Today we’d like to introduce you to Wilk Wilkinson.
Hi Wilk, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I am Wilk Wilkinson, husband, father, Christian conservative, and host of the Derate The Hate podcast. I’m a man who has, over the course of my life, made more than my share of mistakes, but most importantly, I’ve owned up to them and I’ve learned from them. I grew up poor, mostly in rural towns around the upper Midwest. I’ve been working from the age of 10 years old so that I might have the things my parents could not or for good reason, would not provide for me. For all their faults, my parents provided what was needed, which were love and good values.
We moved a lot as I was growing up. I was in far more schools throughout the k-12 years than I completed grades. I was bullied incessantly through much of grade school and learned a lot from that experience, good and bad. I’ve been able to overcome a lot of anger and animosity over the years and try to share my experiences in a way that helps others do the same. My failures have been my most successful teachers. I’ve grown to become successful in my career, marriage, and parenting in ways I never would have imagined as a younger person. Through my podcast, I attempt to share with others the tips and tools I’ve used to change the trajectory of my life. Topics regularly include personal accountability, gratitude, civility, mindset, and so much more.
We cannot control everything that happens to us in life or the world in which we live, but we have the absolute responsibility as individuals to control how we will react to it. Civility does not require that we force our opinions on others, demand like-mindedness, or hate those with whom we disagree, but simply to see the humanity in all people despite our differences, whatever those differences may be.
Anything else you would like to know, just ask…
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Nothing about my life has been smooth. Most of my own making (as an adult), for different reasons as a kid. I grew up very poor, bouncing from town to town as my dad looked for work in the Midwest in the late 70s to early 90s.
-Most of my memories between grades 2 through 5 involved being bullied. This in part helped develop for me a very explosive and self-destructive temper. I learned to fight after moving away from that town, so never really got bullied after that, but the self-destruction continued for many years.
-I’ve been working since I was 10 years old. My parents did not have the means to give us kids the kinds of things other kids had, so at 10 I started working multiple jobs so I could get them for myself. I had 2 paper routes and cleaned the lobby and filters at the local dry cleaner each afternoon Monday through Friday. I have not been without a job for more than a few days since then.
-My struggles to “fit in” as a youngster contributed greatly to a terrible awkwardness in relationships when I became an adult. This combined with my explosive temper helped to keep me “single” until I was in my late thirties. It took me many failed relationships, and then many years of intentionally staying out of relationships, to figure out there was a lot about me that needed fixing before I could be a worthy half in a truly good relationship. I am now happily married to the love of my life, my true best friend for life, my wife Monika.
-My failures have been my greatest teachers. Understanding that through personal accountability and gratitude, everything in life can be seen as a lesson. We are surrounded by teachable moments every day, you just have to look for them.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the creator and host of the Derate the Hate podcast.
Bettering the world one attitude at a time. We did not create the hate, but with your help, we can DERATE THE HATE… In a world filled with divisiveness, frustration, and lack of happiness, it’s time we all start to get along. (even with those people with an opinion or mindset that differs from our own). That all starts with each of us as individuals. We cannot necessarily control everything we encounter within our day-to-day lives or the environment in which we live, but we certainly have the ability to control how we react to it. It all starts with gratitude and personal accountability.
Civility does not require that we force our opinions on others, demand like-mindedness, or hate those with whom we disagree, but simply see the humanity in all people despite our differences, whatever they may be.
Life is about choices. In most cases, being happy is a choice, and so is being miserable. Misery and unhappiness often stem from an always-offended mindset or what I call the perpetual victim mentality. Smiles and bad moods are contagious, so those who choose to be miserable often bring those around them down, the converse is true with happiness. Choices always have consequences. Make good choices.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Mad and resentful mostly.
We moved around so much that I never really had the same friends for long. I was very outgoing but never really “fit in” the way others seemed to. I became very accustomed to spending time alone and I was fine with that.
I absolutely loved, and still do, hunting and camping, and to a lesser degree, fishing. From the age of 11 or 12, I would have my parents go drop me off down by the river and I’d camp for the weekend, just exploring and pretending I lived in a different time.
I always liked hanging out with older people. I would take every opportunity to hang out with my Dad and his friends. In high school, I was easily able to pass myself off as much older than I was and would often run around with college kids and a much older crowd. This also led to another great joy of mine and that is drinking beer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.DerateTheHate.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derate_the_hate
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DerateTheHate
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wilkinson-65517281/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DerateTheHate
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wilksworld
- Other: https://www.WilksWorld.com
Image Credits
Monika Wilkinson Photography
