Personal Responsibility As a Teenager Equals Success at Any Age - How to Use Your Experience to Win
I always thought making it out of a small drug and alcohol infested town in Northwestern New Mexico was luck.
Little did I know that it was a couple of decisions and a twist of fate that set in motion the wheels that lead to the foundation of my success as a professional in the human service field.
That foundation was personal responsibility.
My first experience with personal responsibility presented itself in the form of a financial aid form as long as both my arms.
Mrs.
B told me that if I was serious about going to college I would have to fill out the form since I could no longer rely on social security death benefits from my father who died when I was 12 years old.
During my senior year new legislation was passed eliminating parental death benefits for those born prior to 1965.
I filled it out, and in what seemed like a whirlwind just days after high school graduation; my mother and aunt dropped me off at the "High Rise".
The "High Rise" was a 12 story dormitory building on a campus over 4-1/2 hours away from home.
My second experience with personal responsibility had to do with the realization that I was not tall enough or strong enough to succeed in baseball at the collegiate level.
After two years of baseball practice and struggling with grades I had to give up on one or the other.
The desire to be the first in my family to attain a post secondary education suddenly was more important than my desire to become a Professional Baseball Player.
Experience number three was having to work my way through college.
Financial aid only went so far.
My first job in college paid an unheard of $12.
00 an hour.
I offered to help an old man who was shoveling a large mound of dirt.
He turned out to be the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer in that county and offered me a job working with first time juvenile offenders.
My major was psychology and it fit perfect.
After graduating from college I moved to Texas and became the first Gang Juvenile Probation Officer in South Texas.
Experience number three turned into a Leadership position that became the building blocks on top of the foundation.
Business Professional and Leadership skills are the core components of a program called Teen Leadership.
A program founded by MB Flippen and associates.
As I mastered this program I quickly realized that it was the first three experiences with personal responsibility that catapulted me to the top of the program in my county.
For the next 14 years Teen Leadership and it's core components fortified my career in Youth Development.
I parlayed these skills into helping form another successful program called Youth Odyssey Inc.
Youth Odyssey Inc.
is an outdoor adventure and experiential education program targeting at-risk teenagers.
The next experience with personal responsibility had to do with sacrifice and faith.
I became a personal case manager and care taker for a dear friend who was tragically injured in an auto accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down and on life support.
After 9 years of case management and personal sacrifice it was time to rely on faith in myself.
Due to a decline in my health, I decided to retire from the Case Management and Teen Leadership and focus on myself.
I must admit that focusing on myself was very difficult in the beginning.
Feelings of guilt crept into the conscious mind at times.
People even accused me of being selfish for leaving such a great career.
It was this attack from an outsider that helped me to realize that I was simply being personally responsible.
When I was in high school I was personally responsible and filled out the financial aid form.
In college I was personally responsible for choosing school over baseball and then working my way through college.
After college I was personally responsible for my career, so much that I became completely consumed with being responsible for someone or something else.
I had forgotten about myself.
The minute I became responsible for myself again I was free, I was out of the "Rat Race".
I began my financial education, made two real estate investments and have now been without a typical 8 to 5 job for over two and one half years.
Being free from the 8 to 5 job has improved every aspect of my life including, health, spiritual, love, and personal.
The ability to give of my time, talent and treasure is now the foundation of my life.
To me this is true personal responsibility.
You can't be responsible for anything or anyone until you are responsible for yourself.
What is most important about "Twists of fate" or adversities is how you respond to them.
This article is about realizing your strengths and building upon what you already have created success at.
"One succeeds only when he is willing to embrace it".
Little did I know that it was a couple of decisions and a twist of fate that set in motion the wheels that lead to the foundation of my success as a professional in the human service field.
That foundation was personal responsibility.
My first experience with personal responsibility presented itself in the form of a financial aid form as long as both my arms.
Mrs.
B told me that if I was serious about going to college I would have to fill out the form since I could no longer rely on social security death benefits from my father who died when I was 12 years old.
During my senior year new legislation was passed eliminating parental death benefits for those born prior to 1965.
I filled it out, and in what seemed like a whirlwind just days after high school graduation; my mother and aunt dropped me off at the "High Rise".
The "High Rise" was a 12 story dormitory building on a campus over 4-1/2 hours away from home.
My second experience with personal responsibility had to do with the realization that I was not tall enough or strong enough to succeed in baseball at the collegiate level.
After two years of baseball practice and struggling with grades I had to give up on one or the other.
The desire to be the first in my family to attain a post secondary education suddenly was more important than my desire to become a Professional Baseball Player.
Experience number three was having to work my way through college.
Financial aid only went so far.
My first job in college paid an unheard of $12.
00 an hour.
I offered to help an old man who was shoveling a large mound of dirt.
He turned out to be the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer in that county and offered me a job working with first time juvenile offenders.
My major was psychology and it fit perfect.
After graduating from college I moved to Texas and became the first Gang Juvenile Probation Officer in South Texas.
Experience number three turned into a Leadership position that became the building blocks on top of the foundation.
Business Professional and Leadership skills are the core components of a program called Teen Leadership.
A program founded by MB Flippen and associates.
As I mastered this program I quickly realized that it was the first three experiences with personal responsibility that catapulted me to the top of the program in my county.
For the next 14 years Teen Leadership and it's core components fortified my career in Youth Development.
I parlayed these skills into helping form another successful program called Youth Odyssey Inc.
Youth Odyssey Inc.
is an outdoor adventure and experiential education program targeting at-risk teenagers.
The next experience with personal responsibility had to do with sacrifice and faith.
I became a personal case manager and care taker for a dear friend who was tragically injured in an auto accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down and on life support.
After 9 years of case management and personal sacrifice it was time to rely on faith in myself.
Due to a decline in my health, I decided to retire from the Case Management and Teen Leadership and focus on myself.
I must admit that focusing on myself was very difficult in the beginning.
Feelings of guilt crept into the conscious mind at times.
People even accused me of being selfish for leaving such a great career.
It was this attack from an outsider that helped me to realize that I was simply being personally responsible.
When I was in high school I was personally responsible and filled out the financial aid form.
In college I was personally responsible for choosing school over baseball and then working my way through college.
After college I was personally responsible for my career, so much that I became completely consumed with being responsible for someone or something else.
I had forgotten about myself.
The minute I became responsible for myself again I was free, I was out of the "Rat Race".
I began my financial education, made two real estate investments and have now been without a typical 8 to 5 job for over two and one half years.
Being free from the 8 to 5 job has improved every aspect of my life including, health, spiritual, love, and personal.
The ability to give of my time, talent and treasure is now the foundation of my life.
To me this is true personal responsibility.
You can't be responsible for anything or anyone until you are responsible for yourself.
What is most important about "Twists of fate" or adversities is how you respond to them.
This article is about realizing your strengths and building upon what you already have created success at.
"One succeeds only when he is willing to embrace it".