I had a great time yesterday with a childhood friend. We talked about our sons, the struggles they are going through and how those struggles have similarities to ones we faced.  Its been twenty years since I graduated high-school and there are still things that I faced or had to overcome that still ring true today.  There are still Clic’s and favoritism, there are times in your life that it doesn’t matter what you do it matters more in who you know.   How do you get through those times and situations are now things as a parent I’m trying to help my boys with.

For me I carried a chip on my shoulder, I had people tell me you can shoot, you can’t jump and you’re not good enough. I used that as a motivation, i was going prove those people wrong. A lot of my success today was built by those chips.  Growing up in a small county in WV I didn’t have a lot. We lived in a 2 bedroom apartment until I was a sophomore, however I never went without.  My parents were always there for my sister and I, they made sure If I needed something I had it, was it always the “name” brand.. no… but that never mattered. What i cared most about was the love and respect I had.  I never had a curfew, I was told as long as you never give us a reason you don’t need it.. now there were things I did that infringed upon that trust, but I never lost it.  I can remember being on food stamps and having free or reduced lunch as a kid when dad was laid off.  That was another chip I carried, I remember other kids saying or making fun of kids that had to go through those situations.

As a father now, I have worked hard to provide and be there for my boys.  I want them to understand in life if you want something you have to work for it, nothing is going to be given to you. You can’t wait around for someone to hand you something, a man who hesitates will see the motivated man pass him by.

So, today are you sitting there needing some motivation to keep you going?  To me having motivation, a chip on your shoulder is not a bad thing.  Some of the most successful and driven people in the world use motivation everyday.

Now twenty years from when I was told you can’t shoot, you can’t jump and you’re not good enough, what do i do.  I look in the mirror everyday and smile, The one thing many don’t know is that same person who said that came to my house a year later and said if I had 12 of you I would never lose.    Was any part of that true, I’ll never know, what I do know is my drive never changed and my motivation continues to grow.

I hope your motivation drives you to wherever you want to go.

Enjoy your day!

TCB