Charisma

Week #10 Beating the Odds

     I chose to write about Chapter 6 in Success Built to Last.  This chapter was all about believing in what you do, whether it is a job, a hobby, or even a life changing event.  If you believe in your passion it will make you successful.  It doesn't matter how big or small, if it is important to you it will have longevity.

     This chapter really spoke to me on a personal level.  I had not started out on the best of paths for a "good" life.  I became pregnant at 16 years old, the boy that I fell in love with was not in love with me.  It didn't take him long to realize that this was not what he wanted in life and soon he decided to leave me to raise my daughter all alone.  At this time I was a single parent attending my senior year in high school and living on my own.  I was on welfare, receiving food stamps and help from a program called teens to independent living for young mothers.

     I grew up with my parents and 7 sisters all under one roof until my parents divorced after 17 years of marriage.  I moved in with my dad and one other sister.  I soon found myself without the parental supervision that I once had.  I did some things that I should have waited to do and became pregnant at 16. I didn't know how I was going to tell my parents and waited until I was almost 8 months along to tell them.  My mother was very calm and simply stated, "I want you to know this will change your life forever."  My dad didn't know what to say.  I quickly moved from my dad's to my mom's.  After I gave birth to a healthy baby girl I soon found myself having disagreements with my mom over where I could and couldn't go with the baby.  We had a fight one day and I packed my things and left.  I didn't have a plan, I just left because at that time I thought any place would be better than there.  I moved in with my boyfriend's parents and she quickly took me to apply for section 8 and food stamps.  I had no idea either of those things existed, I guess you could say I had lived a sheltered life.  I had a friend that also had a baby and introduced me to someone that could help.  Her name was Kathy, she ran the program that helped me find a place to call home.

     My parents never encouraged education, never spoke of college to us.  It was Kathy that helped me enroll into a business office technology program.  I learned all I could and got a job at an insurance company. I could have easily fallen into the trap of a lifelong journey on welfare. That was not for me. Well let me tell you, I'll never forget the feeling when I called the welfare office and said thanks, but no thanks.  I no longer needed public assistance. I moved out of the apartment I had with my daughter and moved in with a friend and shared rent.  I met my husband when I was 19 years old. He was my voice of reason.  He always encouraged me to be better for myself and for my daughter.  I worked at the insurance office for a few years until I got laid off. I went from job to job until I found myself in the health field.

     We got married in 1995, and have been married for 20 wonderful years. We have 3 children, 2 girls and a boy.  My husband spoke of education often and swayed me to go back to school and become a nurse.  Since that day when I graduated from nursing school I vowed I would instill the importance of education to all my children. My children not only hear us speak of education and it's importance they see me back in college at 44 years old to continue to learn more about what's important to me. The more education I have the better I believe I can do my job. We try to show our children how much easier life is when you don't rely on others to get by. I feel that I overcame great odds to become the mother I am today.  I absolutely feel pride in who I am and the profession I chose.  I love making a difference in peoples lives.  I hope my children find a passion that they love and believe in and succeed at it.  You don't have to just go through life, if you Live it, it is so much more.