Richard Jenkins had an extremely unfortunate childhood. He grew up staying in homeless shelters, hospitals and motels with his family. While he didn’t ever get to have what most kids his age did, he managed to stay positive and use his misfortune to push him in the right direction.
Jenkins was always embarrassed about his situation growing up. He has stated that he had to hide things from friends or lie about his living situation in order to feel accepted. Being homeless is never easy for anyone, especially at an age where peers are more prone to judge.
Always being extremely passionate about growing out of this lifestyle, Jenkins worked hard to get there. He always wanted to grow into a successful future and branch out from his unfortunate childhood. Amidst the constant moving around and struggling as a child, Jenkins stayed strong and continued to work hard.
Many people believe that growing up in the projects, growing up homeless or any other misfortune means that a person has no chance of success in his/her future. Although it is easier said than done, Richard Jenkins’ story that this notion simply isn’t true.
This story is an extreme boost of motivation that everybody needs. Instead of using his unfortunate childhood as an excuse to fail, Jenkins rose above and let it motivate him instead. It is easy to let being dealt a weak hand get in the way of working hard or succeeding. Many people will take any negative aspect of their life and let it control their destiny.
As this inspirational story makes clear, Richard Jenkins is not one of those people.
Image Source: cnn.com