Don't limit yourself!!

"Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve." ~ Mark Kay Ash.

I have always held firm to certain beliefs about the success of my life. As a child my mother's influence on my academic and social outlook was significant. She always taught me and my brother and sister that a good children are seen and not heard. I always wanted to be the child that was seen doing good and not heard of doing bad. As a result, I developed good citizenship and a sincere love of helping others. I also learned that the only limits in life are the ones you set for yourself!!

After I started my family early, I was driven by a core belief that a man is the provider for the family. With limited funds available to attend secondary school and a strong desire to pull myself up by my own boot straps, I enlisted in the Army almost immediately after high school graduation. The military quickly provided me with stability and also helped me continue to develop my love for helping others.

One of the happiest memories that I have from my military experience is also one of my most frightening. As a paralegal specialist in the Army, I considered myself to be a champion of justice and wanted more than anything to help give sound to those without a voice.

A single solder with a young child applied for an administrative separation from the military because she had no one to care for her baby. The chain of command did not want to let her go. After reviewing her case, I felt compelled to do something to help and put my career in jeopardy going in front of the chain to convince them to release this soldier. The way I saw it, keeping her away from her family would do more harm than good and would weaken the overall readiness of the unit.

"A soldier that is not focused on the mission will ultimately contribute to its failure." Surprisingly, my actions helped re-unite a family. Seeing her glowing smile and hearing her words of appreciation was all I needed to let me know that I had done a good thing.

When my military experience ended abruptly in 2001, the transition from soldier to a civilian came as quite the culture shock to me, I wanted to help others but did not know where to begin. I fell backwards into a technology position at a financial services firm and became computer technician. Weird huh.

Surprisingly, I still get a lot of joy and satisfaction, whenever I help to make someone's day because I can fix a printer issue or connect them to the corporate network.

In 2002, I volunteered to coach my son's (6-8 year olds) flag football team. The Pleasant Grove Tarheel team was in the infancy stages but we were determined to overcome adversity. We fought hard that season and earned a spot in the playoffs.

It was the final game before the championship. Our team was ahead by the slimmest of margins and our opponent was driving the ball down our throats. The tension began to rise as they reached 4th down with only seconds to play. On the last play, they decided to run a play to the opposite side of the field after we had made a late defensive change overloading the left side of the field.

Our boys would not be denied. My son, Reggie Jr., hustled the width of the field then made a spectacular diving grab of the runner's flag which sealed the victory and propelled us into the championship game.


Remember, whenever life gives you lemons, remember to make lemonade. If you believe it, you can achieve it!