Getting back on your feet is not an easy thing, but it is not impossible. Five years ago, I was homeless and barely able to walk. I got into the shelter, but I had been in the system for so long that nobody wanted to help me.
I just focused on being able to walk again. At first, it took me all morning to walk around the block; but eventually I was able to get around.
I talked my old boss into giving me back my old job mowing lawns. The first day, while working on the first lawn, I wasn’t sure I would be able to make it back to the truck with the weed whip. I almost didn’t. I held on and made it through the week. Every step was a battle.
I saved every penny, stayed at the shelter, and constantly looked for extra work. My girlfriend and I moved into a motel for a month, and then a friend decided to let us rent a room in his basement.
Things were tight. I remember arguing over spending five bucks.
My girlfriend was working nights at Burger King. For almost a year, I ate the burgers that were left over at the end of each night. I managed to get my driver’s license back—it had been revoked for 17 years. It took months and every cent I had saved, but I got it. Then someone loaned me a truck for a few months until I could buy a car.
I spent the next few months trying to get some basic tools and started my own business. Now I’m getting into high-end carpentry, and I own a house with my fiancee and 10-year-old son.
The truth is, anything is possible—and a big part of it is your attitude.
If you believe that you can do something, and work as hard as you can, and maintain a positive outlook, anything can happen.
You never know what’s around the next corner.
Keep Reading
Check out To Most People I Look Normal by the same author.