Embracing Your Roots and Challenging Your Limits

Everybody’s got a hometown. Some people love their hometown and stay there their whole lives. Others can’t get out fast enough. No matter your opinion of the place, your roots will always be a part of you. Your family, community, and education all influence you early in life before you even understand what it is to be influenced. 

I grew up in the sleepy Southern town of Laurel, Mississippi. My hometown didn’t boast a wealth of high-paying positions to choose from like most big cities do. The folks who stayed around Laurel tended to accept that they’d spend their careers as blue-collar workers at one of the factories or farms in the area. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Growing up, I figured I was destined to walk in the footsteps of others in the community. But after a while, I dreamed of more for myself. A lot more. Life in Laurel was just too small, and the opportunities were too scarce to achieve the success I yearned for. As I forged my path, I carried with me the roots of my home and my influences from small-town life and my family. 

I was raised in the church, which instilled in me the power of community and faith. Getting to know people in town taught me never to make assumptions about others. My grandparents owned a food vending business and were my first look at entrepreneurship. 

I watched my dad work 60-hour weeks as an electrician, and that taught me what it means to work hard to provide for your family. When I was in high school, my mother went back to school for nursing, proving to me that higher education was within reach. 

I learned a lot in my youth (even if most of it wasn’t taught to me in school), and I can clearly see how my experiences shaped the person I still am today. But I can also see how different my life would’ve been if I’d stayed. Looking back, there was a lot of luck involved in getting me into college, which provided the springboard I needed to launch my search for success. 

After a couple of years in school, I knew I would have to move on from Laurel to achieve the level of success I wanted. Namely, I wanted to wear a nice suit and make lots of money like the Kodak sales rep who frequented the hospital where I worked. 

While I ended up staying in the medical field rather than pursuing sales, my path to success required me to challenge myself every step of the way. I needed to spread my wings and move on from the town and people that had shaped me. But even now, the lessons I learned in Laurel are a big part of me. The values instilled in me don’t look a whole lot different from my core values today. 

My hometown provided the foundation upon which I built my dreams. Yet, the decision to step out of the familiar confines of Laurel propelled me toward my true aspirations. Still, as I navigate the complexities of success, the values and lessons from my upbringing remain steadfast, a reminder of where I come from and the journey that still lies ahead. 

Embracing our roots while daring to push beyond our limits makes success possible and is a testament to the resilience of the entrepreneurial spirit.