I have been thinking about my new year’s resolution and how I am going to commit myself to sticking to it. I am going into 2009 with a positive mindset, but it is difficult. The money in this country is funny like Steve Harvey. I have an accounting degree, but I don’t feel like the accounting type. I don’t have passion to wake up everyday to crunch numbers. People often ask me how I ended up going to school for accounting. Growing up, I really wanted to be a professional basketball player, but I didn’t see that on the list of career test that I completed in the eighth grade. I thought “well ball players are getting paid crazy millions and they need accountants, so I’ll just choose that career.”
By the tenth grade, I concluded that I wasn’t going to make it to the NBA. There are about 300 people playing in the NBA; that’s averaging about six from each state. Off top, I knew VA had Allen Iverson, Grant Hill, Joe Smith and Alonzo Mourning. That meant it was going to be very difficult for me to make it and land one of those million dollar contracts. I needed to get a job anyway. I didn’t have the time and money to pursue a long-shot dream.
In thinking about my new year’s resolution, I couldn’t remember my resolutions from previous years. When I started thinking about what I am going to do in 2009, I looked around my apartment. I noticed I have more pictures of Martin Luther King, Jr. than my father. Then, I reviewed my upcoming schedule for my therapy appointments. Two months ago, I was rear ended at a stop sign by a guy in one of those new Toyota coupe SUVs. The guy said he didn’t see me there. I didn’t really understand because it was daytime and I was stopped. However, my motto is any accident that you can walk away from you can learn from. I am grateful that I can walk, but when the pain starts settling in, my knees, back and neck are in constant pain.
Everything in my life changed such as taking showers, sitting down and driving in the car. I walked around with a cane. How did that look? 26 with a cane; ladies weren’t checking for that. I canceled my gym membership because I could not work out like I wanted to. I attended over twenty doctor appointments. I hadn’t been to the doctor this much in my whole life. It made me feel like I was on probation and I had to keep checking in with my CO.
I am walking different. I can’t move as quick. It didn’t feel good. That is all I kept thinking about. I caught myself being jealous about people that appeared to walk around pain free and did not have physical limitations to complete their daily tasks. It wasn’t their fault that I got into this accident. I was just so angry. I remember being able to do over 200 pushups in a workout session and now I’d be happy to do 10. After everything that has happened in 2008, I have two new years resolution.
1. Appreciating Life Everyday. Moments in life are like writing your name in the sand. People see it while you write, but the tide will come in and wash it away. It is my job to figure out what I want and to write it again. I don’t care how bad things get, I must press on. Through God I can complete anything. If I give up and quit, I’m not appreciating life to the fullest. Why would I quit on myself if I am passionate about my goal? Imagine that I got into the car accident and I needed to take time off from work. If I had kids, how would they eat? How would I be able to by support my family? If I am physically and mentally able to take advantage of my abilities, why not go for it. Appreciating life means believing in my self and knowing that I will make mistakes. However, if I treat each setback as a setup for a comeback, I will be a success in life.
2. Helping Other Succeed. I’m not sure how much money people want in life or the size of the house they would like to purchase. I do know that I can be useful in helping someone get the finer things and life. What happens if my life time card would have been punched in the accident and I never took the chance to help anyone? What if my words can help one person see their dreams come true? Growing up in a single parent home with a mother raising boys and working made it difficult for my mom to provide coaching. I had to grow up fast because the world was not giving handouts in my part of town. I worked over 15 jobs by the time I finished college. There were many times I was stressed out and felt like quitting. It’s tough out there and everyone needs a helping hand at some time in life. If I can help someone improve their chances of making their dreams a reality then my life is a success.
I would like to thank you for helping me fulfill my new year’s resolution. I appreciate you more than you may ever know. The top is way better than the bottom, so I hope I can help you see you dreams come true, too.
