Yard Dog

Right out of high school, I devastated my parents with the news I wouldn’t be going to college. I had been fortunate enough to see my father graduate when I was 12 years old. This was an incredible accomplishment. He had the dedication and discipline to do so, coming from a poor family. Myself, I had this bright idea of becoming a framer right out of high school (despite barely having graduated). It was a great job for the summer. I had no idea how to even drive a nail, so for those first ninety days I just worked like a dog. It was also around this time that I got stung by my first scorpion—hurts like you wouldn’t believe. Work was good up until the pay. The issue came in the form of bouncing checks. I never had the money in my account to cash the checks, so I had to borrow my parent’s bank account. They started to realize what the bigger problem was, and this I wouldn’t forget, the guys were all a bunch of drug addicts. I was too young and dumb to realize it at the time. I went to work for another framer, who broke off from this group—also didn’t work out, you could see a common theme, here.

It wasn’t long before my dad told me it was time to get a real job. I got an interview with this lumber company, Stripling Blake. Finally got a job there, took about a month. My official first job with that company was called “yard dog.” I packed concrete, stacked wood. It took a strong back and a weak mind. I went from packing supplies to being the youngest outside salesman by the time I was 21. It’s okay to start at the bottom. What’s important is where you want to go and how hard you’re willing to work to get there. Look at where you are now, and then look at where you want to be. No matter how steep the climb, this journey doesn’t start with you lingering in bed. Shine your shoes, put on your try-hard pants, and get to work.