Note: This is not a standard resume – it's a G-rated version of what I've learned and how – and may be more than you want to know.

Still, it explains why I  come up with answers that work in situations where most people are left scratching their heads.

There’s an old saying, “Wisdom comes from good judgment. Good judgment comes from experience. And experience comes from bad judgment.”

I’ve had LOTS of experience.

As a little kid I survived scarlet fever, meningitus and polio. Being bedridden I learned to read early, mostly adventure stories and biographies of explorers and scientists. So much reading made me a bad fit in school.

I left high school — and home — at age 16. I was 5'9" tall weighed 139 pounds, and was full of romantic notions. Five years later I was 6'3', 210 pounds. Still full of romantic notions but seasoned with experience, regrets, and some scar tissue.

Here's how it happened.

First thing out of school I spent a year on a ranch as a cowboy, drank and brawled with the hands, and got really hazed for being a city kid. One of the hazing stunts broke my elbow (a cow sat on me; long story) and I didn't tell anyone for several days.

So I got it fixed and went right back to work with my arm in a sling. That year was my introduction to hard physical labor, pitching hay bales from dawn till dusk or spending 14 hours a day in the saddle during the Spring gathering (what they used to call roundups).

I followed that with four years in the military, where I was introduced to drinking (and other skills) by French Legionnaires during two years in North Africa. Then I spent two years on a WWII Destroyer sailing from Guantanamo to the Suez Canal, and from the Equator to the Arctic Circle. Hot, cold, stormy, calm, I loved it. LOTS of learning, as I explored foreign ports that have hosted sailors since the days of the Phoenicians.

After military service I attended college for a couple of years and then studied engineering in technical school on the G.I. Bill. I've added to that by reading thousands of books and getting additional training when I needed it -  everything from metallurgy to hypnotherapy.

Most most of my education has come outside the classroom.  Over the years it's been my good fortune to apprentice under the guidance of masters in many fields.

I've had supervised training in undercover and forensic investigation, martial arts, and applied business skills from test-lab product development to marketing and sales.

In the last thirty years I added studies in "soft skills" — management, NLP and hypnotherapy. I've been in and out of a couple of marriages and over 40 occupations. I've made more than my fair share of mistakes –  broke, fired, divorced, and lots of injuries.

And I've had a number of adventures — besides the aforementioned cow, I've had doors slammed in my face, been beaten up, blown up, shot at, chased by guys with meat cleavers and by thieves with trucks — and I've had enough melodrama in bedrooms and boardrooms for a TV series.

Here's a secret — Adventure is more fun to tell about than to live through.

Over the years I became a working triple engineer (electrical, pharmaceutical and mechanical).

I designed and led development on the Clean Air Machine (ionizer), Sonic Technology's PestChaser (ultrasonic pest repeller), and Asepco's process equipment line for the biotech industry (high-tech capital manufacturing devices). My inventions are covered by 39 patents.

I was the founder of all three companies and ended my corporate career as CEO of a multimillion-dollar manufacturing firm.

I'm living proof that determination is a prime element of success.

Although I didn't graduate from high school or college I've worked as an upper manager in a Fortune 500 company. I've guest lectured to graduate students in three universities, served on the international standards board for biotechnology equipment design, and taught advanced communications skills to coaches and psychotherapists.

I don't mean to sound too full of myself. Looking back, I don't think I've been particularly smart or mature.

Just dogged. And lucky.

Most of my learning came through trial and LOTS of error. I think that my experience has given me real empathy for the mistakes of others.

Like I said at the beginning, I wasn't born wise. What wisdom I've collected has been a gift from others, and mostly hard earned.

I’m self-taught. And thick-skulled. That means my learning was usually dramatic, and took place AFTER I got the bloody nose or the divorce or the lawsuit. And, if I managed to dodge a “pothole” in life, it’s only because I’ve seen it experienced by others.

These days, life around me is full and very good. We laugh a lot. Vikki is not my first wife, but she's certainly my last, and we're like honeymooners after twelve years together. It gets better every day. We have adult kids that are fond of us, and six grandchildren who are part of our daily lives.

I spend my time working with people I like and respect, doing research on the many subjects that interest me, and writing for this site and a number of other outlets. I take time for the people and activities that I love.

I want to contribute what I can so that others can have the same kind of values in their lives. Without needing to get "experience" the way that I did.

That’s a short take on some of what I've learned and how I learned it — the bumpy path of a bewildered bookworm who became a happy and well-seasoned "salty dog".

Thanks for asking.

Want to know why I decided to share what I've learned in life?

One evening a few years ago I was taken to the hospital with severe chest pains. For what seemed an endless time I thought I was going to die.

I’ve really loved my life, and I was sad that I wasn’t going to have more time with my beloved wife Vikki, and disappointed that I wouldn’t see my grandchildren grow up.

But even as I was losing consciousness, I was REALLY PISSED that I had spent my whole life in the scramble of business, and I hadn’t left anything behind that said, “I was here. Here are some useful principles that I’ve learned; use these shortcuts if you want.”

During a scary night filled with blood tests, chest xrays and EKGs I decided to retire from my life as a high-tech CEO.

I promised my Maker that I would make my experience and learning available to whoever had the desire for it. And I believe that keeping promises is a good thing.

Now I'm sharing my knowledge with people who want to learn what I know, without having to spend a lifetime learning it.

P.S. Oh, yeah, the chest pain thing? Not my heart after all. Just the stress of running a growth company coupled with a bad diet.

I’ve reformed. After all, we’ve got six grandchildren and I want to see how they turn out!

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