Success is a common goal that most people share, but the way we define success is different. Each person has their own unique experiences, role models, and opinions. In my blog post today, I am going to talk about my inspiration and when you are done reading this I encourage you to think about yours as well.
As you go from child to adolescent to adult most individuals go through an array of emotions towards their parents, anger, love, hate, appreciation, etc. That is how it has been for me, at least. My dad and I have always had a close knit relationship, but we have had our ups and downs. I have gone from loving him one moment to being infuriated with a decision he made. It wasn’t until this summer where I really began appreciating who my dad is as a person.
My dad grew up in Wisconsin, as he youngest to a family of five. Life was constantly changing, facing my dad with hardships. He transferred elementary schools to high schools but he was always liked by his peers. My dad has an electric personality full of confidence and strength and people are naturally drawn to him.
In high school he was forced to balance a job, football, and school and his dedication and hard work paid off because my dad was accepted into the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Once again, my dad was forced to balance many things in his life, especially because he had to pay for his own college education. School was important to my dad, because he wanted to succeed. He has this drive that is the most incredible thing I have ever seen; no matter how tough the situation is he gets himself out of bed striving to make himself a better person.
When my dad graduated, he still had student loans that he had to pay for, but that did not stop his life. He budgeted so that he would be able to pay them off. Numbers are my dad’s passion and he knew that he had to do something to pursue a career with numbers. He came to Chicago where he began working as a stock broker. He began working at a low level position with the intentions of working his way up.18 years later his dedication, hard work, and knowledge led him to one of the top positions in his company.
My dad is my inspiration because he never gave up; he put himself through college and worked hard to achieve his goals. In my opinion, that is one of the most remarkable things to see; an individual working their way to the top with no help from anyone else. My dad’s journey has taught me to never give up and to fight for what I believe in. My dad is my inspiration and strength and I can only hope one day I will accomplish just as many great things as he has.
Ask yourself, who inspires you to be successful?
Tara K.