I used to drive this 1982 Subaru Brat. I bought it when I was 19 for $600, and it actually lasted me for 8 years.
I was poor. This piece of junk was all I could afford to get me to school, and I scraped by. Barely.
I was often mocked and laughed at for driving this piece of crap, by people who had the luxury of enjoying nice cars their parents bought for them. They’ll never know the struggle.
Imagine trying to get a date when driving a 1982 Subaru Brat. It didn’t make life any easier.
My life at the time could best be described as “dire”, but I maintained a sense of humor about it. The back of the Brat had these seats guests could sit in. There were seatbelts and joystick-like handles to complete the experience -that is, if they didn’t pass out from the carbon monoxide. The other cool thing was that it was 4WD, so when I’d drop an axle, I could slam it into 4WD to get home.
I bring all this up because I see a number of my friends who are currently in a similar position — a constant daily struggle just to maintain a dire situation.
I look at you, and I see someone who is legit. I admire you for driving a piece of crap, and I identify with your struggle. It doesn’t get more real than that. Because you own your life. Nobody else is giving you a thing. Everything you have is yours.
I realize now that going through the struggle put me in a unique position to recognize opportunities when they appeared before me. And I found the courage to make big moves when those opportunities arrived — because I knew the consequences of NOT taking action.
It’s only big moves that can get you out of your situation. A comfortable person doesn’t like to break out of their comfort zone to make big moves.
Big moves bring big results, so prepare for them, and seize them when they arrive.
Then one day you can look back at your humble origins and know you legitimately earned it.