‘We were only together a few months when I changed jobs. I quit because they weren’t treating me fairly. I was young and stupid.’

“We were only together a few months when I changed jobs for the first time. I quit because they weren’t treating me fairly. I was young and stupid.

I didn’t think it was a big deal; but it was a big deal. I was the punk-ass 19-year-old who was showing all the bad signs. ‘Men don’t just quit their jobs, Brad… they find something else first and they stick it out. That’s just what adults do.’

She was worried because I wasn’t.

Well the next morning I printed 100 copies of my sh*tty resume and put on some business clothes. She asked me what I was doing and I said, ‘I’m going to get a job.’ She looked at me puzzled because I didn’t have any interviews and hadn’t even applied for a job yet…so what job was I off to get exactly?

Well, I parked at one end of the town and I literally dropped my resume into every single shopfront I passed until I ran out. It took me hours.

I dropped 100 resumes off that day. I introduced myself 100 times and I walked out of 100 businesses feeling less than I did when I walked in. Most of the people I spoke with were the receptionists who wanted me gone and I knew as I walked out that it’d never reach the manager and they would just read it and judge me.

But that’s just what putting yourself out there is. It sucked and I was embarrassed and I felt like a failure. But men don’t just quit their jobs.

I received a call on my way home. I walked in the door with zero actual online job applications and a wasted tank of fuel but I at least had an interview. I started my new job two days later.

I’ve taken a few backward steps in my lifetime because I thought it was the right thing. And she’s backed me every time. Even when our friends or family have had reservations she’s always said, ‘I’ll back you.’

And to this very day, if anyone ever questioned my work ethic…she will literally tell them that story. She probably doesn’t even remember what the job was. But she certainly remembers the story.

It doesn’t matter what you do with yourself.

It doesn’t matter how many zero’s are at the end of your paycheck.

And it doesn’t matter if you throw on a suit to broker 10-figure deals or dig holes.

Because this is the only way she’ll ever remember you. In your home clothes and with your family.

The only thing that matters to her is that you’ll do whatever the you have to do to make sure your family is okay.

The thing about relationships is that they’ll eventually see you at your lowest of lows. And she’ll never look down on you for the job you do.

Only the effort you made.

Don’t ever let pride get in the way of proving that.

She’ll always love and respect you for putting your family above your pride.”