(IJCH) My latest hobby (mycology) gets monetized - Nothing Unusual...

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IJCH - Inside JaiChai's Head (Meaning: My Warped, Personal Opinions and Musings)

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From the Author:

Salutations.

I am JaiChai.

And if I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before, I'm delighted to make your acquaintance now.

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I invite you to interact with everyone, learn, and have as much fun as possible!

For my returning online friends, "It's always great to see you again!"

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It never fails. Someway, somehow, my hobbies end up being monetized.

When I was a youngster in school, I soon realized that the ability to learn stuff was not easy for most people.

So, I used to tutor others for comic book money.

Later, since I did not possess a delicate conscience, I used to take tests for other people whenever a mass exam was held in a college auditorium.

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The compensation ranged from beer, borrowing someone's car, and oftentimes, a date with someone clearly out of my league.

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I ran away from home at the age of 13 1/2 and survived any way I could think of (e.g., sleeping in my sister's stolen car, turning in aluminum cans and bottles for food).

But then I used my USTA junior tournament tennis experience to land a job teaching tennis at a country club. Of course, I was paid in cash because I was a minor.

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Being a fitness nut long before it was popular was fortuitous.

During the Bally's Fitness and Gold's Gym craze, it was easy for me to get my certification in Fitness Training. And before I knew it, I was the youngest trainer at several branches of the fitness/gym franchises.

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My love for dogs came in handy when the military needed volunteers for their handler program.

After completing their training (basically a military version of "The Kohler Method" of dog training), I setup a civilian dog training business that grew rapidly in the Pt Mugu/Port Hueneme area of California.

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Meanwhile, I got picked up for a college program sponsored by the military and quickly sped through an AA, BS and MBA. Not bad for a high school drop out, no?

During that time, my passion for computers ended up in a small venture setting up token ring networks, hardware repair, and software training.

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Of course, I have always loved writing and trading (stocks, derivatives, cryptocurrency, etc.) and making money from those endeavors is a perpetual battle between intellect and emotion! But I get by...

This curiosity, investigation, research, experimentation and monetization cycle has been a predictable life pattern for me.

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I can't help it.

I get bored very easily.

But if something piques my interest, my OCD self won't rest until I look into it.

And the sheer joy of satisfying my curiosity inevitably leads to another cool hobby.

Then, at some point down the line, the knowledge and expertise learned eventually leads to others wanting to pay money for the result of the hobby, or more often than not, to learn the skill too - in hopes of starting their own business.

Such is the case (lately - since last October?) with my last two new hobbies: Gardening and Mycology.

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In the last few months, the methods I've stumbled upon to keep local veggies free from disease and parasitic organisms and the unusually large flushes of mushrooms (Shiitake, Maitake, Reishi, Turkey Tail, Wood Ear, and more...) has turned into another, surprisingly profitable, side business - especially the Reishi/Trametes tea and tincture that I brew on a weekly basis.

Any-hoo, that's why I haven't been posting my usual amount of articles for the last few months.

May you and yours be well and love life today.

Namaste, my friends.

Jaichai

Parting Shot

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"It's an awesome life when you get paid for stuff you'd probably do for free. Then 'work' becomes 'play'! Imagine that..." - JaiChai

Really Appreciate You Stopping By.

Truly hope to see you again!

And if you liked my post, kindly Upvote, Comment, Follow, and Resteem.

About the Author

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Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an AA, BS and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life – while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic.

In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he performed high altitude, free-fall parachute jumps and hazardous diving ops in deep, open ocean water.

After 24 years of active duty, he retired in Asia.

Since then, he's been a full-time, single papa and actively pursuing his varied passions (Writing, Disruptive Technology, Computer Science and Cryptocurrency - plus more hobbies too boring or bizarre for most folk).

He lives on an island paradise with his teenage daughter, longtime girlfriend and three dogs.

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"Power House Creatives - Superlative Member Support and the Supreme Welcome Party for all new Steemians!" - JaiChai

(More articles by JaiChai can be found on the Busy.org website. Use this link to visit Busy.org. Better yet, come join the Busy.org community!)

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"My mind was a terrible thing to waste..." - JaiChai