Never Give Up on Your Dreams

Never Give Up on Your Dreams

Don’t give up before the miracle happens – Fannie Flagg

Never, never, never, give up – Winston Churchill

2020 has punched us. We are feeling the side effects.

I have one question for you. Are you about to throw in the towel? Are you ready to quit? Are you ready to give up hope? You only see roadblocks, stopping you from achieving. You are out of breath and facing a concussion from the punch.

2020 has made us feel redundant. However, the challenges in our life exist to make us stronger. Not to become cynical and bitter. Never let circumstances limit your dream. You need to positive, robust, ready to take over the world.

Do not let 2020 and COVID make you negative. The negative tunes start playing in the head. The ambition, faith, and enthusiasm go down the drain. We start leading a mediocre life and forget about our dreams.

December is my favorite month. My birthday falls in the first week and then it is Christmas. December is also the month when I catch up with all my family and friends. As I email, text, phone, and message with friends on social media, I realize some common themes. Disappointment, anger, resentment, bitterness, lack of forgiveness, blaming, health issues, death, and many other issues take place in our lives.

A common theme among my cousins is ‘Jerry you have had it easy’.

I lived with my grandparents, aunts, and female cousins from the age of 1 to 12.5 years old. At the age of 2, I was dropped by mistake from the changing table. My lips were cut open, fingers slashed, the front head was gashed.

I became sick because of that and had to be fed through a hole in my armpit.

Tell that to my mother who had three miscarriages before and four after me.

At St. Andrews, as I spend three years there, I get a little sense of belonging. I was one of the few Catholic boys.

At BCS, there were many times, I questioned myself what I was doing in this venerable institution. Once again, I found myself to be one of the only Catholic boys among 300 students.

The three years at Les Roches were fascinating. However, you are in a new country, a new language, and every six months you are moving to different cities to complete your internship.

As I backpacked across Europe, I realize I am different in many ways. I am brown in a sea of white.

After graduation, as I hit the job market, I realize for the last couple of years, I have moved through three different countries, through 10 cities.

I applied for a management training position in a Middle East country. I am told clearly that I have to hold an EU or a local passport. I apply for a driver’s license and for Asians, the exam is in a standard car. Everyone else can do the exam in an automatic car.

I really look at my dad and ask him how can he put up living as a second-class citizen? No way am I going to be treated this way, just because of my skin color.

Canada welcomed me with open arms.

I moved to Toronto, not knowing anyone. I had to get a job, pay rent, and start living in a new city. It was the new normal for me.

The tech boom had started. No one had heard of Les Roches.

After a stint at a few hotels, I made the switch into banking. I went back to night school, got a degree.

After I came first in sales at Scotia and won a cruise, I decided to leave while I was at the top. I always wanted to be a trader and work in wealth management.

After doing a whole bunch of courses, I started working with a few advisors.

I learned a lot and it took me a while to get used to the Bay Street culture.

After working with an advisor for a long time and no chance of buying the book, I made the move to a US firm.

Did I mention that the advisor that I worked with for 16 years never bought me a meal, never said thank you, and never gave me a thank you card?

I just had to accept that is the Bay Street style of doing business. It was always just about business.

2016 not only turned out to be one of the best years in my life but the beginning of the worst 18 months of my life. I lost three very close friends during that period.

As I say goodbye to financial services and move on to the next stage of my life, there are always challenges, questions. Am I scared of risks? Am I scared of failure?

Am I discounting grief? By no means. Grief is a process. Sometimes a very long process. Emotional pain can be gut-wrenching.

As I start a blog and work my way focusing on my passion, there is a long, road ahead. I could fall on my face and be unemployed.

I refuse to give up. I refuse to quit. I want to be a game-changer. I want to make a difference in the lives of people. I want to share the stories of countless people. I want to tell stories. I want to connect with people.

I am who I am because of hurt, rejection, pain, suffering, and failure.

Here is my call to action for you. Be human. But do not quit. Your best years are ahead of you.

never give up

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11 thoughts on “Never Give Up on Your Dreams”

  • People usually present their best selves so we don’t always know what challenges or hardships they’ve overcome – or may even still be battling! Thank you for sharing your story, good and bad, pain and all. It’s never too late to start over, to try something new! Now, to do that myself is a challenge!

  • Jerry, thank you for sharing this blog posting. At one time in life, I was a big dreamer but with limited follow through. Eventually, I just started going along for the ride. When I turned 60, the college where I worked in an administrative role offered an early retirement package in an effort to reduce staffing and save some money. I jumped at the chance. I figured, ‘Hey, when would be the next time someone paid me to quit?’ I’d just been appointed to serve as a marriage commissioner in my area here in Alberta and thought this part-time role and the small pension I received would be perfect. But I ended up going to work for an employment training company a year and a half later. I celebrated my first anniversary there … and COVID hit! You are right. 2020 came on and blindsided us with a one-two punch. I was laid off for three months. However, I tried to turn the negative into a positive and started revisting some of my earlier dreams. COVID gave me a fresh perspective on what is important in life to me. When I got called back to work, it was only for a month and then the company faced a sitution where an important contract was severely delayed in being renewed. We were assured that there was money in a reserve to keep us on the payroll, but the work wouldn’t be what I was hired to do. It would involve physical things where I seriously lacked skills. I saw this as a sign and handed in my resignation. It was back to my pension and part-time role as a marriage commissioner. And that latter was greatly impacted by COVID. So, things are a little tight financially, but I’m feeling happier than I have in a long time and I am again exploring those earlier dreams as I plan for the rest of my life. 2020 was a definite punch, but if we can learn to roll with the punches and realize nothing is permanent, I think it is possible to get through. “I refuse to give up. I refuse to quit. I want to be a game-changer.” You have my deepest respect for your approach, Jerry. And those are three thoughts I am trying to live by.

  • Thanks for a great post. Life is definitely full of setbacks and delays, but I believe we are more than conquers of uur circumstances.

  • I’m starting a blog myself and I know what you mean! The road ahead looks so long and especially scary! But “don’t give up” has been my mantra for every single day. Great success is gonna come!

  • With every set back and trial we make the choice on moving forward. I appreciated your honesty and vulnerability. Never give up … never quit after all this is your story being written. Keep going. 😊

  • Thank you so much for sharing this….. fighting with not giving up on my dream blog and food photography daily! It is a struggle … but every day I refuse to give up 💗

  • Not giving on your dreams requires dedication and consistency. When I look back on my life and I think about my dreams one of the things that stick out to me, I always wanted to have an impact on people. I want my life to motivate others and that is what I am working on at the moment through my blogging and authoring books.

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