I had just come from Mexico. My father and his father before him had all been successful farmers. I came to this country with just enough money to buy a nice home for my family and to give my children a better chance at fulfilling their dreams. I began working as a day laborer and began saving for my children’s education. We didn’t have much spending money because of our mortgage and because everything went into the education fund for the kids. I knew that I didn’t want to be a laborer forever but I didn’t know what direction to take my life. I certainly did not want to return to Mexico because I knew that my life had a purpose here in this country. My wife has always been a fantastic cook and so when a local restaurant closed down, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for her to have a dream of her own. She was thrilled at the prospect but we didn’t have much money to get started. After much soul-searching, we decided to sit our children down and explain our predicament. I have 3 daughters in junior high and 2 sons in grade school. All of them gave us permission to dip into their education fund to get this dream off the ground. I never knew I had such generous children! They even volunteered their time at the restaurant until we could pay them $10/hr! If you know anything about the restaurant business, that kind of salary means the restaurant is doing very, very well. As the manager of my wife’s restaurant, I know that I have found my dream job!

My experience taught me that sometimes (even though it may look like you have no idea how you are going to achieve your dreams) hard work, proper planning, and faith could make you the King of your own castle.