ILLUMINATION

Illuminating Mister Weirdo

Introducing myself to the community

Yes, I introduce myself as Mister Weirdo whenever the opportunity presents itself. I was Mister Weirdo, long before weird started trending toward the new normal.

I came up with the moniker when I received an invitation to speak to a network marketing organization in 1997, and they asked to send them an introduction.

I wrote: Our speaker today is a man with many unusual characteristics. Unusual may not be the right word; weird is more like it. Not only is he weird, but he takes pride in the fact that he is. Now, if that is weird, I don’t know what is. Please help me welcome, Rasheed Hooda.

The lady who introduced me kept apologizing for having to read it, as she did.

There is a background to how I came up with that, but that’s another story for another time. I have always been different, striving to stand out from the crowd.

These days, I live a Freedom Lifestyle. I am Happily Homeless and Joyfully Jobless (thank you, Barbara Winter, for the JJ phrase). I live in a small motorhome, big enough for one that I call my Mobile Domicile.

I am a Jack of many trades, and a Master of some, which means that I employ multiple profit centers to support myself.

After mostly working for others for 40 years, I finally fired my boss and decided to go solo in 2008. I have been enjoying entrepreneurship ever since.

I am a writer (obviously), a photographer, an inspirational/motivational speaker, and a Balloon Twister who entertains children of all ages.

Though I was not born in the back seat of a Greyhound bus, I had lived in three provinces and several cities in India, before I entered Kindergarten. Between KG and sixth grade, I attended two different schools while living in three different places.

In 1965, my family migrated from India to Pakistan (I am still fighting with myself as a result). Nine years later, I arrived in the USA for higher education, and eventually made it my home,

I should’ve been certified as officially unemployable because the longest I worked in one place was two and a half years during my corporate employment of forty years. The majority of my work was in the restaurant industry, with stints in several other fields. I am, what Barbara Sher calls, a Scanner. I have many interests, and I like to pursue them all.

I feel that communicating and storytelling is my calling. I am more comfortable speaking than I am writing. I am honored that Dr. Mehmet Yildiz invited me to join this prestigious community. I’ll do my best to contribute what I can while challenging myself to grow in the process, which I know I will. #ILLUMINATION

Thank you for reading. I am looking forward to learning about the rest of the community and forming some long-term personal and professional relationships.

I am a self-proclaimed weirdo, Jack of Many Trades and Master of Some. I live the Freedom Lifestyle — life on my terms, and help those who are interested in doing the same. (Join the Tribe)

“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.”