I grew up very poor. For several years as a teenager, I had to hunt and fish for food. Many times if I did not catch a fish (or shoot a rabbit), I did not eat. Throw into the mix that my parents were divorcing (and I was used as a pawn between them), I was confused, depressed, and alone for most of my teenage years. All through high school, I was not able to really learn who I was. I never had a girlfriend, went to any football games, went to any dances (you get the picture). After all, the biggest problem I had was where my next meal was coming from (and whether I was even going to have one). I had no time for socializing. I was out hunting, fishing, or foraging for food.
After I graduated from high school, I went off to college at Penn State University. My freshman year was spent reflecting on what I had in college vs what I knew at home. I was mostly an introvert, but I did room with one of my best friends from high school. For my sophomore year, I got a new roommate and my life was about in a radically GOOD way.
One day on the way to physics class, I was walking behind two people who I knew. I love to people-watch and I love to listen to what people have to say. On this particular day, one of the two people in front of me was swearing like no tomorrow. I remember thinking, “How can anybody talk like that, it is so offensive.”
I stopped DEAD in my tracks. Why? Because I had picked up the habit of swearing as a teenager. If people think swearing like that is offensive, and I swear, then some people MUST think that I am offensive. This was a profound realization for me, and it took me several days to come to terms with it. Nonetheless, I was not deterred. I was determined to break this “bad” habit of mine. Within four weeks, I stopped swearing altogether, and I felt proud. It was at that moment in my life, that I realized I had control over my life and I had the power to change anything about me that I did not like. No longer did I have to question why I had to endure the events of my teenage years. Those events certainly SHAPED me, but they do not have to dictate who I am. Thus, I went on a TEN-year transformation to eliminate what I considered my “bad and offensive” habits. I was finally able to make myself into somebody who I actually am proud to be.
Along the way, I have learned a LOT of things. My ex-wife had a philosophy that I particularly liked:
If I am in doubt, I try it. I never want to look back on my life and think “what if I had done that?”
That stuck with me and still does to this day. Live life to the fullest – NO REGRETS!
Along those lines, I have been told many, many, MANY times that I lead a fascinating life full of fun and adventure. Since graduating from college, this is the only way I know how to live and know nothing different.
I live by three principles (inspired by my ex-wife):
- If it sounds fun AND
- If it is not illegal AND
- If it will not hurt somebody (I am fair game to be hurt/injured 🙂 ) else THEN
- TRY IT! You just might find something fun to do!
This mantra has served me well in life.
By all statistics, I should have ended up as a drug-using criminal on the street corner with a long rap sheet. Instead, one fateful day in college turned my entire life around. I seized the opportunity that the universe gave me and I have made the most of it.
I truly feel very fortunate to be where I am today. I never forget my roots and where I have been. I am grateful to have done so many fun and interesting things in my life – from playing poker semi-professionally to officiating professional ice hockey for eleven years, to skydiving, to scuba diving, to whatever life gives me next. I look at the world in a different light. For example, what does this phrase say?
O P P O R T U N I T Y I S N O W H E R E
Most people will say “Opportunity is nowhere“. You know what? I see “Opportunity is now here“, and that is how I live my life. I hope to share some of my adventures with you in my humble blog. Thanks for reading!