Category: Blog

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It’s okay not to like everyone’s stuff

This is going to seem counterintuitive and even hypocritical coming from a guy who has built a YouTube channel, a couple of written blogs, a podcast, and a few different online T-shirt stores I’ve tried affiliate sales, and of course, multiple network marketing companies, just to name a few things… oh and I almost forgot to mention I tried building an accessibility consulting business where I would review businesses based on accessibility and offer suggestions for a nominal fee.

And of course, accompanying all these things were countless social media accounts. Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages all of which I tried running ads on to drive traffic to my countless sites and web pages.

I even tried to become a tick-tocker. I read books and blogs, listened to podcasts, and watched what would seem like endless Instagram videos and YouTube videos hoping for that how-to formula!

I was never able to find it I religiously followed Gary Vaynerchuk for years and tried a bunch of different things that everyone seemed to suggest.

I took everyone’s advice on how to improve my videos how to improve reach on my podcast etc. After nearly 17 years of trying all these different things, I’ve come to one conclusion.

Expecting crazy amounts of success just because I keep doing things and trying, and trying, and trying, and trying, doesn’t mean that I’m going to succeed. And for argument’s sake my definition of success in this example is simply making enough money to pay my bills at the time I started my goal was $1,500 a month. And just so we’re clear in 15 years of trying there was not a single month that any of my entrepreneurial ventures produced $1,500 a month. I always had jobs because I had to pay bills but not a single one of my quote unquote side hustles ever produced any modicum of income.

If I’m being honest nothing ever produced enough side income, to take a trip somewhere exotic, or buy myself something nice! When I did the math every single one of my projects cost me money.

Why am I telling you all this simply to get to the point.. even though I’m not getting to the point and this is a long-winded post hahaha see what I did there.

After some pondering,I think I expected all of my friends and family to instantly like my content! (which is completely unrealistic and then therefore just random strangers would obviously gravitate towards everything I’ve done because I’m so awesome right?

As long as I kept grinding kept posting kept improving my craft, and kept trying different mediums, and different social media platforms I would eventually win right? Wrong!!

I don’t type this out to complain or whine. I’m hoping this has found you because you are looking for permission to quit trying these, “side hustles”, and “money hacks” you see on social media or hear from a podcast!

Well, I’m here to save the day I give you permission to stop garage sailing and flipping items on Facebook Marketplace or eBay. I give you permission to stop selling overpriced vitamins and moisturizers. You can leave your friends and family alone. They don’t want to hear from you every time you have a new thing you want to try.

Here’s the honest truth if you have something you enjoy doing and you can afford to do it, whether you make money or not that should be the true gauge on whether you want to do it.

If you make jewelry or collect antiques or paint rocks or put doll heads in planters 😉

You do you! Just do it for the joy of the process. If you expect your hobby to make you money to live on then it no longer becomes a hobby! and you’ll quickly turn to resenting it and never wanting to do it.

I have things I would definitely do differently if I could start again. And I’m curious to see if anybody’s interested in what I would do differently and where I think I went completely wrong.

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Lights Out at 10: A 41-Year-Old’s Quest for Sleep (and Sanity!)

Tick-tock, tick-tock… goes the clock, reminding me yet again that it’s well past midnight and my eyelids are doing the dance of exhaustion. As a 41-year-old living with cerebral palsy, let’s just say my sleep schedule has become a distant memory. But enough is enough! I’m embarking on a mission to reclaim my nights, and you’re invited to join me on the journey!

Starting tonight, February 25th, 2024, I’m declaring war on late nights. My new battle cry? Lights out by 10:00 p.m., no exceptions. This might seem drastic, but let’s be honest, my current sleep habits are about as healthy as a three-day-old pizza. It’s time to trade the late-night scrolling for some much-needed shut-eye.

But this isn’t just about catching some Zzz’s (although those are definitely important!). I’m on a quest to uncover the true benefits of a consistent sleep schedule. Will I finally have the energy to tackle my daily activities with renewed focus? Will my brain function at peak capacity, allowing me to manage my life with newfound clarity? Will I, dare I dream, wake up feeling refreshed and ready to seize the day?

I plan to document this experiment in weekly blog posts. I’ll be sharing my struggles and triumphs, the good, the bad, and the (hopefully) well-rested. I want to be transparent about the challenges, the occasional slip-ups, and of course, the amazing benefits (if any!) that come with finally prioritizing sleep.

So, are you ready to witness the transformation of a sleep-deprived 41-year-old into a (hopefully) rejuvenated and energized version? Tune in next week for the first update, and let’s see where this journey takes us! Remember, even small changes can make a big difference, and I’m hoping this experiment inspires others to prioritize their own sleep health.

Sweet dreams (and stay tuned)!

Steve 41 with cerebral palsy
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World Cerebral Palsy Day! (Oct 6th)

Steve-38yearold-Cerebral-Palsy

I am 38 years old with Cerebral Palsy since birth and was born three months premature. there were two contributing factors that resulted in me having CP. 1. A lack of oxygen due to underdeveloped lungs, I spent nine weeks in an incubator because I stopped breathing multiple times. The second factor was trauma to the head caused by being pulled out with forceps.

Happy World Cerebral Palsy Day! (Oct 6th)

Taken from BC Cerebral Palsy Website.
World Cerebral Palsy Day is a global movement of people with Cerebral Palsy and their families, and the organizations that support them, in more than 60 countries. The day is an opportunity to celebrate, raise awareness, and take action to ensure that people with CP have the same rights, access, and opportunity as anyone else in their communities.

According to the CDC website.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles. CP is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects a person’s ability to control his or her muscles.

So what does this mean?

The short answer is: Having Cerebral Palsy sucks!
Understandably that’s not the point of world Cerebral Palsy day. The day exists to raise awareness and raise money for things that help research and whatnot. As well as a fight for equal rights and access for those with CP.

I feel like it has to be said as an individual that lives with and “deals with “ Cerebral Palsy on a regular basis, IT PLAIN SUCKS!

  • I deal with pain daily basis.
  • Accessibility issues.
  • Employment/job application struggles and accommodations within that job.
  • People asking me dumb questions.
  • I deal with prejudice

….and so on!

However, for every struggle many things that make me grateful for all the struggles that I have been through.

  • I have developed a critical thinking/solution-based mind that allows me to navigate life and its problems with a completely different lens.
  • Growing up in a wheelchair forced me.to develop my verbal communication skills at a young age. I had to be able to ask for what I needed and be able to express myself in a way that gave me the support I needed throughout my day.
  • It forced me to develop multiple skills in order to compete in the job market.
  • Having CP taught to deal with regret at an early age which allowed me to get used to it.
  • Not to mention all that rejection, Wowza did it make me stronger.

Here a link to learn more Steve.

Here’s the final truth even though I can find the positives with Cerebral Palsy all the struggles are continuous. As I get older they seem to be more and more.

This doesn’t mean that I give up, it means I keep pushing forward ( pun intended).  One thing that I  can guarantee you one thing I am not as happy in my life I appear to be to the outside world both in person and on social media. 

I have to ask myself does that really have anything to do with Cerebral Palsy at all or is that the plight of being a human being?