My name is Thomas: My belief began when I was just a kid. I dreamed of becoming a doctor.
My mother was a servant. Through her work, she observed that successful people spent a lot of time reading. She announced that my brother and I had to read two books every month and submit our book reports to her. She would mark them up with check marks. Years later we realized her marks were a trick. My mother was nearly illiterate; she had only received a third-grade education. Although we had no money, between the covers of those books, I could go anywhere and be anybody.
When I entered high school, I was an A-student, but not for long. I wanted the fancy clothes. I wanted to hang out with the guys. I went from being an A-student to a B-student and then to a C-student, but I didn't care; being cool was enough for me.
One night my mother came home from work and I complained about not having enough Italian shirts. She said, "Okay, I'll give you all the money I make this week, and you can buy the family food and pay the bills. With everything left over, you can have all the Italian shirts you want." I was very pleased with that arrangement. But once I got through allocating money, there was nothing left. I realized my mother was a financial talent to be able to keep a roof over our heads and feed us with the food on the table. I also realized that immediate satisfaction was going to get me nowhere. Success required intellectual preparation. I went back to my studies and became an A-student again, and eventually I realized my dream and I became a doctor.
My story is really my mother's story — a woman with little formal education who used her position as a parent to change the lives of her children. There is no job more important than parenting. This I firmly believe.
微信扫码预览、分享更方便
