Success Takes Courage

by Sandra Hendricks
(Idaho, USA)

Anyone who has discovered my Blog or Ezine Articles knows I am a firm supporter in doing what you think you should. Allow me to illustrate what I consider a success story, regarding my youngest daughter, Brandi.

At the age of sixteen Brandi, popular at her High School, decided that she preferred to work. The day she came to me wanting to drop out, my heart sunk. With the decision to support my daughter, I convinced her to obtain her High School Equivalency, straight away. Within a two-week period, Brandi completed that and began working more hours at her fast food job.

Practically every week she complained about her situation and before long, Brandi desired something more. What was my guidance? "Think about what you want and do what you think you should." She had been saying stuff like, "I don't want to keep working there, and I don't like my job." Eventually, she produced something I could work with, and I gave it my finest shot. Brandi became disillusioned and decided that she should quit her job! "If you think you should then maybe you should," I told her. The next evening she returned home and announced with delight that she had indeed quit her job!

Brandi began submitting applications and visiting the Employment Office. With car payments and insurance to keep up, she had to get something soon, and the stress caught up to her quickly. I kept at my advice to her. "Focus on what you want and do what you think you should do", I encouraged. Just as her payments were overdue, she landed a job at a computer company where her older brother worked. Because she had done what we both agreed she should, and obtained her High School Equivalency, Brandi could work full-time at the age of seventeen.

One year later the company granted her with an opportunity to transfer to Oklahoma City! Brandi grew up in a minuscule Idaho town. She had never supported herself, so naturally the thought of this scared me half to death. As we discussed the idea, my heart pounded, because I knew that I must support her and stay with my advice. If she wanted to make this move, who was I to place my fears in her?

Brandi followed everything that she thought she should do, and commenced to go online to search for an apartment. The company provided her with a relocation package. Before I realized it, she was completely set to leave my home. At this point, I had left her to her own devices and sat back, silently hoping that she would change her mind.

After working in Oklahoma City for a year, I went to visit Brandi. It was astonishing how skillfully she had adapted to the big city way of life! Her apartment was one of the nicest I had ever seen, and she lived the life of a mature adult. This is where the story gets better! The following year Brandi received news that the company had decided to make major changes and layoffs were inevitable. At this point, Brandi knew how to advise herself, and away she went, doing what she thought she should do.

She went online and began looking for work and applying over the internet. Before the layoff day arrived, Brandi boarded a plane to Boston, for a job interview. The company that she was interviewing with paid all expenses and flew her in a few weeks later for her second interview! Her new company provided a moving service and towed her car across the country, as she once again flew to Boston.

Focusing on what she wanted and doing what she thought she should do, helped Brandi arrive where she is today. Her boss believes that she has what it takes for acceptance at MIT, and she is really considering attending college. In the meantime, Brandi is living a life that I never dreamt possible. She has an objective to increase her earning to over one hundred thousand dollars annually within the next four years. Does she get scared? Definitely, Brandi is the first to tell you that doing what you think you should do, takes courage. In addition, I must say that supporting others in what they think they should do, especially our children, is most difficult sometimes.