Life! By Design_ 6 Steps to an Extraordinary You - Laura Morton [6]
The next night, I noticed a familiar face coming up one of the aisles of the store. It was my dad. He was wearing a beautifully tailored suit and nice shoes, and he walked with an air of distinction. I was sporting feathered purple hair and was stocking the empty shelves with canned goods. All I could think was, I want to be as successful as he is. One thing was for sure. It certainly wasn’t going to happen working at the grocery store.
I didn’t stop to say hello. There was no warm hug or reunion. I merely turned to Dad and said, “I know what I want to do with the rest of my life.” My father looked surprised but curious. I’m not sure he recognized me at first. And then I said, “I want to run your company.”
“Call me when the drugs wear off, Tom.” He turned and walked away. That was it. I stood there, momentarily stunned by his cold candor.
I decided to quit my job the next day. I went back to my apartment and began to map out my plan. It had been more than a year since I left my mom’s house. Prior to seeing my dad in the grocery store, I hadn’t spoken to either of my parents for months. My older brother was still living the life of a rock star—something that had lost its appeal for me.
I got a haircut, dyed my hair back to a neutral brown, and took out my best black clothes. I didn’t own a suit, so I did what I could with what I had. I went straight to my dad’s house and told him I had my plan all figured out. I explained that what I was doing now was not where I wanted to be. It was the first adult conversation I can recall ever having with Dad.
“I’m so glad you’re finally old enough that we can have a relationship, Tom.” It had never occurred to me before that moment that my dad, whom I now started referring to solely as Mike or by his initials, MF, wasn’t able to relate to me as a kid. He could only talk to me like a colleague. He told me all about his business, from the inside out. He said I would have to learn it from the ground up. I was willing to do whatever it took so I could show him I was being sincere.
I went home and wrote a five-year plan, which culminated with me becoming president of the company. I went back the next day to show Mike my ideas.
“You’re hired. Let’s go for it.” He offered me a salary that was about half of what I had been making at the grocery store, but I didn’t care. I was excited to start the next phase of my life, and at eighteen years old, to be working side by side with MF.
I was excited to be learning the family business. I eagerly began studying great motivational experts to learn their secrets and sharpen my skills to become the best leader I could be. I read every book I could get my hands on by authors including Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, Brian Tracy, and Kenrick Cleveland. When I was growing up, many of these icons spent time at my dad’s house or they shared the same stage. Of course, I had no idea who they were back then. But once I went to work for MF, I recognized the rare opportunity I had been given to be exposed to these brilliant minds at such a young age.
I began attending seminars so I could get some face-to-face time with these respected authorities. A couple of years after I started working for MF, I attended a Brian Tracy seminar in Del Mar, California, that changed the course of my life. I was twenty years old. At the time I was making a little over a hundred thousand dollars a year selling my dad’s seminars—pretty good for a former drug addict who barely graduated high school. By this time, I was one of Brian’s protégés. I had many positive experiences listening to his material and applying his ideas to my daily life. I remember that Brian asked me to stand up in front of the audience that particular day, although I didn’t know why.
He introduced me and said, “Here’s a kid