Success means different things to different people. Learning from the experiences of others, especially those who’ve overcome adversity, can provide valuable insights to apply to one’s own life.
I asked Mr. Rosseau for his advice to young people, parents, and anyone hoping to reach their idea of success. Here’s what he said.
I dropped out of high school to try to pay the bills, but that was not sustainable. After high school, I went to Temple University but was booted after a day as my financial aid fell through.
Once on the road to something consistently, I found some success moving through my career and began mentoring others—particularly those with similar stories from the inner city. I began taking notes to ensure I was consistent in my advice and to try to codify my learnings. Those notes evolved to this book!
When promises are made to others, the context is such that we typically say it out loud to the person, “I promise I will.” We need to do the same thing for ourselves. We need to say out loud, “I promise to pursue my passion.” “I promise to perform to progress versus perfection,” and so on.
First, think of a time in your pre-teens when you absolutely knew what you wanted to do in your life. What was that thing?
Second, you win the lottery and have an obscene amount of money. After you take the trips you want, purchase the home and vacation home you want, and provide for all of your family members the way you want to—what will you do with your time?
Third, if you zoom out for a moment and think about the things you naturally do well without a ton of effort, what are those things?
Any one of those answers typically helps a person identify or resurface their passion. In all actuality, resurfacing happens more. People typically have a sense of what it is or had a sense—but at some point, were convinced that the pursuit of that passion and earning a living must be mutually exclusive.
That said, the entrepreneurial path is just one way to do it. Many organizations have entrepreneurial opportunities that allow you to grow something inside of a company with their capital. You can partner with organizations or individuals already doing that work.
Further, you can start slowly, doing it part-time. The point is to spend some time in the work and let it grow.
It is often said, “I can’t be what I can’t see.” Within their interests, help them see what is possible. As an example, if they are interested in playing a certain sport, work to help them meet a successful person in that sport, so they can hear about the journey—the peaks and valleys—and gain a perspective of what it is really like outside of social media and highlight reels.
On the opposite side of that, show them what they will not naturally see. For example, if they are in the inner city and the sports they play are basketball, football, and baseball, take them to a hockey game, a soccer match, a lacrosse match, golfing, etc.
Give them every opportunity possible to unearth their gifts and talents in the pursuit of their passion and purpose.
