I don’t have any studies, or analytics, to back up what I’m about to tell you, but I do have life. And experience.
If you’re anything like me, you consume a ton of content every day from people you care about. These people may be country artists, or actors, or entrepreneurs, or family, or brands. Everyone has their podcasts they listen to or accounts they follow in order to add something positive to their day.
For me, my favorite people to listen to come from backgrounds similar to mine. Backgrounds of struggle. Where you had to fight and claw to get every single thing in your life. There was no silver spoon, in fact that spoon was likely plastic.
A common thread you’ll find between some of the most successful people of today, whether that’s Gary Vaynerchuk or The Rock, is the beginning. Growing up with nothing, and having to bust your ass day in and day out to make it. People that come from humble beginnings, without a doubt, have a fire that burns hotter and deeper when it comes to being successful in life. Maybe you weren’t born in America, but your family came here to chase a dream. Maybe you were dealt a brutal hand. Maybe you just had a ton of bad luck. Whatever it is, we all share a common bond of struggle.
This is common sense mostly, but often overlooked. Working under pressure is your norm and you almost operate better under stressful situations. Work ethic was instilled early, and that grew, year after year with one thing in mind…to “make it.”
I was thinking about many of these figures I look up to, and why I work 24/7 year after year, and it oddly enough lead me to my first car. Something triggered the thought of that disgusting pile of shit.
It was a silver Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with spray paint spots. The muffler kept falling off. The driver’s side door handle would fall off in the winter. There was no A/C. It was hideous, but got me to where I needed to be.
This photo here isn’t the exact car, but’s it’s close. In fact this car is too nice, and is all one color.
That car didn’t help me get dates or girlfriends, that’s for sure.
It did build character though. When you have to climb into your car from the passenger’s side because the driver’s side door can’t be opened, you’re humbled. People staring at you and laughing sucks, but it makes that fire burn hotter.
A lot of those people that had fancy cars and laughed now work at gas stations. In that same town.
Sometimes I miss that car. The character it had, and the character it built. I’ll never be one to care about material objects, but that piece of shit holds a soft spot in my heart. It always will. I remember getting a CD player to work in there, and putting in my first burnt CD.
The first song was “Ain’t Nothing ’bout You” by Brooks & Dunn. A bunch of Alan Jackson followed, along with Kenny Chesney.
Take a second today to think about that first car – the pain in the ass it was, and the character it built in you. They got us to where we needed to go, and where we needed to be. Let’s all pour a drink to that.
