If you have a dream and you’ve tried to make it come true, never give up. Life is full of ups and downs, but you have to take chances in order to succeed. Giving up before you’ve even started is so easy to do, I should know. I’ve started this article five times now. Actually I’ve had my share of failures in more areas than one. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be so, I had to learn to accept the reality and re-define the dream.
When there’s no compromise to be had, then you have to try harder. Being passionate about your dream or goal sometimes just isn’t enough. In my musical career, and I use that term loosely, I never even had more than 60 people at a recital. I considered myself a failure and gave up on my dream of playing in front of 20,000 screaming fans. But I didn’t give up on my dream of writing, composing, playing and singing my own music. I gave two more concerts and had the most fun by singing my own songs from my albums plus some cover songs. In the audience there was about 45 people, and they cheered for me all the way. I walked off that stage completely fulfilled. I now am at the beginning of my fourth album.
My True Calling
Long before I was thinking of being a famous singer, I was dreaming of being a flight attendant. My father was in the airline industry so, consequently I was raised on airplanes. My brothers and I would go to work with dad and hang out all day at the airport. We learned all about the different airplanes, airlines and how the industry worked. The first time I saw a male flight attendant in his crisp uniform complete with a pocket square and wings, I knew what I wanted to be. At the ripe old age of 8, my mind was made up.
From the time I was 18, just old enough for some airlines, I started filling out applications. Keep in mind that this was long before the internet was invented so I had to rely on newspaper help-wanted adds. I would call the airlines and ask for their address to request an application or go to the airport and get applications there. Most of the time I would get the standard, “thank you for applying with us, we will keep your application on file and notify you when we are hiring”. 99 percent of the time I never heard back. The other one percent of the time I would get an interview and then get cut in the first round. But, I never gave up.
Success At Last
It wasn’t until I was 23 that I finally got my big break and was hired by TWA for the position of flight attendant. I can remember being in the classroom on my first day, pinching myself over and over. Persistence paid off and when I wrote my name in my Inflight Manual, “Flight Attendant Jason W. Hobbs,” I knew I was where I was meant to be.
Never give up on your dreams and never be afraid to modify them either. I guess it’s in the perception of how far you can go with the dream. Keep going as long as the roadblocks keep falling. Figure a way to get around the ones that are holding you up the most, and make a new route if you have to.
A Wakeup Call
Rejection can lead you down a path of self-doubt and can weaken your efforts in obtaining your ultimate goal in whatever it is you are trying to achieve. Once self doubt sets in, it can lead to multiple problems with your health, both physically and mentally. The hardest thing to do for me was to get myself out of that whole I would find myself in. It wasn’t until I got diagnosed with diabetes that my wakeup call came for me.
In October of 2020, the year that was hard for the entire world, I was diagnosed with diabetes as my A1C levels had climbed so high. I was binge watching television, eating junk food and getting no exercise. The result was I was gaining weight by the day and didn’t know how to stop it. I knew that I was susceptible to diabetes as it runs rampant in my family. Both parents, a sister and a brother have it. But when my doctor said those words to me, something changed in my mind and I knew it was time to get serious.
Finding Keto
Turning to my sister who is a RN, I asked her what the best course of action would be. Her and her husband had both been doing Keto for many years and were very successful with it. It sounded simple enough and I thought I would give it a try. In the beginning I was having great success with it, but I was getting really burned out on rotating steak, ground beef, chicken, pork chops and sausage through meals. My taste buds needed a boost in order to keep going.
I contacted my sister who then told me to go on youtube.com and look up recipes for meals. I wasn’t expecting to find the foods that I loved and thought I had to give up. What I found was even better than that. Chili, pizza, tacos, spaghetti, lasagna, casseroles, and endless deserts. There was everything I could possibly want and more. The problem was, I didn’t know how to cook.
A Chef In the Making
By following some popular Youtubers and going to their websites to get recipes, I became quite comfortable in the kitchen. lowcarblove.com, ketofocus.com, and alldayidreamaboutfood.com are some great places to start. If you read any of my articles like Keto Without Knowing or Keto For Beginners you’ll notice a few other links. PapaG has a great YouTube channel and his recipes are very easy to follow.
As I grew in confidence, I declined in weight. My clothes were getting large on me and it wasn’t long before I had to order a new uniform for work. My effort was a success and my energy grew, my self doubt decreased and I became the person I wanted to be. The diagnosis of diabetes was reversed in three short months without any medication. Blood test numbers improved to within normal limits and I stunned my doctor at my three month checkup. The improved me had arrived.
Moving Forward
With my new lifestyle I have a new set of tools to pursue another dream. I’ve always enjoyed writing and teaching. I want to share my story and journey with anyone who will listen and coach people into the same success I have. By never giving up I not only achieved what I wanted to, but I also gained more knowledge to share with others. Another avenue has been opened for me.
Never give up. The road to success is a winded, forked, uphill challenge. Stay the course, keep your focus, and learn along the way. It really is true that nothing worth while is easy to achieve. But when you do, your life is changed forever. Adjust your dreams and goals accordingly, even if only temporary. The effort you put into yourself will reap the rewards you are looking for.
Jason, The Keto Traveler 94
