The Honest Admission
At nearly 57, I’m finally admitting something I’ve danced around for years: I’m trying to turn my life around. Not because life is terrible—I’m grateful for my teaching job, farming work, and the simple contentment I’ve found in Japan. But because there’s this persistent voice asking, “Is this all there is?”
When I watch YouTube these days, I’m constantly reminded that my financial reality is paycheck to paycheck. I’ve talked about this before on the blog without particular disdain, but lately, something’s shifting. A hunger is returning that I haven’t felt in decades.
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
Proverbs 23:7
For better or worse, this post gives you insight into my relationship with money: I’ve always put it on a pedestal, somewhat out of reach for psychological reasons I don’t fully understand. As if reaching for it might take away the hope or put me in situations I wasn’t meant to experience.
But here’s the thing—I’ve tasted success before, in a way that still gives me shivers when I remember it.
What childhood dream still makes your heart race when you think about it?
The Dream That Defied All Logic
As a kid watching Airwolf on TV, I’d get literal shivers down my spine during the opening theme. Something resonated with my very soul about helicopters and flying. Living in the UK, such dreams felt like pure fantasy—our culture has a way of talking you down from ideas “above your station.”
But when you love something that much, you naturally think about it, dream about it, read everything you can find. I’d cycle my mountain bike to airfields just to watch helicopters practice. There was no YouTube back then to tell you what was possible or how to change your reality. No such phrase as “manifesting,” though we’d heard about visualization from car salespeople.
I had a decent job working with computer mainframes, pulling day and night shifts. For some reason I can’t fully explain, I wrote to helicopter flight schools in the USA. No money, no savings, just curiosity. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
When that glossy brochure arrived from Volar Helicopters in Fort Lauderdale—photos of beaches, palm trees, helicopters over Miami—it looked like a dream life. But honestly, how could someone go from UK night shifts with no money to flying helicopters over Florida beaches?
Have you ever felt drawn to something so impossible it seemed ridiculous to even consider?
When Visualization Became Reality
I kept imagining what it must feel like to fly. I’d sit on my bedroom chair, hands positioned as if holding flight controls, imagining lifting up, pressing pedals, turning left and right. Little did I know this was the visualization technique people have talked about for decades since.
Then my father—completely out of character for someone who wanted me on traditional paths—bought me a 30-minute introduction flight. The flight was scary but encouraging. I didn’t expect to become a pilot, but I kept buying books, learning helicopter models, reading flight magazines.
Life continued as usual until my company sent us on a Brian Tracy seminar: “The Psychology of Achievement.” That course was so powerful I literally started following it. I’d sit in a park overlooking my workplace, listening to Brian Tracy affirmation tapes with gentle Beethoven background, marinating in thoughts and possibilities.
I asked my boss about voluntary redundancy. He said such a thing didn’t exist.
The childlike helicopter visualization continued with zero expectation, zero measurement of deserving, zero feeling of needing—just enjoying the thoughts and appreciating the self-respect that comes from reaching a little higher.
Have you ever experienced something that felt like the Law of Attraction working in your life?
When the Universe Aligned
About twelve months after asking about redundancy, serious news floated around work: automation meant they needed one or two people to leave. While others seemed worried, I was happy!
My shift boss and I both volunteered. He got a substantial payment for his years of service; I got £10,000—exactly half the cost of a Private Helicopter License, or a third of a Commercial License course.
I borrowed another £10K from the bank and joined the flight school. There I was, sitting in a helicopter on hot Florida tarmac with heat shimmering off the ground—a complete change from years of the same UK workplace routine. The cockpit became my new office.
The first flight was terrifying. We flew without doors because of the Florida heat. For 45 minutes, I wondered if I’d made a mistake giving up my old life. But like riding a bike, comfort came with practice. Those first three months were blissful—I got my Private License in six weeks, then returned to the UK to wait for money to complete my Commercial License.
Strangely, my old company called within a week, asking if I wanted my job back through an agency. Months earlier, I’d actually dreamed about being back on shift, talking with the same guys about my flying.
Ten months later, I sold my apartment, made another 10K and returned to Florida to complete my Commercial Helicopter License. Against all odds in my imagination, my childhood dream was fulfilled—though as I’ve written about before, dreams evolve in ways we never expect as we move through life’s different chapters.
What would you dare to dream if you knew you could not fail?
The Taste of Ambition
In Florida, inspired by an infomercial, I developed a product concept: “Sunshine Case Covers”—stretchable, elastic covers for suitcases with any imaginable design. Picture pulling luggage that looked like a brick wall, Disney character, or company logo. People could fashionably express themselves while protecting their cases.
I bought a suit, shirt, tie, leather shoes—looked very different and almost commanded a different lifestyle. I was focused and uncharacteristically ambitious, believing things were possible. I’d almost broken the system of programming that controls us all.
The infomercial company “liked” my idea but needed more cash to find manufacturers. Having spent everything on flight training, I couldn’t pursue it further. My easy-going nature probably let me down, but it’s not a big regret—it’s a surprise I went that far believing in possibilities.
At Least I got a Taste
That’s how I tasted three things we sometimes value:
- Fulfilling a dream
- Imagining real financial success
- Experiencing what felt like the Law of Attraction
Have you ever come close to breaking through but held yourself back at the crucial moment?
Back to Earth
Anyone who’s read this blog knows I’ve lived a down-to-earth life in Japan these past two decades. Teaching English, farming, supporting family—I went from flying to caregiving to this quieter existence.
So why am I writing about turning my life around? Isn’t life good? Aren’t I successful?
Life is fine, but I’m far from successful financially. There’s still that paycheck-to-paycheck reality I’ve adapted to so well.
As a man thinketh, so is he.
Recently, a Luke Belmar YouTube video reminded me of Brian Tracy’s seminar and that powerful biblical quote: “As a man thinketh, so is he.“
I’ve realized I’ve adopted a scarcity mindset over these decades, favoring comfort zones over reaching for the stars. When I reflect on my years in the USA, I realize that since then, I’ve settled into a comfortable yet compromised mindset.
Are you settling into a scarcity mindset without realizing it?
The Computer Paradox
Here’s what puzzles me: I have a strong passion for computers and online communication. I’ve been building and fixing computers and learning about technology for decades. For someone who tasted at least one dream and loves computers this much, why haven’t I created some form of product, service, or passive income?
This question keeps me hungry for success, productivity, and connection with other honest people online. Approaching 57 on the outside, I remind myself that time is of the essence while still valuing passion and imagination—and letting go of attachment to outcomes.
Thanks to social media, we can see what’s possible that we might be missing. While not everything suits our personality, we can feel where we’ve fallen short and how we might change that.
What’s your biggest personal shortcoming you rarely admit to yourself?
The Courage to Begin Again
Is it OK to keep trying? Is it too late? Is it a young person’s game now? Have we rested on old laurels that were never a big deal in the first place?
I once told a taxi driver I had a commercial helicopter license I didn’t use—he couldn’t believe it. We all have different values and concepts of success. But honestly, I wish to improve my financial situation because I never truly made it financially. It’s my personal shortcoming.
I talk about the Law of Attraction because I believe I genuinely experienced it and can authentically discuss it. As an older guy, this is finally a conversation I can add to with some qualification, even if just from past experience.
The title of this post, Are You Trying to Turn Your Life Around? I Am! encourages me—and you—to refocus on present and future possibilities.
Are you hungry to go for something right now?
The Invitation to Dream Again
I believe we should surround ourselves with the kinds of people we aspire to be. We don’t always follow that rule, maybe for noble or lesser reasons. But we can learn from our own journeys, perhaps more than from others online, if we’re brave enough to begin again.
That’s why I invite people to join the conversation here at OldDogZeroTricks.com, regardless of age. Be the voice you want to be. Influence the things you want to attract. A simple comment creates more ripples and energy than silence.
We all have potential for great things—we just need to be brave, love ourselves, and dare to think outside our comfort zones. If we have experience, that qualifies us to join the dialogue, help others, and reignite old sparks that once drove us forward.
What will it take for you to take the first steps toward change?
Your Turn to Share
So here’s my vulnerable truth: I’m trying to turn my life around at nearly 57. Not because I’m desperate, but because I remember what it felt like to dream big and make the impossible happen. That feeling is calling me back.
What about you? Are you chasing something, trying to change something, trying to evolve somehow? Do you need others to support you, or can you go it alone? Do you secretly wish a successful creator would let you work with them, even for free?
Have you experienced something that felt like the Law of Attraction? Have you tasted success and wonder why you didn’t pursue it further? Are you comparing different times in your journey and feeling like you’ve fallen short of your own potential?
How are you turning your life around, or what’s stopping you from starting?
Whether you’re 25 or 85, if you’re hungry for change or have a story about pursuing dreams against the odds, I want to hear from you. Your experience might be exactly what someone else needs to take their first step.
Share your story below—what dream gives you shivers? What’s your relationship with the Law of Attraction? What personal shortcoming are you finally ready to admit and change? Let’s start something together.
Shoutout to Brian Tracy!
