You Have the Power

I think that we are all born with some kind of gift. God doesn’t create failures. The problem that we have is to find what we are good at.

The simple truth is that every person is unique and success does not always mean conformity. Everyone’s learning curve is different. The common trait among those that succeed is consistency. You have to incorporate persistence into your lifestyle. My mom said that I was just plain bull headed; you tell me I cannot do something and I will do it just to show you that I can.

I did struggle through school. Yes; I did get fairly decent grades but I would struggle for long hour trying to grasp the concept of simple things. I found out years later that I had undiagnosed dyslexia.

My gift was that I was good at riding broncs and bulls. Unfortunately; you can do this for just a short number of years because sooner or later you will lose your edge. My mom knew that I had to push myself to achieve more.

Mom died when I was still in high school.  She made me promise on her death bed that I would go to colleg and get a degree. I guess she thought that with an education I should be able to find a way to make a living.

I did graduate after six (6) long years; I was able to rodeo my way through school. When I was on a hot streak and won money I lived the good life and when I had a losing streak I often slept in my car. The reason it took me six years to finish is because I got hurt and was crippled at different times and had to drop some classes but I did finish.

Basically; there are two (2) lessons to be learned from this short story.

The first lesson is that you do not have to be a genius to make it in construction!  I worked hard and was able to become a successful contractor and made a very good living.  Being semi-retired is great but I am always looking for new challenges.

Lesson number 2 is you have to have persistence. Do not listen to people that tell you that you cannot be successful. Turn a deaf ear to negative people. Develop a strong belief in yourself and invest in yourself.  Become a student of the industry.

Bottom line is you are the only one that has the power to make you successful!