Hello again; With any big venture, its never how you start but how you finish. You have to continue to show up and give your best effort. So, I hope this second post will live up to all the confidence showed in me by the people who left comments on the first one.
First, just in case you can’t guess, this is a picture taken of me several years ago before all the changes started. I know the image is small, but sadly its the only one I have left. There may b a larger version of it somewhere on the midway’s blog, but I’m not sure how to go about finding it. And my brother Patrick has one that he keeps promising to send me where I was even bigger. We figure that before I started working on getting healthier I weighed approximately 600 pounds. When I finally agreed to look into having gastric surgery I was weighed in at 512. I mention all of this because it was only as I started to address my physical health that I was able to look at the rest of my life.
Family Background
I grew up in a family of carnival owners. I literally have the business on both sides of my family. My dad and three of my uncles on my mom’s side all had carnivals of varying sizes at one time or another. My grandfather on my dad’s side of the family worked games on the east coast. My dad broke into the business working the lucky strike pitch, rat wheel, and later the six cat. That game is no longer around due to it having had a very poor reputation.
My dad started his own business in the late 70’s with three rides he bought with help from my grandmother mary nanny wagner. we had a Eyerly ground mount lady bugs, a trailer mounted san antonio roller works pony carts, and one of the old clown head moonwalks. we worked church events and small festivals. I was my daddy’s son. i wanted to be with him and help with the rides. everyone including my dad could see my vision was only going to get worse and fast so there was always the concern about having me help but not getting me hurt doing it. I was encouraged to work games and help with bookings. I was also pushed towards getting an education and helping the family that way.
I went to college finally graduating from texas a & m corpus christi with a degree in political science and hopes of going to law school. well with four families in the carnival business you can always use a good lawyer. I couldn’t successfully navigate the lsat, Law School Admissions Test. The closest I came to being admitted was at Texas Tech University where at least the rejection letter came with a hand written note from the Dean of Admissions. His comment was I don’t know why you want to study law, all you will ever do is wills and estates. I didn’t take it personally. I haven’t spent much time thinking about it until preparing to write my story. If I had really wanted to be a lawyer, I think I would have made a stink out of those comments.
After college
Since I had graduated, I was no longer eligible for assistance from the Texas Commission for the Blind. This would have meant no money for readers and having to borrow to cover all of my expenses. So, not wanting to rack up thousands in debt to student loans, I went to lyons world services for the blind in little rock arkansas where i trained to work in automated collection center for the internal revenue service. I finished there and went to work in oklahoma city for about two years. I spent a lot of time as primary on taking incoming calls. The customers, as we were told to call them then, would get this certified letter telling them all the things the IRS could do to them for failure to file their returns or pay their outstanding balance. People would get this letter, and they would freak. I can’t tell you how many times someone told me we were putting them out on the streets. I had three suicide threats during my time there. When it got to the point that I had to think about whether or not I would go into work each day, I quit and went home to the family.
I helped with the bookings again and bought a small game trailer. I helped whenever we needed to buy or sell rides. when you are a small family owned show the only real way to buy newer or different equipment is to sell or trade something you already have. we struggled. we never had more than seven or eight rides but we managed to get several impressive bookings due to our reputation of honesty and well a lot of the committees just liked us.
After my father’s death
this went along okay until my dad died from lung cancer. that was ten years ago. Me and him had spent thousands of hours and driven maybe a million miles together getting the show from one town to the next. I would massage his neck, shoulders, and hands. we sang a long to a lot of country music probably why i love it so much and why the songs I have sung on my podcasts are all country. I miss him just about every day. He talked with me instead of to me and shared the important lessons about how to be a man that so few parents are teaching any more. Me and my brother patrick managed to keep the show going for another three years but eventually we had to join up with my uncle albert’s carnival and work with his family.
that started out okay. i had one game left at that point a kiddie high striker where the kids won a inflatable toy every time. it got harder because my cousin jason also had an inflate game or joint as we call them. Later on he would put up a second inflate joint. At that point my game would no longer show a profit. this was also when my health started to decline.
Endings and beginnings
I had always been over weight but still in general good health. But finally my mom noticed how bad I had gotten. the skin on my legs was tight and I had almost been kicked out of a motel for peeing the bed. She insisted I see a doctor. the first one wasn’t very helpful. they put me on medicine for high blood pressure and told me to get a regular doctor when i got home. that winter we saw one but he didn’t impress us, so we tried another doctor. that was when I found doctor sandaraj at the sunshine family clinic. she encouraged diet and exercise and got me to have a sleep study. this determined that i had severe sleep apnea and was put on a CPAP machine. She is also the one who would later push me towards seeing Dr. Scarborough and at least listening to what he had to say about having gastric surgery. I don’t think its too much of an exaggeration to say that her and my mom literally saved my life.
As i started getting more rest i started thinking more clearly. I realized that my kiddie striker was losing money. My mom would often have to take money out of her food trailer’s grosses to pay for my stock. it took me a long time to convince them that there was no good to come from putting up a game just to have me out on the midway and that there weren’t any other games that i could work myself that we could change to. so i spent all my time working on the website.
I should mention that I used to blame my cousin jason for running me out of the business. as long as there were only two inflate games I could make a living. but once there was a third i just couldn’t make it any more. but I’v since realized that he did me a huge favor. I wasn’t happy working a game on another man’s midway. I’m too much my dad’s son. even if i had been rolling in money i would have been trying to think of a way to be on my own. and no longer worrying about the game left me free to invest all my time energy and passion into building something of my own.
At the time of this post the business is not as financially successful as I would like it to b. I would prefer more sales, and I really thought that by now I would have some companies advertising on the site. But I am personally satisfied with what I have done so far. I think far too many people are judging success by the bottom line. I get it, you quit your job or work your but off during your off hours hoping the website, blog, podcast, etc will pay the bills. I do too, but I try to remind myself there are lots of different measures for success. I believe that I am respected in my field, and I think many of the people who read my newsletter or social media posts are rooting for me to succeed. I maintain the website and now two blogs with a minimal level of assistance from friends and family. I get up every day with a attitude of hope. I actually believe that when I am through wading through all the junk mail in my inbox that there will be at least one in there about buying or selling something. And now I have this new venture. Will people want to hire me as a coach or mentor? Will groups or companies want me to share my story hoping to motivate or inspire them. I don’t know. But its going to be exciting finding out. I encourage you to stay positive, celebrate the little successes, and always be looking for the good in your life.
Sharing is caring
Before I make the usual request for you to comment on or share this post I want to thank everyone who commented on the first post. I am still nervous about this whole sharing my story thing, but all of you made me feel more comfortable with all of your warm heart felt positive and encouraging comments. I love hearing from my readers, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this one.
I also added a contact form just in case any of you want to send me an mail in addition to the comment or instead of one. You can also use it to ask about the free coaching opportunity. Let me know if I can ever do anything to help. So many people have helped m along the way that I am always looking for ways to pay them back. thanks again and take care out there, Max
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Your story today helped me realize something about myself. i feel i bug people and talk to much asking questions and talking about me,but i read your story and felt i didn’t need to talk to anyone. i felt relaxed. i felt i need to read more. i will be looking foward to reading your future posts. Thank you Max
I don’t know you so can’t speak to whether or not you ask too many questions. to me its not th number of them you ask but what you do with th answers. feel free to drop me a line and we can talk about it. thanks for th comment and take care, max
Hi Max, a great insight on your journey towards being the inspiration that you are. I suspect you will achieve all the original goals but where progress is slower than you might like there is always further wisdom to be learned along the way. Perhaps if the equipment business was better you might not have hit upon the idea of coaching which might prove to be the best ride of all
Hi Paul; glad you liked the post. And you may be on to something here. Thanks to the increasingly unpredictable weather, the uncertain political climate, and doubts about the future of the u s economy; there are a lot more people wanting to sell than there are wanting to buy. Who knows when or if that will change. The optimist in me hopes for better times, but the lessons I have learned have value; and I’d be stupid not to take advantage of them. Of course, when you consider how long it took me to come around to this position; it could be argued I’ve been stupid or at least short sighted for a long time. 🙂 Thanks for being there to encourage me to look at all the possibilities and to cheer me on as I embark on yet another new journey. Take care my friend, Max
Even though the sales are not where you want the to be continue to persevere. They will eventually get there.
Hi jason; yes, i am always pushing forward. I always believe the next email, phone call, add listing posted is going to bring fruit. thanks for the encouragement. take care, Max
Perseverance is the key. It takes a while, but success will come …patience is hard, I know. But soldier on:)
hi Jacquie; oh i know success is coming both financial and personal. My point was that I feel I have made a lot of progress not all easily measurable in terms of dollars and cents or pounds and pence for my u k friends out there. 🙂 the response to the first two posts on this site especially some that i have received through face book has been awesome. and I know its just a matter of time before my first coaching client or speaking engagement appears. thanks for the encouragement and take care, Max
I enjoyed reading!
Good luck, I wish you all the best! God Bless!
Hello; I’m glad you did. I wish you all the best with your own life. god bless you too, max
Hi Max Ivey, this the first time I’m stumbled upon your blog. I’m glad to have read your story and get to know you a little better. Are you back living in Texas?
Hi; its nice to hear from you. Yes, I’m living in conroe about 45 minutes northwest of houston. would like to hear more about you so i can get to know you better. How did you find the blog anyway? most people find me from blogging groups or from comments I have left. thanks and take care, Max
Max – I enjoyed this post and learning more about you. I’m certainly one of those people rooting for you and with your drive and perseverance, I know you will succeed.
Lenie
I enjoyed reading your story and now I have more of understanding of who the Midway Guy is. Don’t be discouraged about where you are now with your blog as you are still evolving. I just read a blog where this person has been blogging for 10 years and is finally making $50000.00 a month. He said that most people give up before their business starts to show a profit. Stay with it, you don’t know where this will take you.
Hi Arleen; thanks for your words of encouragement. I know its all a process and I believe the financial success is coming. Like I said in the post I see myself as personally successful just don’t have the income or bank balance to go along with that yet. 🙂 reminds me of an old w c fields line that he picked up on a carnival midway that goes the only way you can lose is to die or quit playing and you look healthy son. I feel very healthy. and my friend robin suggested that the new blog may give me the ability to find the results i want for the midway. she said coaching or speaking may pay your way to travel and visit people and places around the world. You said it i don’t know where all of this will end up and that’s the best part about it. thanks again and take care, Max
Thanks for sharing your story. Given what you’ve been through so far, I believe you have the perseverance and strength to succeed, whether that is in the amusement business, coaching, or some other opportunity that comes your way.
Hi Donna; thanks for having such confidence in me. I have managed to stay open to possibilities and keep moving forward. Hoping to get my big break soon. 🙂 thanks again and take care, max
Hi Lenie; I’m glad you enjoyed the post. and determination and perseverance are two of my favorite words. 🙂 I checked out your site, and it feels like you have made some changes. It took me a while to figure out i had to click navigate before i could find the link to your blog. I left a comment great post on food safety by the way. but i had trouble with your sharing buttons because they aren’t labelled for screen readers. they all just say link. My network of choice right now is twitter and i couldn’t find a button for it at all. thanks again for the words of confidence and take care, Max
I am glad that you got the right doctor to give you the right treatment. It is amazing how you keep two blogs. How you write the blog? Do you narrate it and the software will type it for you? Just being curious…Your story is very interesting.
Hi Bindu; glad you enjoyed reading about me. I have found there is no one way for blind people to do things. we are as unique as any other group that appears to be similar. some people write their blogs directly on the hosting platform, and others dictate their posts. I have a friend who does her blog posts on an iPhone. me, I use a macbook pro and a software program called mars edit to edit and u;load my posts. I will have a post alter on about why I use a mac and how I came to the decision. questions are good sources for future posts. If you have one just ask it. If anything I have been told I am too open. thanks for your curiosity and take care, Max
Hey Max,
Although I’ve heard your story now a few times I still think it’s an inspiration. When we hear it enough times we’ll remember you and that’s what we’re all trying to accomplish.
I continue to think you’re an inspiration to a lot of us and I have no doubt that all that you desire in your life will come to you. You have that go to attitude and now that you’re online creating business you have friends here to help you if you need something done behind the scenes. True friends Max, it doesn’t get much better than that.
I’m excited for you and I’m looking forward to seeing where you’ll be headed as you continue on this journey. I’m rooting for you still.
Best to you Max, you definitely deserve it.
~Adrienne
Hey adrienne; best thing about this new blog is seeing all my amazing blogging friends stopping in to support, advise, encourage, and motivate me to keep going. I used to know or thought I knew where I was going. I still work hard at making the equipment sales, but things are tough in the amusement world right now. and maybe I waited too long to start this next journey or this other part of the same one. I don’t know, but I’m not going to worry about it. I am going to embrace it. I know something great is out there. and it may not even be any of the things currently on my radar. I know you will be there to help if i need it. and I hope you know I’m here for you too. would love to get my first coaching client or a solid nibble about speaking, but I got to ask people first. so next up is a page about public speaking for the site. and then I start work on a pitch email. I can never thank you enough Adrienne. take care my friend. looking forward to meeting in person. xoxo max
By far my favorite post of yours Max. Thanks very much for sharing your history. It is always so interesting to see the path someone took to get to where they are today. I am glad you are feeling good and positive and can only say keep it up and good for you. All the best. Tim
Hi tim; thanks for the positive thoughts. I appreciate your encouragement. and when i read your posts about your adventures I can’t wait to be out there traveling myself. does tim have a story? i mean how did the journey begin? take care out there, max
Max – You are a brilliant writer. Your life’s experience makes me realise that I have led a very easy and sheltered life. I will never complain about my life any more. You sound like a fighter and I know you will suceed in your life. I can’t wait to read the second chapter. All the best.
Hi Mina; Thanks for the complement on my writing. Its one of those things I’ve always been good at thanks to a school system that required us to learn and practice writing when I was growing up. And we all have difficulties in our lives. I find that with myself I didn’t realize just how far I had come until I sat down and started reviewing my path. Just like its still hard for me to see myself as an inspiration, but I know it to be true because of comments by my wonderful online friends like you mina. If I’ve made you appreciate your life more, than that is amazing. Feel free to email me so we can get to know each other better. and if you know of someone who needs a coach or wants to hire a speaker, please send them to my site. thanks again and take care, Max
Hi Max,
So glad to learn more about you. You made a point about being free to invest your time, energy and passion into building something of your own. I’m glad you did this for yourself. You can always recoup your energy… even if you feel a little lacklustre you can regain your passion… but the one thing you never get back is your time. It’s not only the most valuable commodity we have, it is spiritual currency. I believe the best investment of our time is in our relationships and in being of service to others.
In closing Max, you are an inspiration. Keep up the good work!
Hi william; I like that concept of time being spiritual currency. one of the best ways to learn to say no is to come to the understanding that by saying no to unimportant things you get to say yes to yourself. its one of the best ways to love yourself I know of. glad I can inspire people. and your encouragement is appreciated. take care, max
Hi Max,
This is the first time I’m on your blog and your story is an inspiration to many! Most of us had our share of troubles in the past, but you have the guts to put it out there and I commend you for that! Many people hide behind what they went through. But, if you notice the guru’s out there, they will spill their guts and tell you how they went from their own personal struggles to success.
It does take a while, but with persistence and patience I’m sure you will achieve your goals. I too am routing for you!
If I ever run into a client that is one of those “poor me” people, I’m sending them right over to you because there is a lot to learn from your story and personal struggle. I thank you so much for sharing.
Blessings,
-Donna
Hi Donna; I’m happy that you found my blog and enjoyed it. If i have the guts its at least partly because good friends like you encouraged me to tell my story. and in my case I am not a success yet. but i think that makes it a better story. I think people will want to not only hear where I’ve been and how I got to here but also follow along for a while and hopefully be there with me when I am a success financially. I don’t even know what that will look like. I didn’t expect to inspire people. I didn’t plan on offering coaching or to speak in public, but i now have pages on my new blog offering just that. I would love those referrals. 🙂 thanks again and blessings to you too, max
It’s true Max. Most of us reading your posts want you to succeed. But in my opinion you already have succeeded. In reading your story, I see so many times where you could have given up, but you just keep going and trying new things. I think that is what will make you a great coach, among other things. Can’t wait to read more…
Hi Meredith; thanks so much for those words. Me and my dad used to spend a lot of time moving rides together. if something broke or wasn’t loaded properly it was up to us. one day we loaded a huge moonwalk by ourselves. when we got it to the lot someone asked how did you manage it. we told them easy we didn’t have a choice. sometimes we had to call and have someone come back and help us, but back then it wasn’t easy to do so. so i think the idea of not having a choice helped me. dad used to say we might not be winners but we aint quitters. 😀 i’ll have the next post up on friday. take care, Max
You have a really interesting story Max, and kudos to you for persevering when you had such an uphill battle. You told me on my blog that the engine photo was a mistake, but it really does work perfectly, and such a strong image too. I wish you success & look forward to your next post.:-)
thanks A. K. your words make it so much easier to keep writing. yes the train photo was a mistake. but i think it may have been fait. i didn’t get that ride in until just before I wrote that post. they had just been edited and uploaded to the website. and the train is a strong image i hear. the owner spent lots of time and effort bringing it back to like new condition. so, I’m going to be thankful for what I”m calling a happy accident. as the sports announcers would say sometimes you are just due for a break. Figure I’m due for a few more. but with such great friends like you i don’t really need luck. take care, Max
I’d agree with others that this is my favorite post of yours so far. Everyone has an interesting life story, but some are more interesting and full of potential material than others. I would put yours into that category.
Hi Jeri; glad to hear you like my story so far. wasn’t sure people would want to hear it at all. 🙂 but judging by the number of and sincerity of the comments, I have more writing to do. take care, max
Max, you’ve got one heck of a back story. 600 pounds?! Working in UK weight, that’s nearly 43 stone!!! *OH MY GOSH* I find that number totally unimaginable (being only 12 1/2 myself, which is 175 lbs) and I wish you luck in maintaining your new weight and in your new business venture 🙂
thanks for the good thoughts. i have only traveled once since having lost the weight and did just fine. of course, they did give us funny looks when they saw us carrying our groceries into the motel room. 🙂 hardest part is exercising while traveling even more so when you are blind as all the equipment now days is electronic. Next time I’ll take my braille tape labeller with me or join a health club with nationwide locations. and one of my u k friends explained a stone is about 14 pounds. i thought i included the pounds and stones but maybe i forgot. well my puppy wants me to pet her so will write more later, max
You have a wonderful story to tell and it is so inspiring to many of us. Shout it from the roof tops….. You started out on this journey and have made so many successes. Congratulations and can’t wait to see more. 🙂
Hi susan; thanks for the wonderful comment. Its especially welcome because I know how limited your time is. the fact that you still manage to read and comment on my blog is very satisfying. 🙂 will keep it up. william butler suggested a new domain name. he thinks i’m going to be famous. he suggested theblindblogger.com but someone already has it and his posts have nothing to do with being blind. so i got theblindblogger.net next have to get hosting. i added a hire me to coach and hire me to speak to the blog. for now coaching is free and speaking is expenses only. thanks again my friend. take care, max
Hey Max, you have a story to tell and you are telling it and definitely helping someone out there. I like what you said that there are many different measures of success. This something many people are missing and ending up thinking they have failed, yet they have actually succeeded in many areas.
Hi Welli; I thought it was important to point that out. It takes time to develop a new business. IN the beginning just learning what you are doing and gaining experience is a success. becoming known in your field has value. Having people listen to you when you talk or write posts is incredibly satisfying. so celebrate all your successes not just the ones that come with a check. Is there something I can help yu with Welli? take care, max
Max, you can’t help but be an inspiration. You have so much focus and drive and you speak about huge hurdles as if they were incidentals along the way. I suppose that is the trick of your success and appeal. You see the positive in things and that is not only rare, it’s hard to maintain. The financial piece will arrive, it’s a question of time. Just remember financial success doesn’t usually come to those who focus on making money, it comes to those who focus on doing what they do right.
Hi Debra; thanks for the great comment. Positive encouragement is always welcome too. My friend chelsea stark has suggested I’m rushing ahead. she thought I could have easily gotten several posts out of either of my first two offerings. I have those down moments same as everyone else, they just don’t last long. One of the important things I do is minimize negative influences. I only watch an hour of tv news a day. I don’t listen to any news talk shows on the radio. well i sometimes listen to oprah or dr. laura on my sirius radio. but their shows are uplifting. the energy is positive. I don’t spend time online constantly reading face book or twitter. This is one of the times where having little vision and using speech works for me. its not fun using fb g+ and twitter. At least it isn’t for me. So, I post updates, share other people’s posts and reply to activity from groups that comes to me through email notifications. and we really have to watch who we listen to in person over the phone or via emails. read good books whether they be inspirational or simply a good story that transports you somewhere in your imagination. I’m starting to accept being an inspiration. and before i go your comment about making money is kind of like what great home run hitters say. the great ones all say you don’t try to hit the ball out you just try to make solid contact and hope for the best. thanks so much and take care, Max
You seem to have the motivation to make your dream a reality. Keep doing what you are doing and I’m sure success will come your way.
Hi Heidi; thanks for your comment. I just try every day. some days are better than or easier than others. take care, max
Thanks for sharing your story. I am sure that I and many others view you as an inspiration and always look forward to you sharing more. Before you know it you will reach your goals and have to set new ones. As Paul said there is more to learn along your journey.
thanks for the encouragement. and there are goals out there we never even knew we would have. you have to stay open to them no matter how crazy they may sound. I accept that I am an inspiration. and i could even imagine a time where coaching or speaking may support or replace the equipment selling. thanks again and take care, max
Max you are truly and inspiration. Thank you for sharing your story with us and your optimism for the next big sale is admiring. It pushes me to continue to stand in faith and know that I am living in my purpose.
Hi Miekka; I’m glad I could help you keep going. I know I’ve said this twice but i really am having trouble getting back to a workout schedule after being thrown off my routine by getting two wisdom teeth pulled. I comfort myself with thoughts about those days when I road my bike that doesn’t go anywhere on the porch in the 30’s or 40’s outside. also, I am depriving my dog penny because she likes to watch me ride it and pretend she is chasing it. have a happy july 4th weekend, max
change is the thing which your life has experienced constantly over the last few years. And I am glad these changes took place for good and made you a healthier and better person. your journey can definitely inspire some people to fight for a better living.
Hi Tuhin; Thanks for your comment. It sounds like something wise passed along from a spiritual leader in china or india. And we both still have many more changes in store for us. I still want to travel more and meet more of my online friends in person. and i still haven’t found a lady to experience the journey with me. thanks again my friend and take care, Max
Max,
Love to see your new blog and your story is amazing. You are definitely amazing. I know you will make it.
I am positive you are going to make a go of this and will make money. Just keep doing what you are doing.
Great post and very inspirational.
Dee Ann
Dee Ann Rice recently posted…Evergreen Posts
Hi Dee Ann; thanks for the vote of confidence. Even though I am a very positive person, and I have the ability to inspire others; it never hurts to hear from your own cheering section. I agree with you its just a matter of time and being patient. 🙂 I don’t know a single blogger who is good with patience. But I am continuing to follow my own advice and do what I can every day. This week I signed up with a weber and am working on my first ebook. If you have any pointers, please send them along. Thanks and take care friend, Max
Max:
wow, just stumbled on this posting from twitter. I love how this is written, and maybe a future blog post if you havn’t done one lately could be how things have changed since this time on your blog.
Hope your doing wonderful.
michael
Hey Michael; Until I read that post on twitter I had forgotten I had been the blind blogger for two years now. It definitely does demand an update post. Glad you enjoyed it, and I will keep you posted as to a follow up. Just trying to keep my head up or down whichever is correct. Thanks again, Max
Thanks for sharing
Hi Max,
What a beautiful story. Your life is a movie. It reads like a Hollywood script for your vast array of experiences. The best part? How you grew through it and inspire others with your experience.
Ryan
Ryan K Biddulph recently posted…Do You Blog for Your Readers or Ego?