I got my first job when I was 12 years old.
I made $15 an hour shoveling the sidewalks at the local town library.
I remember waking up at 5am to walk half a mile, still pitch dark and freezing cold, with my plastic shovel thrown over my shoulder.
I had a job.
Not many, if any, 7th graders had jobs.
I’m also pretty sure I was the only one getting up, before school started, to push snow around.
I did – and I took great pride in it.
I never missed a day.
When it snowed, I was there – sometimes twice a day.
Looking back, as a 12 year old, it wasn’t about the money.
I can’t even tell you what I spent the money on.
Gum maybe? Marvel cards? Big Bites from 7/11?
I took pride in knowing that when people walked in and out of the library that day – they would be safe.
The walks would be clear and I had a part in it.
Are you doing something that you can take pride in?
Something that allows you to rest your head on your pillow at night?
If not – it’s time you grab your shovel.
#FailForward
Jacob Brown is a former NFL athlete turned transformational and motivational speaker with almost a decade of experience leading humans to overcome fear and fail forward in business, leadership and life.