An Inspirational Story

[Free To Canoe]

Interesting all of the difficulties that this man had to overcome to be a success.

Millionaire hasn't forgotten his roots in North Braddock

We lose awareness of how difficult the good old days were. Back when some expected you to make your way in the world when you were 15. Probably this way in much of the developing world still. After reading this I have a hard time finding sympathy for the bum in the other thread that drinks his unemployment away.

Free to canoe

 

[freebird5825]

Great story!

I never had these kinds of challenges, but I had my own. So have we all. It is never a contest to see who had it the worst. The contest belongs to the individual person, i.e what they do to overcome the problem(s).

It is ALL in the attitude that gets the "winners" through tough times.

 

[calmloki]

I'm most impressed by the widow with 4 kids that opened her door at 3 in the morning and took in a rain soaked teenager and gave him a home.

 

[NW-Bound]

This is a great story illustrating the principle of immediately acting upon a business opportunity that one sees. If you snooze, you lose. Alas, I tried to stay awake, and I still lost most of the time ...

Regarding this man being kicked out of his sister's house, let me tell a story.

My wife has a nephew who, at the age of 16, partied out late repeatedly and was locked out of his parents' home at 1-2 AM. His parents wanted to teach him a lesson.

He called the cops. They came knocking on the door, and told them that it was illegal to lock him out. It was hell for them until he graduated from high school and moved out.

In case you wonder, he's older than 30 now, married and earning an honest living. For a long time, we really wondered how he would turn out. When asked in his teenage years what he wanted to be, his answer was "a beach bum", which he was for a while.

 

[freebird5825]

This is a great story illustrating the principle of immediately acting upon a business opportunity that one sees. If you snooze, you lose. Alas, I tried to stay awake, and I still lost most of the time ...

Regarding this man being kicked out of his sister's house, let me tell a story.

My wife has a nephew who, at the age of 16, partied out late repeatedly and was locked out of his parents' home at 1-2 AM. His parents wanted to teach him a lesson.

He called the cops. They came knocking on the door, and told them that it was illegal to lock him out. It was hell for them until he graduated from high school and moved out.

My Mom used this threat for a wilder older sister for a long time. She never had to really lock the doors, but I know she would have if sis didn't get home before Mom did (w*rked late shift at restaurant). I never tested the theory.
I'm really surprised the cops didn't adminster the youth curfew laws. Kid must have told them a BS story to get back into the house.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

Great article Free to Canoe! I agree that this period in time is no worse than any other. In fact, it is probably easier than my parents and most definitely my grandparents generation had it. I was reading an article recently that great intelligence is not necessarily a predictor of success in life. Perseverance and willingness to take a risk are more predictive.