David J.

Pollay

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August 25, 2008

Ask for Help and Keep Going to Achieve Your Dreams

Last year I returned to Yale for my 20th college reunion. And like what happens to most people who attend reunions, I thought about my life then, and now.

See, I am grateful for my life. I love my wife. I adore my girls. I cherish my parents. I have great friends. My health is good. I enjoy where I live. I love what I do for a living. My life is not perfect, but it is good.

So as I stood on the Yale campus with my family, I thought about the lesson I had learned when I was a first-semester freshman: When things don’t go your way, ask for help and keep going.

A very disappointing week

I learned that lesson after one of the most disappointing weeks of my life. I was a young kid from Wisconsin – away from home for the first time – and I was trying to make it through my first semester at Yale. I wanted to pack my bags and head home.

I remember the beginning of that week: I was sitting in the front row of a large auditorium with about 400 students sitting on the main floor, and another 100 sitting in the balcony. As I got up to hand in my economics mid-term exam, I heard a “Whoaaaaa.” Hundreds of students were looking up at me in awe. I had just completed a four-hour exam in less than 40 minutes. People were blown away at how smart I must have been to have finished so fast. And little did they know that two days later my Economics professor handed back my exam and said, “David, you scored a six out of 100. That’s not very good.”

And that was just the beginning of my week. The next day I received my grade on my first astronomy paper. I had better news to report. I upped my performance from an “F” in economics to a “D+” in astronomy.

And then my bad week continued on the football field. My parents and little brother were coming from Milwaukee to New Haven to watch me play football. And during practice the day before they arrived, I made one wrong turn and tore my hamstring. My family came to the game, but only to see me standing on the sidelines with crutches, instead of running with a football.

Finally, the week came to an end with my new girlfriend telling me, “David, I’m ‘pre-engaged’ to be married.” Now I didn’t know what “pre-engaged” meant, but I knew it couldn’t be good. And it wasn’t.

All this happened in one week. And all I wanted to do was quit and head back to Wisconsin. But I didn’t.

Ask for help

I reached out for help. I talked to my parents. I called my friends. I asked for their support, and they gave it to me. When I felt like a failure, they helped me regain my confidence.

I then paid visits to my professors. I asked for their help, and they gave it to me. I followed their advice: I moved up a few rows in class, and I did my homework.

And while it didn’t work out with my girlfriend, and I never became a football star in college, I did turn my grades around. I eventually majored in economics. And I even graduated with the honor of carrying our college banner at graduation.

Now it’s 21 years later and I am grateful that I learned to ask for help when I just wanted to quit and go home.

Live your best life possible: Ask for help when you need it, and keep going to achieve your dreams.  

David J. Pollay’s book, Beware of Garbage Trucks!™, and his CD program, Gratitude Is Everything!™, are due out this Fall. Mr. Pollay is the creator of The Law of the Garbage Truck™ (www.bewareofgarbagetrucks.com). He is a syndicated columnist with the North Star Writers Group, creator and host of The Happiness Answer™ DVD, and an internationally sought after speaker. Mr. Pollay is the founder and president of the personal coaching and seminar organization, The Momentum Project (www.themomentumproject.com).

© 2008 David J. Pollay. Distributed by North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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