Introducing Myself

Introducing myself

My name is Graham Commander. I was born in June 1948 in Birmingham, UK, in the suburb of Sparkbrook. Growing up, I spent a lot of time at the local school. Golden Hillock secondary modern, with a typical start of each day, which began with a mixture of hymns and Bible passages.

Early Life in Birmingham: Memories

Life in Sparkbrook was a pleasant enough place to grow up in, and since the number of cars on the roads in those days, I was able to travel to school on foot.

I enjoyed English Grammar, History and Geography, as they all involved writing, as I was given a fountain pen, which was more pleasant to use than the school pens

I left school at fourteen, as it was the common practice, now with no school to attend, I had to begin searching for my first job.

My mother offered to help and quickly became my ally in the search, taking in turns browsing the classifieds in the local paper.

My first job:

After some time, I settled for working at a local brush factory, full of huge, noisy machines. Possible because I was new, I was given a simple spokeshaving job, smoothing wooden brush bases

 Musical Instruments & the Salvation Army

I’m unsure when I began collecting musical instruments. One was a Five-string banjo, a squeezebox and even though I was keen on collecting them. I was not convinced enough to learn how to play any of them.

My dad, never one for offering advice, suggested I go to the local Salvation Army Citadel. He figured they might teach me to play some instrument, even the ones I had already bought.

Unexpected encounter

The Salvation Army turned out to be a whole new experience, as on my first visit I was congratulated by a songster young lady for kneeling at the mercy seat; that young lady became my wife.

 Family Life and Turning Points

Fast forward, my life definitely spun in ways I did not expect. In 1982, I married the young lady songster I met at the Salvation Army, and in 2025, we celebrated 44 years of marriage.

Looking back, all those years with a mixture of routine joys, tough lessons, and even the arrival of our daughter in our second year of marriage

Somewhere in between raising our small family and changing jobs, I started writing online, by using Myspace, if you are old enough to have used it, you’ll know it was less about niches or branding it was more about sharing thoughts. Which I did, I wrote stories, shared tips, all without realising it would become my new passion

When the Myspace platform changed from a blogging platform to featuring musical groups and bands. So we were given little notice to copy and move all our content, before it was deleted, as auto-transferring was not offered. The result was that I lost everything.

 Sometime later, I jumped over to Google’s Blogger platform. I still get a kick out of finding those old posts floating around online; they are a mix of nostalgia and of modern-day digital content

Online Ventures:

Getting into online work has been an ongoing learning process for me. Over the years, I got involved with World Profit and later upgraded to a platinum VIP dealer for 12 years to date

 Through the live and recorded training, I learnt how to gain commission payment the right way

Through the ongoing training, I was inspired to begin a revamped version of “lots of free info” WordPress blog, which had been hacked, as it was a free, unprotected blog.

So, this time I upgraded by paying for a domain name along with cyber-attack protection.

Even though I decided not to ask for any details and offered free access to everyone

Which seems to help the growth of readers visiting my revamped version “https://lotsoffreeinformation.wordpress.com/

Lessons Learned and Advice

Learning doesn’t really stop at any age, and whether it’s music, blogging, or building a website, patience and perseverance, even laughing at myself, have provided the will to carry on more than one occasion.

If you think of trying something new or unfamiliar or have become frustrated by slow progress, consider these snippets from my experience:

• Don’t stress about picking things up perfectly the first time. Failures are just opportunities to teach you things you didn’t know you needed.

• Ask for help when you need it. Ask your family or friends, even if it means going out of your comfort zone as it may well be the best approach (kick in the pants, as it were)

• Stick to projects that spark your interest. There’s a lot less resistance when you care about the end result, even if it’s just for fun.

• Tracking your progress: Whether you’re writing online, trying out music, or engaging in a totally new subject and learning, you’ll appreciate looking back at how far you’ve come.

• A day of rest, Sunday or whatever day you choose

It’s okay to rest. In busy times, stepping back can give your mind a breather and let new ideas take root.

Questions: Readers might want to know me

Question: Why did you keep trying new hobbies, even when things didn’t stick?
Answer: I’ve always enjoyed the process more than the result. Even failed hobbies have left me with stories, new friends, or skills that spur me onto the next adventure

Question: How did you end up blogging, and why keep at it?
Answer: Blogging started as a casual way to share my thoughts. Over time, it turned into an enjoyable process that connects with my readers, it also led to writing a 2,000-word story!

Question: Do you encourage others to take a similar approach to new challenges?
Answer: Absolutely: With a mixture of curiosity and a willingness to stumble, can often lead to real growth.

When something new catches your interest, give it a try; you don’t need everything figured out before jumping in. Learning along the way is part of your adventure journey

My Next Chapter

I’m still in the process of building out my Wealthy Affiliate website, adding new features, but for the time being, I have settled for the website header as it is. The to-do list is ongoing, but I’ve decided to focus on steady progress instead of perfection. Whether my next big win comes from a website tweak or a blog post, the main thing is to keep moving forward

Thanks for reading this slice of my story. Keep an open mind, taking on small challenges, and connecting with people along the way have been super important in shaping the future.

If you’re looking for someone always open to a chat about new ideas, or chat to reminisce about the early days of the internet, you know where to find me!

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