Building a Healthy Relationship with Failure

It is one thing to make this journey solo, but even failure can push you towards people who can be a positive impact in your life. This story is still connected to this whole adventure so don't think we are off track. We are about to enter a turn with someone else who I see as not just a coach, but someone who knows how to keep pushing when times get tough. Meet the man, the myth, the Memo Calderon. Born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and now resides in Washington, so yes I met him in Washington State. He is a certified Racecar Technician, he met me while I had the lack of track knowledge and had a smart mouth even though I still do. He called me out so many times and I was like one of these days I will show him on the track. One month later my Acura was totaled, I was looking like a straight fool! He wasn't disappointed in the accident he was more disappointed in the way it happened and how I handled the situation. This is where a guy who has the most bad ass life shows me it is okay to fail.

His first failure was high-school which makes me feel good,because I thought him taking me under his wing before I totaled my car was his first failure. Okay I will hop back in this story,but lets get one thing straight I am not putting myself down he knows I have a sense of humor. My track skills compared to this guy is the biggest joke on this story. He had a tough time with school work, because of the choices he made which of course led to expulsion. He was like me provided with everything his parents could possibly provide which was a great education, then he was forced to work for his education due to his irresponsibility. He payed out of pocket for his uniforms, books, and transportation all while working making pinatas at 16. Honestly that probably explains why he is always full of surprises, anyway realizing his back round is just as identical as mine is one of the reasons why I continue to write.

Writing has showed me its okay to be different, because his first failure alone tells me that its important to have an education. Being a car enthusiast requires the ability to have knowledge in measurement, literature, and mathematics. Did you think I was writing to work on the hand muscles for shifting and handling the steering wheel at a certain g-force? No I just want to make a difference in my life as continue the process of accomplishing my goals in life. We are rolling into turn two of his failure , it is okay though he has control on this apex for sure. Welcome to college something I am soon to experience, but let me see if I get the Memo first. He enrolled into El Paso community college for two years due to his limited options, he had good moral by having the idea of becoming an architect to build his mom a house or pursue the career of an engineer to build himself a race car. He was paying out of pocket for his education with the same habits as a car and track enthusiast, you know the I know if I focus on cars and chasing women he had no business chasing. That resulted in of course racing and focusing on a build he currently has now for the track, so yes he flunked out of college, because he got confused with being in first semester as being in first place instead of worrying about that second place catching up, it was that second semester catching up to him and realizing its too late to turn things around which became a flunk out of college due to poor grades.

For some reason having the passion to race has the side affects of breezing through failure. As you can see I am not copying everything he did this is exactly the route of most car and track enthusiast, its not easy. Either you fail young and you become great later or you fail late, because you never learned to humble yourself from your mistakes. He did exactly what it takes to pursue his dream to race on the track, put his self in a position of discipline. He decided to get closer to the life he wanted by going to Universal Technical Institute from being inspired by watching racing with his dad where he ended up admiring BMW's. This inspiration was from a successful driver named Bill Auberlen. He then took it to new heights by applying to the BMW STEP program. STEP stood for Student Technician Education Program, he realized though he didn't step anywhere but into to the life he wanted which you guessed it his passion to race. You won't believe where he moved either, if I told you Arizona you would think I am talking about me. I am telling you car enthusiast share a passion so strong that there are places that are suited for us and I will say this again I hope you are getting the Memo.

This man sent his passion through the roof as soon as he met his now best friend Todd Farley. This man was learning the proper flag techniques as a Corner Marshall, next thing you know in twenty- twenty he used his past twenty- twelve starting year experience on the team he was invited on through a close client of his to become a Driving Coach, Crew Chief, he is also in the process of becoming a helicopter pilot. You think that is it he also his a husband caring for his wife who also his a pilot, they plan on purchasing a plane of their own to travel. Now his resume goes on for days, but this is another story of someone who inspires me and shares the same passion! That is a twenty-twenty Porsche Cayman that comes with a man that has eleven first place trophies from learning that second place isn't always the end of the road. The key to that car being the way it is comes from the ability to Fail,Learn,Adapt,Repeat. I mean you can't say no to success when it looks like this: