Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes! Wooooooo00o0oOOoo000oo00o00ooOOoooo..

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So much going on I felt like babbling here vs. blowing up my Facebook feed.

Summer is ending, on my birthday. Seasons turn, I assess my life, accomplishments, goals etc.. try not to dwell on the things I've procrastinated on and tally the things I have done, set new goals and timelines etc

Official kiteboarding season is over so no more rescue staff, which means I might not get out kiting again til Spring/Summer - maybe.. there's a chance I'll borrow/buy an old board and get out in some storms with the boys whenever there's a small craft warning. But if not this frees up weekends for other things.. possibly part time work. I've been considering various types of work or a variety of different things.

My boss and his business partner are in the middle of splitting up. It's like a messy divorce with dozens of kids choosing sides. In the grand scheme of things the only thing that's really truly changing is the name on our paycheques, but a bunch of the guys are super loyal to the other guy and worry that the more.. business oriented partner will be much more ruthless with labour cost control & lay them off during the Winter. I'm indifferent. There's pros and cons to each, and things to learn from each of them. Also, I have savings and am not worried about missing a paycheque or two if I have to find other work.

Even though not a lot is actually changing, IMO, the whole vibe is different and some people are worried about getting fired, others don't like the guy and want to quit etc etc soooo whenever there's a shakeup in a work place I always step back and think hmmm, maybe now's a good time to go make a change for myself. One young guy already accepted a new job for 1.5x+ the hourly wage. I've declined/ignored several job offers this year because I liked learning from these guys.. but if they're leaving, I figure I may as well go make more money.

I've been offered a few different jobs in the past week. One guy offered me a different type of construction job & said as soon as I can learn to do what they do and he doesn't have to be on site and I can run his crew, he'll pay me $x/hr - which is over 1.5x more than I make now. That's a healthy raise. But, it would mean doing heavy lifting outside in the rain all Winter. I've done it before and can do it again. I'm 6'2 207lbs ~9.5%bf and part of my job is to lift the heavy things.. which is also why I'm considering leaving. I'm not learning any new skills by lifting the heavy things. It's good for my bosses, not so good for me. I tend to get pigeon-holed into doing crap jobs instead of advancing because I'm good at the things no one else can or wants to do. No new skills = no progress, no raises. I'm smarter than that.

Also, the last time I switched jobs I nearly doubled my income and I told my ex-coworkers that if I were to be offered an opportunity to double my income again I'd peace out from my new gig. Well, I may have that opportunity now. A friend from the beach makes $10-15K/month selling cars and figures I'd be good at it - better than average at least. I trust his assessment but still went and met up with another car salesman friend to get some info. After 2 years in the business, the 2nd guy is making $7-9K/month. I used to work for him at his restaurant and I'm a far better salesman than he is.

Guaranteed I can do better than him, faster than him. When I worked at his restaurant it was only a matter of weeks before his regular customers came in to see me and not him. I've been going to the beach and some parties for a year now - and in that year hundreds of people know me by face/name etc. I have an innate ability to make fast friends with just about anyone. That's worth GOLD in the sales biz. So, my friend from the beach has contacts at several dealerships and has offered to refer me to whichever one I want. I can afford the risk of working for low $ for a little while if it takes time to build things up.

My thoughts at the moment are to take him up on his offer and go slot in where I want to work. It shouldn't take too long to double or triple my income, which will put me on the fast track to having the capital I need to launch an entirely different business with some friends next year. That's sort of been spurred by my father having cancer. He's recovering from surgery now and will be off work for about a year. It's made me think about not wasting time, moving forward with goals and just saying "F it, let's do it!" sooner rather than later. One of my friends that bought a building and hired 7 full time people last September said his only regret was that he didn't do it a year earlier, because he already had the money and the plan. I have the plan and almost have the money I need. If I double my income I'll have it next year.

Time to get a few back burner projects off my to-do list & finish some things I've procrastinated on before the end of the calendar year. More immediately, I'm gonna go spend the evening at the beach and talk shop with my car sales buddy. But first I have to buy a ticket to go see Pete Tong next weekend at the most popular night club in town - basically gonna go get F'd up all night with beach friends for my birthday.

Blah blah blah. Feel free to throw in your 2 cents, advice etc.

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No for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.

Many happy returns! It is good to get updates like this from members who have been away for a while.