During my freshman year at USC, I was ill-prepared for how expensive it was to live in Los Angeles. As a doctor’s kid from the Midwest, I thought I was pretty cool but by USC standards I was a dork. My carefully saved spending money was gone in two months for the right shoes, the right bag, etc. It was supposed to last all year.
I called my Dad to tell him my woes. All the other kids were getting checks from their parents (we all spent too much, apparently) or in some cases, another credit card. My Dad, instead, told me “Well that’s too bad. I guess you’re going to have to figure it out.” Mind you, he wasn’t being cruel…my housing and food was paid for and he knew it. But I was absolutely furious. Yet as I sat there with the equally pissed-off prince from Abu Dhabi (his dad wouldn’t let him have a jet AND a Porsche…he had to choose) I was learning one of the biggest lessons of my life. Resilience.
As a small business owner, I’ve nearly gone out of business several times. At one point I had to take a part-time job writing the back covers of books to pay the bills. Another time I started writing freelance for Hooters Magazine. My Dad taught me there is always a way to figure it out, even if it involves some sacrifice. I think small businesses, and marketing campaigns, fail because they try one or two things, it doesn’t work, and boom – they’re done. Instead of stopping, I think it’s important to learn how to bounce. The harder you hit the pavement, the higher you bounce back in my experience.
What did I do after my Dad told me to “figure it out?” I got a job as a secretary working for two professors. But I wasn’t their first choice. They called me back after the first person turned them down.
