An Introduction to Nathan White
A Guy Who Simply Writes
Hi, my name is Nathan White.
I’m a guy who simply writes. Why? That’s simple. In some way, shape or form, whether or not it has been my intention, writing has always seemed to play an important role in my life.
Since I pride myself on telling it like it is, I’ll tell you upfront, that writing about myself is not exactly my favorite thing to do. However, as this is an introduction, I will, as the saying goes, “put my best foot forward”.
Are you ready? Good. Here we go.
My full, legal, first name is Nathaniel. Most people call me “Nathan” or “Nate”. Having been born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, I’ve been called a wide variety of names. 😊 With that said, I’ll take “Nathaniel”, “Nathan” or “Nate” any day of the week.
Part of the reason I am rarely in a hurry to write about myself is because I am and always have been, an extremely private person.
It is not that I am shy or timid. In fact, the few people who know me well would most likely say that it is quite the opposite. Instead, it is that I treasure and am extremely grateful for my privacy. That is due, in large part, to the fact that I am the son of a church Pastor and the last of six children.
Essentially, I lived “under a microscope” for most of my early years. As a result, I am eternally grateful for the peace and solitude that I am able to enjoy with my wife and our two sons. It’s awesome! In fact, I often get excited just thinking about it.
Okay, let me calm down. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. I’m a “PK” (Pastor’s Kid), Christian, husband, father, writer and marketer. In addition to my Dad being a church Pastor for almost forty years, he was also an excellent businessman. As a result, I’ve spent a great deal of my life around “church people”, business owners and people, in general. It’s part of the reason that much of my writing is geared toward helping business owners and Christians to improve their lives.
Born the last of six children, I have been competing, in one way or another, for virtually my entire life. Realizing at an early age that I would probably never be big enough, strong enough or quite frankly, skilled enough to become a professional football player, I started looking for other ways that I could not only compete with my older siblings, but also with all of my friends.
To my eternal surprise (and that of many others), I discovered that my greatest competitive advantage was my intellectual property — in other words, my mind.
With my father being the ultimate disciplinarian and me being the ultimate “hardheaded child”, I spent many days and nights banished to my bedroom as punishment.
One day, when I was complaining to one of my sisters about being bored (and stuck in my room), she calmly said “You don’t have to stay in this room. You can go anywhere in the world right now, just by reading a book.”
Who knew that getting in trouble and having my Dad put me on punishment would one day result in me becoming an avid reader? Not only did I become an avid reader, but I became passionate about words.
I read, learned and wrote all kinds of words. I became fascinated with them. I couldn’t get enough of them. That love of words helped me become the Spelling Bee champion in my school several times; and a regional finalist on one occasion.
As my love for words grew, my confidence did as well. I became an excellent student, prompting my school to move me to an advanced class. Without even trying, I had figured out how I could beat most of my friends, if not my older siblings. I could “outthink” them!
While winning the Spelling Bee and going to advanced class were awesome achievements, they weren’t the same as winning a trophy; like my older brother and all of my sisters had done. In fact, those things “backfired” on me in some respects, as my “friends” often made fun of me for being a “bookworm”.
I told myself that it was okay; and that one day, I would make all of them “pay”. Then, I proceeded to write down every insulting thing that every one of them ever said to me. I wanted to use those words as motivation for what I called “pay day”.
However, “pay day” would have to wait as I had a more immediate goal in mind. What I wanted more than anything was to win a trophy. Enter the Chess club! My school announced that in the following year, we would have a Chess tournament.
During my summer vacation, I learned how to play Chess. The following school year, I became the Chess champ at my school; winning my first trophy. Later that year, I followed it up by becoming the 5th grade champion in the Eastern Massachusetts region.
Once again, my love of and use of words had come into play. As inspiration and self-motivation, I wrote notes to myself before each match, reminding myself of all the insults that had been hurled at me. I then took it out on my opponents by crushing them in Chess matches. Again, I was able to “outthink” them.
When I was 16 years old, I wrote my first classified ad that caused a complete stranger to send me money in the mail. I have been quietly making money from home since that time. I’ve also been blessed to help other people do the same.
Again, these things were made possible, in large part, due to my love of words and my willingness (if not my ability) to use them.
There have been many, many other times in my life when writing has served me well. There have been many times, when, in fact, it has in a very real sense, saved my life. One of those times came when I was an adult, returning to college after 13 years away from it.
When my father was passing away, I promised him that I would go back to school and earn my degree. I applied to and was accepted by an excellent school. There was just one problem. The tuition began at $23,000 — of which I had none.
As I am a God-fearing man, I have no problem telling you that I believe it was a blessing from God (as are all my achievements) when I won a $15,000 scholarship, wait for it, in a writing contest!
My wife and I managed to scrape together the rest of the money; even while expecting our first child. And I managed to keep my grades up and keep my scholarship until I graduated with a four-year Marketing degree. Once again, writing to the rescue!
My graduation day was bitter-sweet. I was extremely happy that I was able to graduate, fulfilling my promise to my Dad. Yet, I was also extremely sad, because my Dad couldn’t be there. He was long gone, but of course, will never be forgotten.
At my Mom’s request, I wrote a special letter about my Dad and read it at his funeral. When I finished, the congregation gave me a standing ovation. Many people who had watched me grow up told me that it was the single, greatest thing that I had ever written. I was and still am, incredibly humbled by what happened that day.
I am also of the opinion that the letter for my Dad’s funeral was the best thing that I’ve ever written. Of course, that’s my opinion. However, having my Mom ask me to write that letter, being able to do it and delivering it in honor of my Dad was definitely the greatest honor of my life. That’s a plain fact.
As for my graduation, the night before, with a million thoughts racing through my mind, I sat down and did what I do. I wrote something. I wrote a letter to my Dad.
The next day, as I got dressed for the graduation, I put the letter in my pocket along with a picture of my Dad. I wanted him to “walk” across the stage with me to accept my diploma.
Before I went across the stage, I opened the letter and read it to myself. I read it again after I came down. When I wrote that letter, I didn’t have to think too long about what to say. It simply said “Thank you, Dad. We did it. Love, Babyboy.”
In honor of my Dad, I still help business owners and Christians to improve their lives. And I still do it, in large part, with my writing. I could go on and on, but I won’t. I was taught that one of the greatest “tricks” to writing well is knowing when to stop. So, it’s just about time to stop.
My name is Nathan White and I’m a guy who simply writes.
If you would like to know more about me, my story or what I’m doing these days to help people, you are invited to join me at HonestBusinessPodcast.com.
Before I go, I thank Dr Mehmet Yildiz for accepting me as a writer for Illumination. I thank all of the awesome writers of Illumination who have already begun showing me a tremendous amount of love and support.
And of course, I thank YOU for taking the time to read and learn a bit about me. My name is Nathan White — and I’m a guy who simply writes.
