Quick story for ya! I was thinking about one of my old school buddies this morning after seeing his mom on Friday night. I kinda chuckled then smiled. I’m really proud of the guy. I’ve known him since we were in the 7th grade when we became good friends. On into high school we became best buds. I can say I never really had 1 best friend. I had a small group of best pals. For sake of anonymity and respect, I’ll call him John. We used to tease John because his grandma always gave him money. She bought him his first car and paid for all sorts of stuff in school. We joked about his rich grandma. John’s parents divorced when he was younger. His dad was in law enforcement and his mother was a single mom doing her best to raise a good kid. She did well.
All through school ole John was always dressing nice when we’d go out. Dressing for success was instilled in him at a young age. I’d wear a ball cap and John would fix his hair. He was mouthy and I did most the fist pounding when we’d go out. I remember when he got his ear pierced. That lasted maybe a week and I wore mine for years. His first car was a brand new Eagle Talon TSI. It was pretty fast. He was pretty picky about us eating and trying to sneak a smoke in it when he first got it. John dated two girls in high school. One was the daughter of a well respected cardiologist, who owned a sweet Ferrari, and the other was the daughter of a well-known local attorney. She was my girlfriend, first! Ha! I don’t think she’d of liked being a military spouse anyway. The doctor had been on several safaris in his life and had all sorts of cool mounts. John was attracted to that lifestyle. We always thought he’d go into some sort of field involving sports simply because that dude knew everything about all things sports related. You’d ask him who won the World Cup in 1982 and he’d know. Who had the most RBIs in 1973, he’d tell you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he still has a subscription to Sports Illustrated! We spent a lot of time playing Tecmo Bowl on the Nintendo.
What’s interesting is where he is now and what he’s doing. He had is eye on success and stayed dialed in on that. He was focused, had a goal and never swayed from his goal. He ended up being an attorney. To my knowledge, the guy is absolutely killing it and making great strides for himself and his family. He is successful. This makes me extremely proud of him. I admire who he was in school and who he is now having watched him over the years. That is the epitome of determination! He knew what he wanted when he was 17 and is crushing life today at 43. If you believe it, you can be it!
All this to say, teach your kids to have those goals and dreams when they are young. Inspire them! All the “spoiling” John got from his grandma when we were kids locked something into his mind. He liked the way he looked and felt. He wanted to maintain that. More than that, he wanted to crush it! He has because he made a choice. His story is a true testimony to the commit and grind philosophy. No matter where you came from what you do in life is all on you…own it. You may have to throw some elbows in life to get where you want to be. Lord knows, you’re gonna have to eat some elbows, too. Keep you eye on the prize. Stay focused on what it is you want in life. His grandma was a true blessing to him. His mom is a real gem as well. Heck, she put up with me hanging around the house eating cinnamon toast every day after school!
This is a true testimony!! Stay true and teach your kids to never give up on what it is they seek in life. No dream is silly. Enable your children to reach for the stars!! If you like what you’ve read, please Like, Share and Subscribe. Love to all!! Have a blessed day!
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