Becoming Fearless: A Tribute To The Greatest Person I've Ever Known

Mirrors surround an 8th grade version of myself, endless refills of sweet tea, and a stack of pancakes. Every Sunday my grandfather would pick me up from my mom's house and take me to our favorite diner, where we ordered the same thing, every week. It was there we would talk about what he was doing at work that week - I'm not sure looking back what exactly his job was, but he was a director at a firm that had plants in the US and Mexico.

He would share a problem or challenge he had faced and asked what I would've done before explaining his course of action and why he believed it worked. These challenges varied between the culture barriers he saw in the plants in Mexico, associates who missed deadlines, and what it meant to manage people - all kinds of people.

Looking back, I was in leadership training for most of my life in that diner.

He taught me to think 5 moves ahead in pool, to always know how to line yourself up for your next shot before you take your first. The importance of planning, and always being prepared for the next goal and hurdle, is one of the most crucial principles I keep close to me.

I thought it was cool he got to fly to Mexico every 2 weeks, that he never listened to his teachers if they told him something he wanted was impossible, and that a poor small town boy could grow up to learn over 3 languages, make friends around the world, and move through an organization by treating those he managed as valuable assets to projects, and as people.

If this sounds familiar, it's probably because these are some of the topics I speak to often, both on LinkedIn and in my daily life. It's funny how we don't always realize the origins of our habits, values, and principles until a memory sparks the correct train of thought. I always attributed my hustle, my ambition, my persistence, and my confidence to growing up and learning from others mistakes around me. I never considered that they were instilled in me over a period of 18 years by my idol, my best friend, my late grandfather.

Confidence, I've discovered, is something vitally important to any professional and personal endeavor. The confidence to throw your name in the hat even if you're scared, even if you'll probably be rejected. The confidence to ask for coffee meetings with anyone. The confidence to add the CEO of your company on LinkedIn.... as an intern. I pursue goals other people don't consider because they don't want to get rejected.

There are no lines drawn outlining what you can or can't do in life, there are no concrete barriers blocking off the road you want to travel on. If there's traffic cones that force you to change lanes so be it. If a fallen tree causes you to pause and take extra steps, appreciate your ability to endure obstacles and keep going, value and cherish your own grit.

I hope to someday reach a level of success I'm comfortable enough with that I can stop planning 5 more steps ahead. A level of impact in the world that's parallel to my grandfather's impact on me. A level of personal and professional growth that he would be proud of. That's when I'll know I ran the table and pocketed the 8 ball.