Kevin here.
There’s two things that I’ve always loved since I was a kid.
- Hip hop
- Martial arts
When I was 12, I loved spending my Saturday’s at kung fu class. I just imagined being the hero, fighting off 10 people all at once, and saving the day… even though the stories in the movies got kinda ridiculous.
…Wong Fei Hung fighting cowboys and Native Americans… Seriously?
…yes that is Jet Li in the middle LOL
During that same time, I started listening to hip hop… so I could be “cool”. I still remembering popping in DMX’s …It’s Dark and Hell is Hot album, hearing the word fuck, and smiling thinking it was the coolest thing in the world… Smh.
So when I heard there was a movie with DMX, Aaliyah, and Jet Li, I nearly shit my pants when I saw the Romeo Must Die trailer.
Only problem? It was Rated R.
My friends and I wanted to watch it. But we were 12 and couldn’t get in. So what did I do? I asked my mom to take us …and it was wicked awkward.
I still remember the first scene when two strippers are making out and a titty slips out of the dress. My traumatized mom was covering my little brother’s eyes LOL.
As I’m sitting here on Mother’s day scrolling through Facebook, I think about…
- The embarrassing things my mom put up with… I was a huge G-Unit fan.
- Those special moments where my mom would go out of her way to make others happy… and giving us the credit… AKA telling my grandma that we bought the cake.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4dmzUSZRBQ
- How hard she worked to put a hot meal on the table
It didn’t matter how tired or busy her schedule was, whenever we needed her… she was always there.
… how did she do it?
When my family first came to America, my mom couldn’t afford to go to school.
…This broke her heart. After all the whole point of coming to America was in hopes of new opportunities. So what did she do?
She worked her ass off as a waitress. Every paycheck went to her mom and dad. When she wasn’t working she spent her time learning English. She eventually landed a corporate management position with no college degree. With that job, every dollar earned she invested toward us… our education.
Why? She never wanted us to miss out on opportunity because of money and never wanted us to go through that pain.
When shit got tough, she did the best with what she had. Instead letting obstacles hold her back, she took this feeling of disappointment and hustled.
This was her purpose… or her “why”.
We can learn a lot from our grandparents and parents
Maybe your parents left everything they knew, sacrificed, and worked their ass off in hope for a better tomorrow.
You can either take your mudda troubles and let it kick your ass… or you can use that pain and suffering to motivate you.
Take a second today to ask… why am I doing this? Why am I pulling an all nighter before an exam, suffering through a job I hate, or starting this new business…?
When I think about why I went through pharmacy school, why I choose to spend time at the pharmacy, and why I started Refugee Hustle, it’s to carry out my mom’s legacy by motivating and helping others see how they can take their obstacles and turn it into opportunity.
This post was inspired by my mudda mudda.
After reading this article I never realized how I took my mom or even both my parents for granted. Just like how your mom moved to a different country to find new opportunities to better herself and the world around her, my parents did the same thing so that they can have a piece of that American dream that they were looking for. As of today my mom is her own boss, managing her own Filipino-style restaurant/grocery store while working a night-job as a shift-leader to pay for her two sons studying aboard at the Philippines to become Physical Therapist(one of them being me). But, the reason why I’m writing this letter is to show how truly amazing moms can be and how this article motivated me to keep on hustling to make my mother proud.
That was such a nice read! Good job Kevin! 😀