can’t be done” How many times do you hear someone say that? Almost daily if you listen. No wonder many people are doomed to fail. Many of us give up and settle for a lot less in life than we could have, on the other side of the coin many of us just work too hard believing we need a lot more than we really do. After a very rough start in life; living in a small coal mining village in New Zealand, receiving a very poor education, I was able to carve out a spectacular career. Despite failing all the exams at Huntly College, New Zealand, despite the wasted three miserable years there I was able to retire at 50 years old. Yes I had the help of many good people along the way plus self determination and I escaped working in a coal mine and made some interesting experiences happen.
I intended to outline some of those experiences as well as the mistakes, stories about my world of travel, including an overland trip from Europe to India via Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal.
Working on a Pirate Radio station at sea in 1966, selling for Xerox after returning from the UK in 1974 and creating a successful import business in New Zealand for a major Japanese Hi-Fi manufacturer.
I took up learning to play guitar at the ripe old age of sixty five and organizing concerts featuring the legendary world renowned guitarist Hank Marvin. THEN my real journey into photography began.
None of this is to blow my own trumpet, the goal is to simply inspire the reader into understanding we can do whatever we wish if we try hard enough and have the passion. There are tons of pages on the internet about “How to retire early” however my question is how many of these writers have actually done it?
Why I am not a Cabinet Maker
you can do it
This picture reminds me of the negative stuff I was dished out when I served my three years hard labour at Huntly College. When I started there I absolutely loved woodwork, I was into fretwork, building cabinets and boxes. I had saved money and bought a beautiful woodwork kit of tools that most kids wood have loved at around 13 years of age. However it was a waste of time because all my hopes of ever becoming a cabinet maker were quashed by the most arrogant woodwork teacher I had ever come across.
My intermediate school years enabled me to have an introduction to woodwork at Huntly Intermediate School, before attending the college. Here we had a lovely positive teacher by the name of Mr Small but Huntly College was unfortunate to have a Mr Big by the real name of Pethybridge, he ran the woodwork shop with an iron fist and motivated the students by fear. When he saw my original efforts at building a step ladder he announced to the class he could have done a better job with his teeth. Next proceeding to tell me not to bother considering woodwork as a career and taking the metalwork class the following year. Destroying my self esteem I now look back on his negative attitude as really doing me a favor considering my successful business career. It is just a shame it took me all these years to realize the good deed he did. If you wish to bore yourself with my entire life story I have a special page for that here:
Or carry on reading the blog…..
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