You can't give up. Know why? Because sometimes what you're pursuing isn't ready yet. Literally, it may not even exist or be created yet. It might be in the process of creation right now. Someone might have your thing right now. It might need fixing. It might need to be revamped. The people who can help you get it might not be involved yet. So many scenarios. You think your "thing" isn't happening because that's what it looks like on your end. But there are a lot of other elements to the picture you can't see. There are people and situations involved in your victory that have to be in place before you can have it.
I'm speaking from experience. When something is yours but it's not fully prepped for you, you have to wait, boo. Like that time a thousand years ago when I was working at San Quentin State Prison, in the records department, and I wanted to work in the mailroom sooooooo badly, but there were never any openings. As a matter of fact, there was a hiring freeze, and "they" told me I wasn't gonna get in there at all. Nobody was leaving their position down there, and they weren't opening any new ones. It was a wrap; that's what "they" kept saying. But I wanted what I wanted, so I stayed with that goal. This went on for a year and a half. People thought I was crazy for continuing to ask if there were any openings yet. They would laugh at me, shake their heads, tell me to forget about that. No one had been able to get in for hella, hella long. Okay. Whatever. I'm gettin' in, though, I thought repeatedly.
There was a woman working in there. I knew her. We had even hung out quite a bit. She got in trouble. Big trouble. She got fired. She got walked-off-prison-grounds fired. All of a sudden, there was a position open. My supervisor, who already knew my goal because I kept asking her about openings, told me about it right away. I applied. So did a bunch of other people. But I had already claimed that spot looooong ago, so I knew it was mine. I got that spot. After a year and a half of claiming and being laughed at and told to forget it, it was mine. But I had to wait because someone was in my spot. It was mine, though. And I took it.
Don't give up. I don't care how wack it looks, how convoluted it feels, how many people tell you it's not gonna happen. They can't see your big picture just like you can't. You have no idea what's needed for you to get yours. Stay in the game, friends and fam. By all means necessary.
This full story is in my book Building Faith and Character Through Life Challenges, available at www.honorthespirit.com.
