I'm fully aware that is not the saying. Most millionaires, CEO's and corporate america big swinging Richard's always use that tagline to work smarter, not harder. Personally, I chose not to learn the shortcuts on my computer, not to use a cart when carrying a ton of luggage through the airport and typically pack up my entire house by myself rather than hire a moving company. I've also driven cross country at least 12 times now; do you have any idea how inefficient that is? Sometimes to save a couple dollars I look at surrounding airports, check rental car and train costs and then compare my potential savings if I went the significantly more difficult route.
The irony in all of this is that if you asked me (or my parents, friends or ex-girlfriends) what it is that gets me so incredibly worked up and irritable beyond recognition, it would be wasting time. Getting lost, resulting in a 7-minute late arrival somewhere is infuriating to me. Sitting at the dinner table after a good meal and calmly discussing small talk about the days current events, mind blowing! Over the years I feel I have progressively managed to become more and more patient. Mind you, I started at a level one out of ten, so when I mention I've steadily progressed I'm probably still only at a four. Regardless, I've definitely made a conscious effort and I've improved greatly.
This new venture though has pushed me to the limits at times. Coming from someone who absolutely sucks at technology and navigating around a Mac, this is probably one of the worst business ventures on paper for me to tackle. Hey Luke, since you are horrendous at learning new things on the computer, you have zero inclination how to build a website and you barely comprehend how to use iTunes on your iPhone 5 that has a total of 6 apps installed on it, you should start a solo venture predicated around technology, social media, video editing and everything else you scored below a 3rd grader on. Once that marinates, sprinkle in the fact that I'm the type of individual who punches holes in the wall when I can't find an email or flips a desk because I don't understand why I can't use the freaking crop picture tool without downloading some bullshit complicated program.
You can sense my frustrations and fly off the handle'ness. However, I'd put me up against anyone out there when it comes to shear determination, will power and physical go getter'ness. Not a word, I know. If I can tackle a project that is tangible and I am able to study, organize and mold how it is developed, I am great. My friends all say I'm one of the best movers they've ever seen. I once moved an NBA JAM Arcade game out of my house and onto a pickup truck by myself. The unit came from the second floor of my house and was the oversized 4-player edition. The world wide web just informed me that the two person version weighs in at 403lbs. Not impressed? I once drove 30+ hours without stopping because I was trying to outrun a storm moving swiftly along the southern part of the country. I worked all day at the Golden State Warriors, finished work and went to my going away dinner with friends, then laid down in bed fully dressed until my girlfriend fell asleep around 11pm. I grabbed my keys and headed to my Chevy Tahoe that was already packed to the gills inside and had a 10ft U-haul trailer attached to the rear. I drove from San Francisco, down the coast and then headed west until I realized the roads were in such poor shape that I was about to make a really dumb decision if I didn't tap out. I finally parked the car just outside of Oklahoma City, OK.
Still not impressed? Okay, I don't care. I share because as often times it is better to be as efficient as possible, their are plenty of times it just comes down to shear tenacity, passion and giving zero funks what anyone else says. So, with that, I'll announce that I just landed in Little Rock, Arkansas. I flew here from Utah with my skis, ski boot bag, podcast equipment bag and a suitcase of clothes. The owner of Master's Transportation just picked me up at the airport in his Chevy Camaro (yes, zero room for my bags so I left them all at the airport, awesome). Mr. Lindsey drove me about an hour east, the opposite direction I'm headed, so that I could pickup the 26ft long bus I purchased sight unseen on eBay. Once arrived, the bus didn't start. We tried charging it, it didn't start. We then drove 30 minutes down the road to O'Reilly Auto Parts for a new battery, drove back, charged it up and good news, now it starts. As I packed the bus up, more great news, we have to go inside and now start the paperwork that had not been preemptively done. Not sure why, but who cares at this point. Another hour later, we are on our way.
I am writing this from the Waffle House and RedRoof Inn near downtown Little Rock. My plans? I need to drive this giant bus roughly 1,200 miles to my parents house in Cambridge, Maryland. I have stops planned in Asheville, NC and that's about it. It's not very comfortable and it's certainly not fast, so I have to take my time and be patient and also not push it because it was born in 1999, the same year I graduated high school. We learned that year that "nothing could be finer than to be a 99'er" so I'm sure that saying stands true for old-school buses as well.
Now, in closing, I'll share the one twist I have to this story. If you're curious why I bought the bus, read the homepage of my website rather than me regurgitating. The twist though is that I am working way harder than I should be and not smart at all. The bus has 27 seats which means I need to be certified and have a CDL license, which I do not have. The bus also does not have tags on it because Mr. Lindsay is a wholesaler so I didn't even receive temporary license plates for it. No worries, I called Progressive and at least I can insure it before I start this long road trip; incorrect. Progressive, State Farm and the independent dealer I contacted all shunned me and will not insure this beast. Okay, so no insurance, no tags, no registration and no CDL license, not that bad, right? Well, if you saw my post on Instagram yesterday you'll know last week my wallet was stolen from my gym locker so before I flew to Utah I spent 4hrs at the DMV. What was set to be a routine license renewal turned into a debacle as Pennsylvania shared with California at the turn of 2016 that I have an unresolved violation from 2010 which warrants a suspension hold until resolved. Awesome, so tack suspended license onto the grab bag mentioned above.
Work smart means I have the bus shipped to Maryland and call it a day. Work hard means I roll the dice and keep my head on a swivel.
Next stop, Asheville.
