About Me

At the age of 32, I knew I hadn't accomplished what I wanted out of life. I have worked since the tender age of 14, doing jobs I hated, for the most part.

I have done all of the following:

- I was a "helper/manual laborer" for a home improvement company. Translation: I went and fetched tools, carried heavy things my boss didn't want to carry, and did all the other miscellaneous tasks he did not want to do -- all for minimum wage.

- I did landscaping for the church I attended. I mowed lawns, edged, pulled weeds, dug ditches, painted, plus any other odd/random task the property manager didn't feel like doing himself.

- I worked in construction, specifically for a concrete company. I painted asphalt emulsion (which is basically just tar) all over a gigantic warehouse. I took apart wooden forms. I carried heavy things. I went and fetched tools. It was grunt work at its finest

- I was a door-to-door door salesman. Not kidding. I went door-to-door, in random neighborhoods, canvassing homes, trying to get them to buy doors, windows or other exterior home products. I did this job for a month and a half before I decided it expressly was not for me.

- I delivered pizza for Domino's, Chanello's and Papa John's. This involves more than driving around. Delivery drivers are required to take orders on the phone. They have to fold boxes, ensure toppings are up-to-date, do routine cleaning inside the store, and many other menial tasks, in addition to constantly having to leave to take pizza to people who, more often than not, either don't tip or tip very little.

- I was a janitor in the academic buildings at college, during my freshman year. This involved sweeping, vacuuming, taking out trash, cleaning toilets, and even emptying and replacing female "mailboxes" (feminine product containers) in the restrooms. All while my fellow classmates walked right past me. This one of my more demeaning jobs.

- I worked in a print shop, where we did scanning, copying and printing of all size documents, mainly for contractors and big businesses. There was never a day where we finished our work. Each day started with delving into the pile of what we didn't finish the day before. My boss was a drug addict and alcoholic who was rarely in the store, and held entirely unrealistic expectations of what sort of workload the few of us should be able to keep up with. I was eventually fired from this job for something that someone else did. I hated the job so much, I didn't fight it. I accepted it as a blessing.

- I was the Coordinator for a sub-department at the local marine terminals that was responsible for monitoring the efficiency of the cranes and crane operators who loaded and unloaded the freight vessels. Essentially, we sat in cars, under giant machinery, while we held palm pilots and mindlessly pressed buttons for hours, usually in the middle of the night.

- I ran a screen printing business out of my garage for a couple of months. It seemed like a good idea at the time, because I love designing, and it appeared to be a job I could do at my own leisure. I could work for myself, and that was cool. I didn't count on the learning curve required to really become a good screen printer. A couple months in, the stress forced me to quit and sell my equipment to someone else.

- I was in a rock band that made several recordings, played in front of thousands of people, had our stuff played on the radio, had talks with several record labels, did a national tour...and then broke up. We were together for five years, and at some point, you get burned out doing anything. I was in a couple other bands after that, but nothing as successful, and eventually, I just gave up on that dream.

Finally and most recently: 

  - For six years, I was a teacher and basketball coach at the high school from which I graduated. In March of 2012, I was told I would not be offered a contract for the next year (2012-2013), due to extreme budget cuts that were having to be made, because of low enrollment.

I'm 32. I have a wife who is 35 weeks pregnant. I have a house mortgage. Like most people, I also have many other bills.

All of this, combined with my last job experience, was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. It was time for a change.

So I work for myself now.

I've wanted to be my own boss my entire life, and now I am. I write, edit and design websites. It's still new. I could eventually fall on my face, but I'm willing to broadcast that vulnerable journey in front of the whole world.

Why?

Because you might find it valuable. Maybe I'll do something brilliant that you can draw from. Maybe I'll do something really idiotic (this is the more likely of the two), and you will be able to learn from my mistakes.

Either way, if this intrigues you, and if all of this is a story that resonates with you, I want you along for the ride.

So how can you be a part of this community?

The easiest way is to read my blog posts as often as possible. My goal is to post five times a week. I don't always accomplish this, but I do most of the time. I post my blog entries at 6:00 a.m. ET. So, if you're an early riser, you can check it out, first thing. If you get up a little later, it will still be there waiting for you.

If you enjoy my posts, I'd love it if you left a comment in the comment section, even if it's just something shot and sweet. It lets me know you're reading and that you liked it. That makes every author feel good. So don't be shy. Please leave comments.

You can follow me on Twitter HERE. I usually tweet two or three times a day to remind people what's going on that day at TheIsleOfMan.Net, but I also share things that were important to me, like blog posts and articles from other friends of mine that I respect and enjoy reading. I think it's content you'll appreciate.

You can "LIKE" my Facebook page HERE. I generally post links to the latest blog post here, twice a day (in the morning and evening). I also like to try to engage my readers on this page with thought provoking questions, occasionally. I won't spam you here or anywhere else.

You can subscribe to the blog, and get updates via Google Reader. The link to my RSS feed is: http://www.theisleofman.net/feeds/posts/default. If you're not already using Google Reader to keep up on your blogs, I highly recommend it. It can be used on your desktop or notebook computer, your tablet device, or even your cell phone (iPhone or Android). It's great.


You can also subscribe to my e-mail list. If you do, again, I promise not to spam you. Unlike a lot of sites, subscribing to my list does NOT mean you will get daily emails, or even that you will get an email every time I publish a blog post. When you subscribe to my email list, it just means you will get occasional updates on what's new and what is going on at TheIsleOfMan.Net. I also like to give my email list subscribers first dibs on giveaways, and will send unique blog posts to the subscribers that no one else gets to read. You can subscribe HERE.    


I want to get to know you, if I haven't already. I hope you'll join in and be a part of this growing community. We don't have it all figured out, but we have fun figuring it out together!