The Price of a Dream I grew up poor. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could still afford a dream. My dream was athletics. By the time I was sixteen, I was good at baseball and football. My high-school coach was Ollie Jarvis. He not only believed in me, but taught me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction . One summer a friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket -- cash for dates with girls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the start of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to give up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn't be playing. I was dreading this, but my mother said: " _ " When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as mad as I expected him to be. "Your playing days are limited. You can't afford to waste them," he said. I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that would explain to him why my dream of buying my mom a house. "How much are you going to make at this job, son?" he demanded. "Three twenty-five an hour," I replied. "Well," he asked, "is $3.25 an hour the price of a dream?" That question laid bare for me the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play rookie-league ball, and offered a $20,000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $1.7 million, and bought my mother the house of my dream. Which of the following can replace "If you make your bed, you have to lie in it."?
You must eat the bitter fruit of your own making. Believe in yourself, but above all be patient. You must rely on yourself first, then others. A good beginning makes a good ending.