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Tomorrow, we celebrate my Mom's 71st birthday. It's the oldest she's ever been. We've been spending more time together lately, and she's really stepped up to help Courtney and me with Jagger. But stepping up is nothing new to my mother. Young Mama Sofia was growing hopeless in poverty-stricken Mexico. They had no electricity. They had no plumbing. Worst of all, they had no access to education past the sixth grade. As each day passed, she dreamt of a better life. But for a better life to happen, she needed to do something. Nothing changes if nothing changes. Uncertainty breeds fear, and fear can paralyze you. But Mama Sofia braved a dangerous crossing to the United States. Scared, frightened, and alone, young Sofia sought opportunities.
She headed to Los Angeles, the land of opportunity. That's when she met Pedro, my biological father. Pedro could make anyone smile and instantly swept my Mom off her feet. Life was certainly better in the U.S., but it came with its own problems. Pedro worked hard, but he also held grudges. He was never wrong, and he liked many other women. Then they had me. A year later, she gave birth to my brother Richard, and then Laiza finally came. We were supposed to have a better life than in Mexico. “We live like Kings here,” I remember her telling me in our tiny, hot apartment in the heart of South Central Los Angeles. And I believed it. But Pedro's drinking and womanizing only increased with time. The apartment was stuffy, and it always stank of a teenage boy's armpit. Then, one of the other women called our apartment. It was one of my Mom's friends. That was the breaking point… Could a single mother of three without speaking English have the courage to jump again? Mama Sofia did. She wasn't crying when we left. It was sudden, and she moved with purpose. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because there's something in your life that you want to change. It's something that scares you, maybe a little, but probably a lot. I promise you this. It's always scary when you jump. That's how life is designed. It's a feature, not a bug. You can't have courage without fear. I've jumped many times in my life. I gave up engineering for fitness, started my own business, and wrote my first book. But this last jump has been the scariest. I completely reimagined my career for one main reason. I want to be present with my son. My father was never there for me, and it still hurts to this day. So, although the parachute hasn't completely opened, I have complete faith that it will. Like it always has. What's the jump you're terrified to make right now? You got this. Let's make it happen.
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