| In a way, I feel sorry for the children with early | | | | very competitive attitude that was not and is not |
| development advantages, lacking character-building | | | | limited to athletics. I could site many examples of this |
| experiences. | | | | throughout my life, including the toughness endured on |
| As a foster child, I speak from personal experiences | | | | my way through the Marine Corp officers program, |
| but I am sure almost every (adult) foster child would | | | | building a good-sized real estate and development |
| concur with this idea of the foster child advantage. | | | | business, successfully hunting tennis trophies in many |
| For now I'll not go into what got me to the foster child | | | | tennis tournaments, etc. I mention this to make the point |
| days. Eventually, I was taken in by a relative- after | | | | that my successes have been built on the high |
| having spent over five years in foster care- with five | | | | tolerance level pointed out to me way back in that |
| different families during that period of time. | | | | psychology class. |
| Somehow I made it to college earning much of the | | | | Now it seems appropriate for me to pass this on to |
| college costs by working various jobs; house painting, | | | | the up-and-coming successful guys and gals now a |
| peddling milk, bucking hardwood lumber, peddling | | | | part of the foster care experience. I feel a need to |
| newspapers, shoveling snow, working some summers | | | | pass on this idea about high tolerance levels as a |
| as a lifeguard, mowing lawns and even playing in a little | | | | result of adverse experiences. |
| dance band. | | | | Perhaps contemplating this idea will give others the |
| Right from the start of college, I began building a | | | | competitive edge it gave me- and you don't have to |
| reputation as a super jock, which I mention because it | | | | be a jock to develop that edge- just knowing you are |
| was that reputation as an athlete that got the attention | | | | special will do it. Otherwise, one could go through life |
| of one of my college professors. Let me explain. | | | | feeling deprived and looking for sympathy and |
| One of the courses I was required to take had to do | | | | handouts, expecting others to help whereas the |
| with psychology. A requirement of that course was to | | | | reverse is true. You can be the one achieving and able |
| write a paper on how I got there (college), more or | | | | to help others. |
| less. | | | | Don't get me wrong; no one can do it on their own. |
| The professor of that course seemed to read | | | | We all are products of many helpers out there at all |
| between the lines and detected something in my self- | | | | levels-educators, spouses, children, co-workers, friends, |
| evaluation that she felt should be dealt with. In my | | | | coaches, relatives and many others we encounter |
| writings she observed an attitude of deprivation, an | | | | along the way. But achieving is mostly an attitude |
| expression of inferiority having written that I never had | | | | adjustment we all must make somewhere along the |
| extra funds for purchasing nice clothes, no spending | | | | way, a need to understand that we are a sum total of |
| money, always having to purchase used books, running | | | | all our experiences and how we react to everything. |
| out of gas, buying used tires for my really old | | | | If we develop an attitude that our adverse |
| banged-up car, etc. | | | | experiences and hard times have prepared us to have |
| Her openers to me, as I recall it, were, do you know | | | | the advantages in almost every situation,- we will find |
| why you are such an outstanding jock and tough | | | | the good in every encounter and build on it. |
| competitor? I had no idea where she was going with | | | | Now let me share an unusual successful business |
| that but I soon got the message, which has stayed | | | | venture that you more than likely have heard about- |
| with me for the rest of my life. | | | | the Edwards Mansion story, remembering this was the |
| She explained that because of my past adversities, | | | | end result of a foster child who developed a can-do |
| disappointments and seemingly disadvantages, I had | | | | attitude. |
| developed a very high tolerance level, resulting in a | | | | |