He is black and was born on February 17, 1963 in the ghetto of Brooklyn, New York.
He has two brothers, an older sister and a younger sister, and his father’s meager salary could not support the Family at all. He grew up in poverty and discrimination. For the future, he saw little hope. When he had nothing to do, he would squat under the low eaves of the house, silently watching the sunset over the distant mountains, silent and depressed.
When he was 13 years old, his father suddenly handed him an old shirt one day.
“How much is this shirt worth?”
“About a dollar.” He replied.
“Can you sell it for two dollars?” The father looked at him with an inquiring look.
“Only a fool would buy it!” He said gamely.
His father’s gaze was sincere and thirsty: “Why don’t you give it a try? You know, times are not good at Home, and if you sell it, it will help me and your mother.”
He then nodded: “I can try, but I may not be able to sell.”
He washed the clothes very carefully, and without an iron, he used a brush to flatten the clothes and laid them on a flat board to dry. The next day, he took the dress to a crowded subway station, and after more than six hours of hawking, he finally sold the dress.
He clutched two dollars and ran all the way home. Later, every day he was keen to pluck out old clothes from the garbage, after cleaning, to sell in the downtown area.
After ten days or so, his father suddenly handed him another old dress: “Think about it, how can this dress be sold for $20?”
“How is it possible? How can such an old dress sell for $20, it is worth at most two dollars.”
“Why don’t you give it a try?” Father inspired him, “Think about it, there is always a way.”
Finally, he came up with a good idea. He asked his cousin, who had learned to draw, to draw a cute Donald Duck and a naughty Mickey Mouse on his clothes. He chose to hawk them in front of an aristocratic children’s school. In a short Time, a butler bought the clothes for his young master, the teenage boy loved the pattern on the clothes, a happy, and gave him a tip of $5. 25 dollars, which is certainly a lot of money! The equivalent of his father’s monthly salary.
When he returned home, his father handed him another old dress: “Can you sell it for $200?” His father’s gaze was deep.
This time, he did not hesitate, he quietly took the clothes and began to think.
Two months later, the opportunity finally came. The lead actress of the popular movie “Charlie’s Angels”, Lafosse, came to New York to do promotion. After the press conference, he pushed aside the security guards around him and pounced on Lafosse’s side, holding up the old clothes and asking her to sign them. Lafosse was stunned at first, but immediately smiled, no one would refuse an innocent child.
Rafosi finished signing fluidly.
He smiled and said, “Ms. Lafosse, can I sell this dress?” “Of course, it’s your dress, what you do with it is entirely your freedom!”
He cheered with an “aha”: “Ms. Lafosse’s autographed sweatshirt, for $200!” After bidding, an oilman bought the sweatshirt for a whopping $1,200.
Back home, he and his father, and the family went into a frenzy. His father was moved to tears and kept kissing his forehead: “I had planned that if you couldn’t sell it, I would ask someone to buy it. I didn’t think you could do it! You are great my son, you are really great ……”
The father asked, “Son, did you understand anything from selling these three pieces of clothing?”
“I understand. You are inspiring me.” He was moved to say, “If you open your mind, there is always a way.”
The father nodded and shook his head, “You’re right, but that wasn’t my original intention. I just want to tell you, a piece of old clothes worth only one dollar, there are ways to noble up. Let alone those of us who are alive? What reason do we have to lose faith in Life? We are just a little darker and poorer, but what does it matter?”
“Yes, even an old dress has a way to be noble, so what reason do I have to be presumptuous!”
Twenty years later, his name spread to every corner of the world. He is – Michael Jordan.
In this world, life is not perfect. Instead of letting life bring more frustration and complaints, we should hold on to a belief and believe that we can make life better through our own efforts!
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