The Motor City

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One of the biggest things that has impacted my life is being raised in Detroit. The Motor City - specifically the Automobile industry, Chrysler impacted my life greatly. I can pick almost any car on the road today and tell you the make/model/year - keenly aware of cars. My father worked for Chrysler for more than 30 years. That type of loyalty and devotion to one company is unheard of today. Not only that, a company's devotion to it's employees (i.e. my father's pension plan) is something that is a thing of the past and none of us will ever see again. My dad was laid off in the 70s from Chyrsler - prior to the Lee Iacocca era - yet he remained loyal and went back to work for them once things got better. The attitude I get for handling adversity, I get from watching my mom and dad go through this. The struggle was real for our family during this time.  
We grew up in a time where we didn't have everything we wanted, but we were happy with what we had because we didn't know any different. Because of Chrysler, I feel that I have an appreciation for the struggles of American industry and it's hardworking staff. My dad was a lead engineer - he never desired to go higher to top management levels. I can appreciate this now, especially given my current position. I was affected by being a UAW brat. I will always fight for the little guy and the underdog. It is ingrained in who I am. Detroit with all of it's hard knocks and struggles evokes a sense of sticking it out, making it through, having intestinal fortitude. People who tease me about being born in Alabama have also teased me about being raised in Detroit.  

This background provided me with a steadfastness in doing ANYTHING - despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.  To the teasers I say, 

BUTCH UP.

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