Thanks Don!

As you know, I always appreciate it when you share your wisdom and experience.... :)

> A little background first;
> When I got out of college I took a job with
> a big corp and after seeing people in their
> 50's getting "laid-off" and
> replaced by younger people at a fraction of
> the salary (I was one of these)...I decided
> I was going to start my own biz no matter
> what it took.

I had a similar experience....

Not long after I started my Ph.D. in 1993, they tried to sack one of my thesis advisors - Peter Lloyd. Strangely enough, he was probably the most famous person in the physics department for his research work. He was the only person in the department I've heard who has been seriously called a "genius." But that didn't stop them.... It only takes one decision-maker faced with budget cuts to make a bad decision....

In the end, his colleagues (who were angered by the decision) got many physics luminaries around the world to write in to the university in his support. The decision was even criticized in Australian newspaper columns, and also in a column in the Australian edition of "New Scientist" magazine.

Finally, the university backed off (probably from all the adverse publicity).

But this taught me a lesson, which is that there are NO GUARANTEES in employment, NO MATTER how good, famous, or wonderful you are. You can be sacked any time. And the older you are, the sicker you are, the more vulnerable you are, the more likely they are to do it....

In Peter Lloyd's case, he was a true genius in physics, someone who had made giant strides in his field of research. But what if you weren't quite of that degree of fame in the physics community? Would you be able to get a university to back off from their decision? I doubt it. If it had been anyone else in the department, they wouldn't have had a chance.

Although I continued to complete my Ph.D., and worked for a few years in academia after that, as the years went by I got edgier. Academia was going through a bit of a squeeze in Australia at that time, and I heard of others also losing their positions they had held for many years. And finally, I made the plunge to commit myself to the course of being independent wholeheartedly.

I prefer to be the author of my own destiny, rather than have my destiny be dependent on the whims of a bureaucrat.... (That's all it often boils down to - the decision of one person.)

I would say that observing the case of one of my thesis advisors from a close vantage point has helped to drive me to find ways to be independent!

I've already succeeded in one approach, that of stock market investing. Now, I'm focusing on broadening my skills base to include entrepreneurship as well.... :)

> I spent a year hunting down every
> "biz-op" I could find and finally
> found a product I felt I could sell....gave
> my notice and started and never looked back.

Thanks Don, I'm glad to read this.... I'm about seven months now into my "independence"....

Along with Gordon Alexander, I've created this site and this forum (though it's my sole responsibility). And I have a couple other projects too - I have the Australia-Pacific rim rights to Gordon's "Think and Reach Par" and "How to Play an Unknown Golf Course," and I also have another joint venture regarding a stock market related product (more will be revealed when the time is right). :)

> I enjoy finding new products or finding ways
> of changing old products or services so
> they're more profitable.

"...Finding ways of changing old products or services so they're more profitable." That's something I hadn't thought of....

> I ALWAYS keep my
> "eyes open" and I'm also VERY
> CURIOUS and I ask a lot of questions. I've
> trained my mind to see if there's a better
> way of doing something.

Yes, I believe it's something you can train your mind to do.... I admire people such as yourself, Gordon Alexander, Jim Straw, Michael Ross, and a few others, who have trained their minds to do this kind of thing.... To be able to spot opportunities. It's something I'm working on training myself to do as well.... :)

I'm glad to hear that being CURIOUS is a part of it, since I'm nothing if not curious.... :)

Many people seem to have their curiosity drummed out of them some time when they attended school, which is sad. I think it's all the rote learning....

Being curious, and following your curiosity, I think is one of life's most wonderful pleasures.... :)

Thanks for those stories of how you found your three biggest successes, Don.... It's an inspiration! And also a testament to your creative mind.... :)

> Thanks for letting me share this and I hope
> some of you are inspired about it...because
> ideas are all around you...you just have to
> be aware and when you do get
> something...TAKE THE STEPS to put it into
> action!

Thanks Don! That's a great lesson.... Of course, without taking action, it ain't for nuthin!

- Dien