I can't do it!, Im not that smart
 

I sometimes wonder how much further I could have got in life, had I used my brain, instead of my back .

Ain't it great running into morons with money™?

I had a particularly memorable encounter just a couple of weeks ago. I hope that guy's wealth was inherited, because he sure wasn't smart, and his wife was a cliché.

Tesla was a decent guy. He died poor and was carried financially by Westinghouse (IIRC) in his final years.

Some say he was smart.

I think to succeed with your brain in business you need to be more mean than smart.

It took balls for Gates to say you cant use my operating system unless you cough up the license fee. Look where that got him. I think at the time all the code geeks just let everybody use their creations so he had to think like a business man acting in the best interest of the shareholders of a company - which can be translated into greed if you look at it in that manner.

I've been pondering this as well, reflecting on my life choices, career(s) especially when I was young. It's very easy to be hard on oneself with 100% hindsight vision. I made those choices with the knowledge and desires at the time. Opportunities in the transportation industry seemed limitless. I knew older guys who were good technicians in the 60's/70's/early80's that had homes, families, money, and their own side gig(s) to also support sportsman level drag racing.

This period of time was also the dawn of electronics in automobiles, emission controls, there seemed to be so much technology that was about to be put into place.

So, in my young mind, I could achieve the same, and more. I did not finish college, I was too impatient with making something happen. Being impatient and young was not a good combination as I would often become frustrated when things would not go as planned, and I would abandon whatever project or goal and quickly move on to the next thing, both in my professional and unfortunately, my personal life as well.

My view was / is I would rather be regretful about things I've done in my old age, than things not ventured into.

I have very few regerts in life.....;)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1656604030.jpg

Me neither Baz, I am actually pretty happy where I am at in life .
Today, I am installing a motor into a Camry, listening to a groovy reggae mix, and feeling pretty good about life .
I am sure I have left some money on the table, but I did it my way on my own terms. No boss for almost 30 years now .
Of course , it occasionally has its moments .

I've done a blend of the two and it hasn't got me too far. lol

^^^ ... and that pretty much defines success imo.

You know the old saying... "The grass is always greener ... in the other guy's stash of weed!"

Or something like that ;).

You rock Fred!

"No Regerts!" here either.... well... other than that damn tattoo :D

We all have at least some faint regrets, perceived missed opportunities, etc., but we all made decisions we have to stand by. We have no choice. I think lots of people who buy into the used my brain, instead of my back" are influenced by the hype promoted by portions of society - namely that sitting in a seat talking on a phone, or in front of a computer is the way everybody should go. Fred should know that's not the only path. He's "feeling pretty good about life." There are a lot of people "using their brains" not feeling that way.

Saw a new Yorker cartoon: Two dogs in front of a doghouse:
Dog one: I just dreamed I was a captain of Industry, jetting around the globe and controlling $ Billions in assets.
Dog 2: God, what a nightmare.

Age 78...looking back, sure some regrets in many of life's areas. But here I sit, knowing the finish line nears and thinking overall it's been a pretty good run.

Sir, you couldn't be where you are without having used your brain. To be successful at what you are doing, you have to be smart enough to fix cars (well) and run a business. You're clearly using your brains, it just happens that your work also requires some brawn and a lack of AC (and a surplus of idiot customers).
While I think that probably comes from making good, or at least decent decisions, I think a big part of that is also outlook on life.
Yep, successful business for 30 years, you've got to be using your brains at least as much as your back, if not more. And being happy/content where you are is a testament to your outlook as well.
Exactly, I was thinking about posting one of the regerts tattoo pics.
Exactly, not everyone is cut out for all/any jobs. I took a personality test once long ago that was tied to checking the sort of vocation you might be best at. You'd get 3 "types" of work which were then scored. The highest score (most suited) was supposed to be your best "job" path. The second highest score was supposed to be something that you could maybe do as a job, but might actually be better suited as a hobby or pastime. I think for me my highest score was something like what I'm doing now, technical desk work. My second highest score was working with my hands in a technical way, carpentry, cars, etc... That's supposed to be stuff that I might like as a hobby, but probably not best as a job. So, working on a car, doing carpentry, etc... is enjoyable in smaller doses, but full time, might not make me happy. There could be folks that had those same two things, but reversed.

Then there's the whole "your own boss" thing.

But I think your outlook on life has a lot to do with this subject too. I used to tell my wife "it always works out in the end." Something might happen, that at the time seems really bad, but then at some point, whether it's a week or a month or a year down the road, you'll end up in a position where you realize that bad thing lead you to a new opportunity, and you're better of now than you were before. ie, you lose a job, but your next job is even better or wreck a car, but the next car is even better or ....)

I started out going to college for electrical engineering. I didn't want to do electrical engineering, and didn't even know what that meant that I'd be doing. I just thought "I'm good at math and science and working with my hands and... so this seems like a good direction for me." Because I had no idea what I could or would do or what I wanted to do, I eventually quit. Would my life be different now if I'd finished? Absolutely! Would it be better? I wonder about that sometimes, but I have no idea. There's a chance that it would have lead me down a path with more hardship or less happiness. As it is, I enjoy what I do and am happy and relatively successful.

I think a big part of life is continuing to move forward and being able to be happy which is I think, something that comes from inside yourself.

A question many ask.

I was grossly under-employed for years. Got fired, laid off, quit. Had just an awful time from 1988 - 1991. Then I was employed as a sales guy for $18K per year. Worked my azz off. Then moved to another firm for $33K per year. Sold over $30MM for them in 2000. Left. Went to the competitors. Got laid off as they were going bankrupt.

Started commission sales in 2004. Have made what I am worth every day since. Also invested way more than most the whole time.

While I started slow, I have ended up pretty fine. Today I am contemplating LJW Part 3. This is the part of my life where I don't have a "job" but just work on investments. My investments. When I want to.

You and I have similar trajectories. Being "self made" has a satisfaction and security to it.

So, I would answer like this. You didn't have to kiss azz. You didn't have to play the corporate game. You didn't have to fly around the globe and miss your family. You didn't have to eat awful meals on the road.

You made your decisions. You are happy. You did pretty damn well. And, you will be doing better down the road as you are an investor.

I've never been a big money earner. As soon as I started to do well as an employee and move up through the ranks I'd quit and go overseas on a holiday.

But while on holiday I learnt things and made wise investments. So I've ended up doing better in life than friends who loyally worked their butts off in the banks and insurance companies. It's all about the investments.

I have two older brothers - who on paper at least have accumulated more wealth than me.

Some of which from being married - 2 incomes coming in. Me - single & 1 income.

Nevertheless - they are BOTH Azzholes. Both have 1 kid and well - shall we say the old apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I also have an older step-brother - and he's a good guy. And has done well for himself and along with his wife raised 3 great kids.

Yep, it's not all about the money. But I'm not going to turn it down either.

I am not sure if money is it, but my father always reminded me that he has a great family and I always remember he spent every Sundays with us as a family doing "stuff". Now, I try to do the same for my own family. But in terms of using one's brain instead of doing psychical labor work, there's some reward to that too. Instant satisfaction, I suppose? You get to create or install a big engine in a car. By the end of the day, you see the results whereas in many of the "brain" type jobs, the result wouldn't be seen for months.

I think I could have done really well had I gone into the jewelry wholesale business my father wanted me to do. He had all the connections.

I will be 56 near the end of the year thinking about retirement, daily. Looking back, I had a pretty good go at it. Started my business from nothing but grit and hard work dragging myself through muck most of the first ten years. There's a huge satisfaction in seeing it work out. We are comfortable, great family. I am not sure if I want more? Of course, we all want more money, an another 911 or two or maybe 5? Where does it end? Can't look back now but forward.

I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

And I do have regerts.

But seriously I never, ever had a plan. I didn’t know I was going to college until my senior year in HS, for example, at which time I was well on my way into the world of music as a drummer without a plan, or even a decent drum kit until I got a job giving drum lessons and bought one a few weeks before I quit and went to college. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Drumming paid a big chunk of my school costs.

I declared a major my third year because they made me. I chose to pursue a psych degree because it offered the most electives while chasing the paper.

Etc.

I guess I’m pretty good at looking around and making decisions. Plus, I’m blessed, lucky or both.

There was a big recession when was a young man. I tried to find employment in all areas outside of working in the fields/agriculture. I grew up very poor and had low expectations. I tried to get jobs in retail, construction, sales, delivery, and even washing dishes. Anything that paid minimum wage or more. I probably would still be selling shoes at KMart if they would have hired me. All rejected me for older, more experienced men. I finally found a job flipping burgers for less than minimum wage. I was quite good at it and advanced quickly...but, it was just bad enough that I summoned the courage to leave town and try other places/things. I guess that was the secret for me as I have been pretty happy with my careers. Careers I had because I was not good enough/failed at lesser ones. Some of my friends had an "in"...like a relative that worked at a grocery store that got them a job as a bagger or stocker. Most worked there their entire life. Thank God no one helped me...as, like them, I would have been just comfortable enough to not try anything else.

I briefly went to college after high school (small scholarship) but was bored and really did not see the point...as everyone I knew that had gone away to college came home and worked in the grocery store. Their degrees had no real value in the workplace. One would do better just to go to work and earn money for 4 years more than they did. Later on, after I knew what I needed to do to further my career, I went back to college and took classes/got a degree in an area that advanced my career...and largely got it paid for.

No, I am not Bill Gates successful...but I am happy enough (and had a lot more humble beginnings). I guess there were a few points where I could have made a decision that would have made me seriously wealthy, but like most folks...I was a bit too conservative and did not want to take a risk of losing what I had (wife and kids to support, etc.). Sometimes (like when I started out), having nothing to lose really is freedom to make choices.

Every last one of us do. It is how we deal with those regrets, faint or neon, that is the measure of our success.

I will tell you this Fred: the fact that you take this question on in your life is, in my mind, the best possible trait in a person.

Forward.