Note: The following are excerpts of a few pages from one of my upcoming
books. It is the only way to explain my blog at the end of this story. Perhaps
this is the first-ever reverse written blog? Enjoy!
When I was in my late teens I would often remind myself I didn't want to
become the man my father was. It wasn't that my Dad was a bad person. It wasn't
because he didn't provide for his family.
As a hobby he repaired electronic devices such as TV's, stereo systems and
radios, even watches. While building houses, he built his own home entirely. He
studied how things worked and learned how to repair cars, lawnmowers, toilets,
dishwashers, refrigerators, stoves and plumbing. There wasn't much he couldn't
build, fix or replace. Heck, Dad was doing reverse-engineering before the
Government.
He charged little,
nothing or just the cost of the parts, so he was
always in high demand. Little elderly women would call the house if their toilet
or sink was plugged and Dad would be a Good Samaritan and fix their problem.
Dad could have been a very successful repair man. He could have offered a
variety of services when no one else did so. For some reason he never took the
jump.
After he built a local factory owner's home Dad was hired at the homeowners
business. A maintenance worker with an impeccable knack for fixing things and
being a hard worker was always in demand in those days. Whether he was an hourly
or salary employee, Dad was the guy the company depended on. This motivated his
self-esteem.
His effectiveness and work ethic meant he would often work 60 or more hours a
week. The drawback was the long hours work left little time for his family.
Perhaps even worse, when he was home and not busy with yard work, repairing a
car, somebody's TV, or tinkering-
he was wore out. No time to take me to
a ball game, fishing or doing what other children did with their Dad.
No matter what factory employed him the same scenario persisted.
Excerpt-
My Dad represented a factory worker and I didn't like it. The lunch bucket,
thermos and Dickie's uniform all represented boring repetition to me. I knew my
Dad could do far better in his choice of occupations.
Dad was extremely innovative. I remember him showing me a new huge plastic
molding machine that he uncrated and setup. During the setup process
he
actually would find flaws in the design of the machine and
redesign it himself to reduce the chances of breaking down or to simply
speed-up the manufacturing process. I was impressed! The company would take
out a patent; increase their wealth and all he got was a pat on the back- if
that!
The Inventor
He designed an in-ground moisture sensor device in the late 1970's. At
that time water was being rationed in many parts of the western and southwestern
United States. The device could actually sense when the ground was dry,
activating a sprinkler system. Once the ground was saturated the sensor
recognized the level of moisture and the sprinkler system would shut off. The
idea was perfect for golf courses on a timer system and would save millions of
gallons of water to regular homeowners and businesses.
Dad's only problem was a lack of marketing or business skills. Consequently,
he did not approach the right people with his invention and became frustrated
quickly. He gave up on his invention.
I sometimes questioned why he never went into business for himself and even
offered to help him with sales. He basically depended on the Industrial style of
work: a secure job, guaranteed paycheck and insurance. Stepping outside of his
comfort zone represented a risk.
Another of my Dad's inventions was a
razor blade that never needed
replaced. The consumer would only have to purchase one blade and with his
invention the blade would remain sharp.
Wilkinson Sword invited him to dinner to Pittsburgh to discuss the invention.
When Dad learned Wilkinson wanted to buy the idea from him and bury it, to
eliminate the threat of losing the business of selling razor blades. Dad
wouldn't agree. He later learned someone had a patent from years before, so he
scrapped the idea.
Excerpt:
Once he retired, he had one last invention up his sleeve.
For security reasons I am unable to define his next invention in this
blog. But you may read about it in my upcoming book. The invention could have
changed the world!
Excerpt:
Then, suddenly he had a major stroke and died from the complications.
My actual Blog:
The other night before bed my wife said to
me: "You're just like your Dad. You have all these great ideas but you fail
to follow through!"
She was right. The one thing I
thought I never wanted to be- I had become.
We allow our ideas and dreams to die. We stop
ourselves. It's easy to allow fear to keep us from doing something
meaningful.
In my final years, do I want to feel like I
wasted my life, when I could have made a positive impact on people's lives or
perhaps changed the world? My Dad had the opportunity and failed to act in
time.
I barely slept. The next morning I wrote my
first business plan.
Dad.... This one's for you!
Until We Meet Again, Jim Carver
Author: The Legacy of David A.
Wells- The Lexington High School "Band of Gold"Something Meaningful that
Matters!
www.successthroughmusic.com
