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Jim shared a letter in the
Chasing Your Dreams group 1 years, 7 months ago My motivation
James CorraoAs far as a childhood dream, there was always baseball player or basketball player. Things like that. But at about the same time I realized those were far fetched, I realized that all I really wanted was to emulate my parents and make them as proud of me as possible. I realized that nothing would be more important. Seeing how they took care of me and my brother and sister made me know that this was all I wanted. And everything would fall in place after that. Modest? Maybe. But it was plenty enough for me
I guess the challenges of realizing the dream came in the form of every day life. The struggles. The potential wrong paths to hopefully not go down. Situations that would arise that would test my resolve to do what my parents would do. Then as I grew older and didn’t have kids, I was never able to think like a parent and put myself exactly in their shoes. Being on my own at college was when I first had to think “what would mom and dad want me to do”? Because they weren’t there with me.It took some getting used to.
My why is pretty simple : just to be the best Jim Corrao that I can. Like my parents, I live a pretty modest life. They had their fun w gambling trips, golf trips for dad, things like that. But they always put us first and never let anything distract them from taking care of us. I try to do the same with people around me- take care of them, support them. Just be a good person. Live a good life, be a good brother and friend , and make my parents proud. That’s what drives me
I’m glad I have my why because it made me what I am today. Perfect? Not even close. Were my parents perfect? Nope. But as they got older and nearing their passing, I knew that the only thing to do was be with them and do whatever possible for them. I did that. And I will never have regrets in that regard. They are gone now, but their voices are as vocal as ever in my mind. Still helping me. To help them and still hear them is why I’m glad I never gave up on my why. Thanks for laying the blueprint mom and dad. Love you and miss you. But I still hear you 🙂
James Corrao
James I am glad that you didn’t give up on your why. Your parents helped you build this and your letter of how you kept pushing will help me as long as I keep pushing forward. The only thing that’s changed is that now, instead of being lost in the woods, I, like you, have in a way, a map to guide me. Your letter is an eye opener.
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Hi Kayjah. Wow. Thank you for the very kind words. I’m glad that my letter had a positive impact on you. That means a whole bunch. Yeah we had a simple household, but a very fun one. Dad worked hard at Chrysler. We never were without anything. They were tough. But very fair. Their wisdom will be with me through the years. Thanks again for reaching out. Made me very happy to read what you wrote. Make sure you wave tonight if you’re on lol 😊
Take care Kayjah 😊
Nice to meet you !
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Your parents sound to be like amazing people. You are so lucky to have such a support system. It’s important to never give up on your “why”. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you Mavis. I certainly was lucky to have the parents that I did. All they did was care about us. And yet still lived their lives to the fullest. Thanks again 😊
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I so love this, thinking back and having a Why to decide, mostly for your parents. Wanting to do right by them. So, I understand this. My parents weren’t perfect as well, I don’t think any are, but they gave me life and took care of my needs, and that’s a parent. As my parents aged, I wasn’t so much at my father’s side, as he had remarried after my mom and him got divorced, but I was there when he needed me. My mom, I was there every single day, as she came close to her passing, I felt I had to be. We were pretty close before she became ill, but once she did get there, I was with her every day. I went through my two cancer diagnoses as my mom was ill, and that didn’t even stop me. I would leave chemo very tired, but will make sure I made the trip to go by and check on her, even if I had to lie down for a bit while visiting. It didn’t matter, I was there. The only times I didn’t visit her was during my surgeries, because I couldn’t be, but as soon as I was able to move, I moved and made a way to her, so I definitely understood. You want to do right by your parents no matter what, trying to be a good person, while still making mistakes along the way, but the ultimate goal is to learn from them and continue working on doing the right things. As you’ve stated, no ones’ perfect, but you will always be perfect in your parents eyes.
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You are so wise and this letter is beautiful. You realized your purpose and you really wanted to do. It took some trial and error but you finally decided and stuck to it. Thank you for sharing
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