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Valleys and
Mountaintops: A Conversation With
Brandon Slay by Charles White
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Born
in Amarillo Texas, Slay was confronted early with family difficulties. When
he was three years old, Brandon's parents divorced and he went to live with
his mother. Two years later, Brandon was sent to live with his father: a
decision for which Brandon praises his mother. "I cried for my father
daily. When I was nearly five years old, Mom asked me if I wanted to live
with Dad. I said yes. This was one of the most difficult decisions of my
Mom's life and I praise her for her love and maturity in making it." His
dad didn't have a home of his own, so Brandon and his father moved in with his
grandmother. Soon afterwards, Brandon's grandmother enrolled him in a
Christian school and began taking him to a local Baptist church where she
taught Sunday School. It was through his Grandmother's love and dedication
towards God and others that Brandon learned the greatest lesson in his life.
"My Grandmother taught me to put God first and others second and myself
third." When
Brandon was six, his father encouraged him to take up the sport of wrestling.
His dad wrestled in high school and college and hoped that his son would also
like the sport. Eventually, Brandon did fall in love with wrestling and it
became a very important part of his life. By the age of eleven, his coaches
lit a fire inside of him that would lead to Olympic gold. The ensuing years
saw a wresting career filled with victory despite the many ups and downs that
filled his family life. In 1993,
Brandon's life was once again turned upside down as he decided to leave his
Texas home for the big city of Philadelphia and the University of
Pennsylvania. Here Slay spent the next five years working hard to obtain a
degree and perfect his wrestling skills. His hard work and dedication led to
a dual reward: a dual degree in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management from
the best business school in the country and Olympic gold. Even
though it would be easy for Brandon Slay to measure success in terms of victories
both on the mat and in the classroom, nothing could be farther from the
truth. " To be a success is not about gold medals, blue ribbons or first
place trophies or making an A+ in every single thing that you
do…as long as you give your best, full and complete effort, that's what makes
you a winner. Life is not about the solitary moment of glory. It's about the
journey each one of us takes, the valleys we trudge through and the
mountaintops we scale."
Like
Brandon, we should all strive for "Greater Gold." This isn't found
in the glitter of victories, but simply in the attempt. "Greater
Gold" is never being afraid to try and giving it your all while always
lifting your eyes heavenward and acknowledging where true victory lies and
living your life accordingly. To
learn more about Brandon Slay, check out his personal website www.brandonslay.com or
visit his wonderful new organization:
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