A Short Story About Big Dreams

Swagger- To walk or behave in a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive way

The key to having confidence is knowing yourself! What have you accomplished? Where are you going? After I graduated from college, I became a teacher. As you may have heard, teaching is very much an underpaid profession. I remember sitting on the sofa one afternoon after work. I was enjoying a late lunch and a music video caught my attention. I was amazed by the fancy cars, the vibrant jewelry, the expensive clothes and the Scarface lifestyle that was being portrayed. I thought to myself, the road to success can't possibly begin with me on the sofa in the afternoon on a Monday. That was the day that I decided to start my own company. A close friend of mine introduced me to the music business and things began to take off. The rest was up to me to put the time in and stay loyal to my connects. I remember smoking a cigar in the backyard with my friend David who turned to me and said, "Do you realize that music has shaped your entire life?" I didn't realize it until that moment but he was absolutely right. Music not only helped shape who I was, it also defined who my father was.

I recall a sunny afternoon in the spring of 2005. I had just purchased my first new car. I was always interested in the Accord by Honda. Believe me when I tell you, I felt quite jubilant when I drove my new car home from the dealership that day. I even purchased the fully loaded model thanks to the influence of my good buddy Keith. It was an amazing feeling to drive that car home. That feeling lasted for exactly twenty two minutes until I pulled up next to a diamond white Cadillac. Talk about a broken heart old sport? How could I resist the shine of that American made beauty? The desire for my long awaited Honda diminished almost instantaneously. For the next twelve months I worked day and night to build my business. Visions of grandeur lit fire to my motivation like a five o'clock espresso in the hands of a businessman on Wall Street.

Exactly one year after buying my Accord, I drove to the dealership and returned it. At six o' clock that evening, I was handed the keys to my new diamond white Cadillac. I drove home unusually slow that night. I remember feeling victorious, like I accomplished something great. You may find this to be a bit silly but it was one of the most amazing feelings I have ever experienced. It wasn't the car that made me feel great, it was the hard work that it took to get the car that made me feel great!

I will always be fond of the classic gangster automobile. I haven't drove one in a few years now. Not to say that I won't go back, but for now I'm happy with my Mercedes. I fancy the class and the style it represents. There is a song titled Stuntin Like My Daddy where Lil Wayne says, "When I was sixteen I bought my first Mercedes Benz!" That was the music video that sparked my interest while I was sitting on the sofa that afternoon. I might have had to wait until my twenties to buy my first Mercedes Benz but like the old saying goes, better late than never!

I would like to end this article with a motivational quote from the film The Pursuit of Happiness. I hope what I write inspires people to go after their dreams!

"You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period." -Will Smith (Christopher Gardner)