I wouldn’t normally share this information, but here it is.
If this helps just ONE person than I am successful.
I wouldn’t normally share this information. In fact, there was a time when I would have denied it. But here it is.
After a particularly wicked, awesome racquetball game the other day, I drove over to Office Depot to grab a box of copy paper on my way to the office. At the time, I had never noticed that all of the windows in the store were tinted so that you can see out but not in. For some strange reason, the store was packed. I almost left but realized that I really needed the paper to finish a proposal and didn’t want to come back, so I waited in the long line.
When I reached the cashier, I dropped my keys on the counter while trying to place the huge box down. To my surprise, the young lady very LOUDLY said “You are the one who drove up in that convertible BMW! That is my ultimate dream car, but I would never be able to have something like that”. Needless to say, I was totally embarrassed by how loud she was. But I also felt completely devastated. Not so much by the fact that everyone was now staring at me, which was awkward in itself, but by the defeated tone in her voice when she said that she would never be able to have something like that.
That feeling of defeat in her voice sent a sharp pain to my stomach because I remember that feeling all to well. There was a 6-month period in my life when I was on government assistance. I had moved out of my Mom’s house and simply could not afford to pay bus fare, rent, electricity, food and still put myself through college on minimum wage. I would wait until midnight to go to the 24-hour grocery store so that I wouldn’t run into anyone that I knew while using food stamps.
Then one night, the unthinkable happened. As I was in line to check out, a group of girls in my math class walked up in line behind me. They were purchasing alcohol and chips. The slow walk up to the cashier felt like I was on death row. When it was finally my turn, I said that I had forgotten my money and that I would be back. I never returned that night.
I went home and sat up all night devising a plan to get out of my current situation. I decided that my first goal was to score transportation. Having a car would eliminate two hours of bus transfers. Those were two hours that would increase my income. I realize that two hours at minimum wage might not seem like a lot to most, but it was an improvement. The embarrassment of my situation was overwhelming for me, but it was also one of my biggest motivators. Therefore, any improvement was good with me.
Making a long story short, this was my first car. It was a pontiac T-1000. I promise you that the car on the Flintstones moved faster than mine. It broke down about once a month, but that was ok with me. For me, this car was like a brand new S600 AMG Mercedes. And through trial and error I learned all about car engines as well. 
I wish I would have told this story to that cashier. I wanted so much to erase that horrible sound in her voice and feeling of defeat. So far, I haven’t gone back to Office Depot, but maybe I will take a ride over today.
