Chapter 2. Success Leaves Clues
I want to share my background with you and some of the beliefs I was taught while growing up. If you’re thinking I was born like the people who can totally relate to the limitless beliefs ques- tions on page 11 and 12, you are mistaken. Let me first say I love my parents very much and am fortu- nate to have them both in my life. However, they divorced when I was threeand my sister and I lived with my mom in various places, from Gram’s house, to trailers, to apartments. I moved about twenty times by the age of nineteen. My mom worked two jobs making a total of about $90 dollars a week to support my sister and me. My parents have been married three additional times each since then, and they are currently both single. My mom felt very insecure, even though she was an amazing woman. These insecurities made her run—moving sometimes from one state to another—whenever problems became too much for her to deal with. My dad had a very troubled childhood, so he dealt with his pain through rage. He never physically abused us like his father abused him, but he was unaware of the guilt and heartache his actions caused my sister and me. My parents’ cars were so bad growing up that I made them drop me off down the block from school so the other kids would not make fun of me. I hated a lot of the clothes I had to wear because they were different from what most of the kids wore. I know many people reading this have experienced much worse hardships than I have, but I want you to see the type of beliefs we can develop while growing up. I only told you a fraction of my experiences. But from what I revealed, can you imagine the beliefs I started to develop as a child? I carried with me a laundry list of negativity and limitation. Take a moment to reflect back on your life. What are some experiences you remember hearing, seeing, or copying that influ- ence your way of living? What beliefs did you observe or experience that have steered your life in a direction that isn’t con- ducive to fulfillment?
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