What Are The Odds ?

I had a great time reading Mike Lindell of MyPillow fame’s book, “What Are The Odds, From Crack Addict To CEO”.

Having completed the book in short order, it’s a very easy read, I spent some time ruminating on how the CEO of MyPillow.com and MyStore.com became as famous as he has, where he started and how he got to be where he is now. To be honest, I became quite critical of his early behaviour. You see, I’ve never been particularly interested in taking chemicals of any kind.

I will admit to enjoying a glass of wine and a couple of beers but generally do not drink hard liquor. That said, at various times I have imbibed to excess, particularly in my younger years. In fact, to my shame, I think I drank my first beer at 14 and basically never stopped.

That made me think that perhaps I should not be as critical of Mike Lindell as I was feeling.

Then I took a longer look at my youth and realized that I, too, could have writting a book “What Are The Odds, From Juvenile Delinquent To CEO”. You see, I really was a juvenile delinquent and, like Mike Lindell, one day realized that if I didn’t turn my life around I’d likely end up dead, or in prison for a long period of time.

Also, like Mike Lindell, it was God that made me pull myself together. Despite accepting Christ as my saviour at the age of 7 I had gone off the rails in my early teens, as so many do. God was there all the time. I could have killed myself, and others, in motor accidents on more than one occassion and yet, God protected us all.

By the time I was 21 I was on the road to recovery, married, had 1 child and by 23 had 2. By the time I was 29 I had started my first company and, over the years, a number of different tech companies in a number of different locations around the globe. One stint involved a public IPO of a tech company.

Today I am “retired”, but busier than ever, including running ERA Enterprises Ltd and starting a fruit orchard in Tennessee. A long way from Cape Town, South Africa where I was born.

Part of my journey included becoming a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. I think my song that best summarizes my journey is “Daddy Gave Me An Airplane”. At the time I wrote the song I was a member of The Flying Musicians organization, yes, I am a Private Pilot, and performing at Sun-N-Fun and AirVenture events with John Zapp, Howie Marlin, Gary Filip and a number of other very talented individuals, so I was thinking I’d write something that would connect with other pilots. I was playing the song a short while later when I realized it is about so much more than just the events described. If you’d like to hear the song, drop me a line and encourage me to post it here. I will post it eventually but right not it isn’t a priority.

By the grace of God I came out of my self destructive behaviour much earlier than Mike Lindell. So many never make it out.

So to Mike, MyPillow.com and all his other endeavours like LindellTV and frankspeech.com, good on you mate. Thank God for his grace and mercy.

Robert