Think back; What was your first job? Cashier? Babysitter? Fast-food? Most people, when asked that question, screw up their faces as they recoil from the memory of their first and often worst job.
Yesterday, while wiping the water spots from Riviera’s windows and polishing the stainless steel, I reflected on my first job and how fortunate I was, as it was incredible! At 16, having sailed since I was five, I was naturally drawn to the water to search for my first job. I was lucky. I got hired as a sailing instructor at the San Diego Sailing Club and School.
Being the last of five brothers, I was raised by exhausted parents who had worked tirelessly to protect my older brothers from the pitfalls of life. But by the time I was in the 3rd grade, the flame of their parental commitment had faded. I distinctly remember playing “Pirate” with a lethal, razor sharp, 3-foot machete in the backyard. My dad yelled out the kitchen window, “Paul, make sure you put that back when you’re done!” I was nine years old.
With Mom & Dad being the complete opposite of helicopter parents, I was allowed, as a teenager, to live part-time on the family’s 25-foot sailboat. While my friends flipped burgers at Mcdonald’s, mowed lawns, or sprayed smelly shoes with disinfectant at the bowling alley, I tooled around San Diego Bay, “teaching” sailing on a 21-foot Victory sailboat.
Let’s be clear: Yes, I knew how to sail, but I was the furthest thing from an “instructor.” Descending from a long line of Irish thieves and poets and at an hourly rate of $3.10, I did my best to sound intelligent. My Irish grandparents would have been proud to see their grandson pontificating to these unsuspecting novices.
This newfound employment led me to believe I didn’t need to attend college to succeed. After all, I was pulling down almost $125 dollars per week! Unlike my two older brothers, who have a combined sixteen years of higher education, I figured I could be a self-made man without all the college hassle.
Obviously, my prefrontal cortex had yet to develop. I did not see myself as a high school dropout but as a unicorn teenager who had figured out early how to skip the traffic, duck into the carpool lane, and slingshot my way to adulthood. Through my naive and virgin eyes, I felt the universe shining upon my soul. While listening to Joe Walsh sing “Life’s Been Good To Me,” I saw my future, and it was brilliant!
More than 40 years later, the universe still shines on me. If I’m not behind the camera, I’m at the helm of Riviera, giving a bucket-list experience to San Diego visitors. Providing our passengers the chance to discover the peaceful exhilaration of sailing is a fantastic and most satisfying reward.
However, it is worth mentioning that I did it the hard way. Sporting a permed, highlighted mullet and a porn-star mustache, I started a photography company with no money, no education, few customers, and marginal talent. This was not the path to quick success. But the belief that I was put on the planet to make ordinary people look beautiful propelled my little photo studio from a single-man operation into two multi-photographer companies with flawless reputations.
With a constant stream of exciting guests who step aboard Riviera each month, my adolescent dream of finding my way in this world has come full circle. I’m incredibly grateful to live in San Diego and enjoy the good fortune that has come my way as both a professional photographer and a sailor. For a peek into my “other world,” check out Barnett Photographics and our Corporate Photography Division.
Come sail with us this fall, and let the universe shine on you and the people you love. If you live in Southern California, put sailing on the Riviera at the top of your must-do list. If you’re visiting San Diego and want to bring back home a memory that will be the highlight of your stay, give me a call, and let’s plan a day you’ll never forget.
September’s Blog
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Paul & Victoria