No Virgin to the Grind

As a young boy, I never thought I would amount to much. I saw incredible displays of wealth and power on a daily basis, but the examples needed to help a young black boy believe he was capable of achieving the same level of success, were absent. In addition to that, I had every excuse in the book to doubt my abilities. I was the product of an immigrant family, I spent most of my time in a single-parent household, I was discriminated against, and potentially the most damaging: I was always underestimated.

Carrying this baggage slowed me down for many years and contributed to my battle with depression. As I grew up, the weight of inadequacy forced me to address my issues at a fundamental level. The result was a deep, transformative understanding that I was capable of all things. Moving forward, I knew I needed to redefine how others viewed me, but most importantly, I needed to prove to myself I could not only amount to much, I could amount to everything.

Cultivating this mindset required examples, and I found a great one in a story that began with a 16 year old dyslexic high school dropout. With no education and no life experience, it’s easy to envision where a boy like this should end up. Now, think about what would have to occur to have that same boy buy his own island before the age of 30! This is just a part of Sir Richard Branson’s story. The Founder of the Virgin empire didn’t finish high school, he didn’t go to some big name college, and he didn’t have a massive trust fund waiting for him. What Richard did have was vision, courage, work-ethic, and an unusually high-risk threshold. A threshold that only someone who comes from nothing can truly appreciate.

When I manage my own risk portfolio, I think a lot about Branson and what it must have been like to start his own print publication at 16 and then a record label by 23. How many times was he laughed at? Who told him he would be a loser when he grew up? How many loved ones wrote him off as a failure? My vision isn’t to necessarily have over 400 businesses in more than 90 different industries, but I do aspire to cultivate the attitude needed to achieve such a feat. I know it will take a vast amount of dedication and perseverance, but I’m no virgin to the grind. I’ll do the work. Where the challenge lies for me is continuing to believe my future is greater than my past, because when it’s all said and done, I need to show myself what the “Underestimated 1” is capable of.

“Take a chance. It’s the best way to test yourself. Have fun and push boundaries.”

~Richard Branson