Throughout our lives, we have defining moments that stick with us forever. It\u2019s as if time stands still, and the recollection of those events live cemented in our memories. For me, one of those takes place at Rogers High School in my hometown of Puyallup, Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was a baseball player back then and spent my summers playing different leagues as a pitcher. So when I entered my first year at Rogers, it was only natural that I try out for the school\u2019s baseball team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The day of the try-outs was a typically rainy and gloomy Washington day, meaning they had to be held in the gymnasium. I sat with a dozen other teenagers waiting for my turn to bat.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it got to me, the head coach, Coach Nichols, looked at me and said, \u201cShow me what you got.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I threw 3 pitches, all fast and straight down the center. Coach Nichols walked over, shook my hand, and said, \u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought for sure I had it in the bag. I remember even thinking, \u201cWow. That was easy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next day, the school posted the list of students who made the team in the hallway. I checked it \u2014 but my name wasn\u2019t on it. I couldn\u2019t believe it! First, I thought they made a typo. So, I went to the assistant coach and asked. He told me that, unfortunately, they had already picked the team. I simply said, \u201cOk,\u201d and went home.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first thing my Dad asked when I opened the front door was if I made the team. I told him what had happened and what the assistant coach had said. He stopped me there. \u201cAre you kidding me?\u201d he said. \u201cYou walked away? You took no for an answer?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He wanted me to go to the head coach the next morning and ask to try again. Confused, and truthfully, a little embarrassed, I said, \u201cDad, they didn\u2019t pick me. It\u2019s okay.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He told me, \u201cIt\u2019s not okay to accept failure.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He forced me to do it, anyway. I went in the next day to Coach Nichols\u2019 office and said, \u201cSir, I don\u2019t think I showed you my best and I\u2019d respectfully like to ask for another opportunity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coach Nichols paused, looked at me for a second, and said, \u201cOk.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like the time in the gymnasium, I thought to myself, \u201cWow. That was easy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After school, the coach and I met up,\u00a0 but this time I was a little more angsty. Fired up and definitely eager to impress, I threw my 3 pitches. To my surprise, he shook my hand and repeated the same stern, \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t know what to think. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I ran into him in the hallway the next day, he saw me, stopped, and said, \u201cYou\u2019re on the team.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, I don\u2019t know whether it was I pitched better or being forthright that made him change his mind; but either way, I went on to throw two no-hitters that year and won multiple awards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If my father didn\u2019t force me to talk to Coach Nichols, I would have never done it. Not only did that open up opportunities with baseball, but it taught me one of the most valuable life lessons I\u2019ve learned to date \u2014 It\u2019s only failure if you quit. And I didn\u2019t know it back then, but that lesson my father taught me as a teenager would put me on a path that forever changed my life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most people in the car business find their entry either because of family, or they dreamed of doing it. For me, it was neither. In fact, I got into the automotive industry on a bet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1990, I left my hometown in Washington to go live with my brother and girlfriend in Phoenix, Arizona. After two months, my SO and I had depleted every dollar we had, and I knew we couldn\u2019t keep mooching off my brother. We had to get jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we made a bet that we\u2019d leave the house together at the same time the next morning and see who could get a job first. At the time, she had a Toyota pick-up, and I had a Kawasaki Ninja 1000R. We started at 9 am on the corner of 17th Avenue and Bell Road, where my brother had lived at the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not wanting to jump on the motorcycle, I opted to walk down the street and look around instead. I saw a 7\/11, a bar, a tire store, a couple of other small businesses, and a Toyota dealership on the other side of the street. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had never talked to a car salesman in my life before, but I needed a job and I liked Toyota, so I walked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A man named Elmer greeted me and we instantly hit it off. They decided to interview me that day and it went great. The last step of the process was I needed to meet with Elmer\u2019s manager, Debby.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Debby was intimidating, to say the least. There were no smiles when she walked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually, we sat down and our interview went surprisingly well. She told me they would give me a call the next day. On the way out, Elmer was saying, \u201cYou got this dude! Can’t wait to see you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was elated. I probably walked those two blocks back home in 10 seconds so I could be sitting proudly on the couch before my girlfriend got back home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three hours later, she opened the front door. I asked her how her day went and she told me she scored a second interview the next morning. I boasted that I had already been hired and my first day was tomorrow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next morning, I didn\u2019t get a call from the Toyota store, so I decided to walk down instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I got there, Elmer was acting differently from when I first met him. I told him I might have missed their call, and that\u2019s when he pulled me to the side and told me Debby didn\u2019t really like me. I hadn\u2019t gotten the job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat? I already told my girlfriend I got a job,\u201d I told him. He apologized and asked if he could refer me somewhere else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I said no. Instead, I asked if I could speak to Debby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When he finally got her, I said to her, \u201cThank you for interviewing me. I understand your decision, but I\u2019d like an opportunity to get into the industry. If you don\u2019t mind, I\u2019d love to hang out here for the day and see how things happen. Do you mind if I sit and watch?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said, \u201cThat\u2019s the strangest thing anyone\u2019s ever asked, but fine.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hung out at Toyota Bell Road for 6 hours, walking around, talking with people, and learning about the vehicles. The whole time, Debby was watching me shaking her head. Around 4 pm, I walked back home and was greeted by my girlfriend asking me how the new job was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic. Best job ever, the people are so nice.\u201d I said. Truthfully, I had zero plan on how to fix it. I had already told her I got it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, the next morning I did the same thing. Debby saw me approaching the store and asked what I was doing. I told her, \u201cI hope you don\u2019t mind, but I was fascinated yesterday. Would I be able to watch again today?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She shook her head again but obliged. I spent the whole day there and went back home at 4 pm again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n