::: Motivational Monday :::

Embrace all of your life... Getting vulnerable… Part 1.

My name is Brian Sykes. I am the Founder and CCO of AdJourney, a Marketing & Consulting Firm based North Carolina. 

I was born in 1974 to Samuel David Sykes (a high school dropout who quit just a few months short of completing his Senior year with an almost-perfect-GPA - because he got bored, then volunteered to serve in Vietnam where he was a track commander) and Carolyn Faye Perkins Sykes (a German born immigrant who moved to the US as a toddler, abused by a father who later went to jail and later suffered a lifetime of issues with identity and worth.) I was born the 3rd year of a marriage that never made it to 4.

For several years I ping-ponged between parents. Weeks with a mom that I cannot recall ever hugging or lovingly engaging with. I don’t remember calling her mom. I do remember her and her 2nd husband having pot parties and a proliferation of alcohol, The experience was enough that I was determined to NOT engage.

Dad was not perfect, but he was driven. His earliest job I recall, he was a loom fixer at Eno Mills in Hillsborough, NC. He pursued classes and became a programmer - and ended up getting a job with Sperry Ran Technologies that was acquired by Honeywell (Aerospace Engineering Devision - that oversaw the Hubble Space telescope lens replacement). He finished his career at LabCorp our of Greensboro, NC. (Read my blog post - “Dad Bought a PC”)

Dad married Pam when I was 7. She was only 14 years older than me. Admittedly I was a handful - but not from meanness. I was curious. I was bright and inquisitive. Pam was from an abusive, broken home with a drunk dad and a bitter, angry mom. Her way of dealing with stress and discipline was learned improperly and expressed harshly. I know - I felt it. I learned to not rock the boat and try to keep the peace. My escape was reading, learning and throwing myself into projects. Dad’s way of dealing with trouble was to throw himself into work. Most of my growing up, he worked 70-80 hours a week - salaried programmer and part-time tax preparer. It is a true wonder that those 2 managed to stay together, but they recently celebrated 40 years of marriage.

We all start somewhere… our experiences shape our perspectives and provide a framework for moving through life. Each portion of all your life has led you to HERE - to this moment. It is not only a part of your story, but each part is what is unique about you… Embrace your story.