Growing up I never had to worry about much.
Frankly because everything was really taken care of for me.
Food, clothing, shelter, anything you could think of my mother went out of her way for me.
I know when you first hear that you probably think I had it good.
And it felt like that when I was a kid…
But the reason I was treated like a spoiled rich kid was because I was the baby in my family.
The last one.
What made my mother go out her way to try and do everything for me and protect me from the world only God knows why.
But as I got older I started to realize how that left a crippling affect on me.
She tried to eliminate other things off my plate so I could focus academically, but that didn’t go so well since school was not my favorite subject.
But when it came to doing just the everyday things in life I was clueless.
In fact, I never got my first job until I was 21
When I think back over this I just shake my head in disbelief.
In reality it wasn’t the job that I wanted…
It was the independence.
I wanted the ability to make my own money in order to step away from the sheltering of my mother.
Deep down inside it bothered me that if I wanted something I had no means of getting it myself.
I mean even if I wanted a new pair of draws (underwear) I had to call mommy.
This was humiliating and most importantly emasculating.
How was I ever to become a man if I couldn’t even by my own draws (lol I like that word).
A change needed to happen!
Luckily I had a sister who helped me out and showed me the way.
I had no experience at all in the first thing of looking for a job and frankly I felt unqualified for any gig.
Mostly because I had no prior experience.
But my big sis did.
And she walked me through the process.
A few days later, seriously when I look back it happened pretty fast.
I got a job.
I was working for the Georgia Aquarium.
After the whole process I realized something.
She became a mentor for me in this area.
She had shortened the time it would have taken me to do the research to find a job around my skill set and prep for the interview.
What would have taken me weeks now took only days.
Not to mention someone believing in me that I could do it.
I was grateful…
Not only for her help in finding the job, but the lesson she taught me what it meant finding mentors, or an expert/guide.
From that point on I started doing research and finding others who were experts in their respected fields.
Experts and mentors that could help teach me and shorten my learning speed in half on skills required for my growth.
And if I couldn’t find physical mentors I would learn through books.
This method has changed the way I approach everything I do now in life.
I have become more confident and certain of myself.
If there is something I do not know I make it an appoint to find someone who does and learn from them.
Now self-education is like my best friend now.
It’s so much better than that thing called school.
And it’s worth so much more of an investment because my returns are much greater.
So what are you doing to improve yourself and grow?