You Can’t Keep Me Down

It seems like yesterday when I was told that I would never amount to anything. I always vividly remember those words and those very words stuck with me for the rest of my life but these words didn’t stick the way you think.

You May Be Wondering Who Said These Words To Me?
It was certainly not my parents as you might first think. Although, some people may have thought this given that I was a headstrong young man always rebelling at what I was told to do or how to do something. You are right in that I certainly had my own way of doing things and you are right in that I did not like to follow rules – or rules that I thought were stupid or totally illogical, or what could be considered a double standard.

Now, Back To Who Told Me Those Memorable Words
It all started in high school and the school principal. At this time, I also learned all about favouritism and who your family was and what they did for a living. I made what I thought was a simple request of the principal and this request was one that had been granted to certain individuals before. What I couldn’t understand was that his reply was a definite “no way”. I asked him why? He said it could not be done because it was against school policies. I argued in disagreement indicating precisely whom he had approved for the same request. It didn’t matter – the answer was no.

To make a long story short, I became very annoyed with the principal and continued to argue the point. He, in turn, proceeded to tell me in no uncertain terms that I would never amount to anything. There was nothing else I could do, so I left his office.

Needless to say, I was very upset at these very negative words. I graduated from high school, barely, and took the first job I could find all the while thinking that this was probably all I would end up doing – that is, menial jobs. But, I didn’t want to believe the principal – it seemed that, on the one hand he was right because I did not go on to college or university or even have a great job. Over the next couple of years, I bounced from one job to the next never being satisfied but always remembering what that high school principal had said.

Then, one day I got really angry . . . .

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