The Secret to Success

I finally completed my degree 12 years after enrolling in college. As I put on my cap and gown I looked in the mirror and began crying tears of joy. I thought about all the cold nights sleeping in abandoned buildings in Detroit. I thought about the moment I found out who my biological father was. I thought about my wife and kids and how proud I was to be a father and husband. I thought about Bob and all the other people who had poured into me when I was at my lowest point. At that moment a calm came over me. It was a feeling I had never experienced. It was a feeling of ultimate peace. I was no longer being held back by my thoughts of academic inadequacy. I was no longer mad at my mother or my biological father. I was no longer mad at myself for the foolish decisions I had made in the past. At that moment, I realized that God had a true plan for my life all along. I understood that he birthed me to be a champion for the underdog. To be that champion, he needed to put me through the fire so that when I speak to people who are at their lowest point, with seemingly no way out, I can honestly tell them that it is possible to rise up and succeed.

Months later, I began thinking about the opportunity Rodney and Murray at MSU had offered me in regards to graduate school. It was consuming my thoughts. I kept saying to myself, “…even though you never finished high school and barely managed to finish your bachelor’s degree, wouldn’t it be crazy to give graduate school a shot?” But that would mean leaving everything De and I had worked for behind for a graduate assistantship that paid little. That would mean leaving our house, De’s job, my influence in the city, and all of our family and friends behind. “Am I willing to make that kind of sacrifice?”

Hesitant, because I knew it was going to sound crazy, I talked to De that night about my thoughts of attending graduate school at Michigan State University. She laughed at first because she thought I was joking. Once she realized I was serious, the discussion heated up. De was trying to convince me that we had everything we dreamed of having as teenagers, a house, family, secure jobs, and a community of friends who love and support us. I explained to her as best I could that I was positive that this was what the Lord was calling me to do. To which she replied, “Well why don’t you go up there and get settled and the kids and I will come up when you get everything in order?”

“No De!”, I was adamant. “There is no way that I can do this without you and the kids. Ya’ll are my life and I need you by my side if I am going to make this work.” Reluctantly, De agreed to leave everything we had worked for behind in order to pursue a new opportunity in Michigan, the place where it all began.

The next morning I went online and downloaded an application from the College of Education’s master’s degree in K-12 Educational Administration with an emphasis in leadership. I waited for months, checking my mail every day. Finally, I received a large green and white package with a Michigan State University insignia. My heart began to race just as it did with the G.E.D. letter and the Oakwood College letter. I opened it. It read:

Dear Mr. Thomas,

Your application for admission to the Master’s degree program in K-12 Educational Administration has been reviewed. I am pleased to inform you that you have been recommended for admission…

Epilogue

I finished my Master’s degree two years later, and as I write this, I am a semester away from completing my PhD coursework at Michigan State University. Imagine that, “Dr. Eric Thomas.” Has a ring to it doesn’t it? We all face challenges in this world, and life is certainly not always easy. But as the expression goes, “It’s not about the hand you’re dealt, but how you play your cards.” Looking back, there is no way I could’ve imagined my life being so fulfilling. I am still happily married to De, my kids are growing up fast, and I love what I do for a living.

If I could have you take just one thing from this book, it would be that there is no magical formula for success. It’s about having a dream and working towards it no matter what negative circumstances occur along the way. In basketball there is a saying that says, “The only way to get out of a shooting slump is to keep shooting.” The same can be said for our lives. The only way to get out of mediocrity is to keep shooting for excellence.

Always remember that success is not a destination, it’s a journey. To this day I still hear more “No’s” than “Yes’s.” The difference between me then and now, is the fact that the “No’s” don’t frustrate me anymore. Now, the “No’s” actually serve as motivation for the next endeavor.