Why Pirate Pills?

On February 26th of 2024 I wrote this in my Journal:

“5:35 PM - I was fired today and it wasn’t pretty. I don’t like how I have handled the two times that I was fired. I lost my composure both times. Why? What made me feel so angry or hurt or defensive? How can I avoid being in that position again?”

That was a tough day, but not so much because I got fired. While it isn’t fun having the proverbial captain throw you off the proverbial ship into proverbial shark infested waters, I am a pretty good swimmer, for a pirate, and I am married to a beautiful mermaiden (Pirate to landlubber translation: “Getting fired is scary but I am pretty good at getting work and my wife is really good with money). I was more upset with the way I reacted to getting fired than I was to actually being fired.

So how did I react? The first time I was fired my wife was 32 weeks pregnant with our twins, and it came as a big shock because the team I was part of was performing really well. The second time I was let go I was in a much better position to deal with losing a job, but both times I reacted the same—my frontal lobe shut off, I was emotional, and I felt out of control in the same way you might feel when you are vomiting, except, unlike feeling better after vomiting, I felt much worse.

I can understand why my survival instincts kicked in the first time I lost my job. But the second time, I was let go from a position I wasn’t even happy in (and I don’t blame my employer for that). At home, we had our finances set up to manage without income for a while, so survival wasn’t at risk. So why did I still default to panic mode both times? Is it possible to feel threatened or vulnerable without going into full panic mode?

Well, the obvious answer is that you can’t fight primal instincts meant to keep you alive, so the only way to avoid panic mode is to avoid vulnerability.

But what if vulnerability is unavoidable and actually a necessary part of growth? Excuse my pirate analogy but, what if the problem with the crew/captain dynamic is that the crew is at the mercy of the captain, and the captain is saddled with the responsibility of the crew. Neither party wins! If I got another job where I became an employee… I mean crew member, I would be putting myself right back in a vulnerable position— on a ship, with a plank, where many a captain and crew have been thrown overboard to the sharks. And, in my experience, when you are faced with walking the plank, your survival instincts kick in and it is nearly impossible to remain a gentleman pirate.

But I really enjoy being part of a crew, and I love working on a ship. Vulnerability is part of the adventure. If I could just figure out how to keep my pirate cool in the face of certain death—proverbial death, of course. 😉

I’ve always liked the idea of a side hustle. As I grew increasingly unsatisfied at my job, I began exploring it as a way to satisfy my desire to make a meaningful impact at work. My pirate workmate Ben and I would often meet to brainstorm side hustles that spoke to our adventurous spirits. The idea of making more money doing something we were passionate about was certainly appealing—but it was never enough to make me jump ship. I didn’t want to captain my own boat just to chase treasure. For me, working with others toward a common goal is far more fulfilling than simply “finding the gold.” 

It wasn’t until I recognized the true value of a side hustle that I launched Pirate Pills. It became the answer to my vulnerability problem. With a side hustle, I could stay a gentleman pirate—even under pressure. I saw it as a portable door I could prop open anywhere to avoid feeling trapped. It was my personal escape dinghy, keeping panic at bay when the ship I was on either caught fire or no longer wanted me aboard. Even better, if I didn’t like the boat I was on, I could simply sail off and find another.

So that’s it. The story of how Pirate Pills came to be, minus a few details I may share later.

Do you have a side hustle? I would love to hear your story. If you were to start your own side hustle what would it be?