Growing up in Philadelphia was interesting for me. Everything was fine until I was 9 years old and had to switch schools. I thought that was the end of the world as I would leave friends I had known since Kindergarten or 1st grade. That friendship was about to end.

My younger brother was just starting school in kindergarten. Because of how districting was in Philadelphia, my brother could not go to the same school I attended. My brother ended up going to school closer to our house, but it wasn't a good school at all.

Within two months of the school year starting, my mom moved my brother and me to a private Catholic school.

We had to wear a uniform - a blazer, a white dress shirt, a tie, slacks and black shoes. The school had rules I had to get used to.

For a 9-year-old, it was a big adjustment that only got worse.

You're not smart enough

To get into the school, I had to take an entrance exam.

After the exam, the school counselor said my brother did very well. Then I heard her say I didn't do well, at all.

I could have believed her and doubted myself for the rest of my life. But instead, I didn't.

After all these years, I have worked harder than I would let my weaknesses allow me to live.

Only some people are born with Einstein's IQ. Then a handful have athletic gifts like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, or Venus and Serena Williams.

Some people just have to work a little harder in life to get ahead. Not many people are born privileged or they're the smartest person in class.

No one said life would be easy.

No one said you were born to a rich, wealthy family.

You still have to do a bit of work in life.

So to achieve more in life, you have to do a little more. You need to do more than other people to get ahead.

The process is not hard. It just requires failing more often than not.

You see, the more you try things, the more times you'll fail. There is no guarantee you'll do well in everything you try.

The more times you fail, the closer you'll get to see success.

School doesn't teach you to fail. In fact, they teach you to do the opposite and pass.

But life is different and always gives you a second chance. You need to take advantage of those opportunities in life.

A second life-changing event

In the first few months at the private school, I was starting to fit in and make new friends. But one day at gym class was a wake-up call for me.

The gym class was a little more organized. At school, we did sit-ups.

I had never done a sit-up in my life, and it showed.

As soon as I laid down and had to do a sit-up, I couldn't even get up to do one. I struggled and tried, but it wasn't happening that day.

I doubt other kids cared, but I cared. So I took matters into my own hands.

Every night, I did sit-ups at home. I would slide my feet under the couch to act as if someone was holding my feet.

And I did sit-up after sit-up.

Many years later, I had to do sit-ups in the Army. I could do the exercise with ease. The years of working on sit-ups paid off.

In one fitness test, I did 102 sit-ups. The grader thought I was cheating, but they had to count every sit-up. I learned the Army required at least your shoulder blade to touch the ground and your elbows had to cross your knee.

Since I knew that, I did exactly what was required. No more, and no less.

I didn't take my physical fitness tests lightly anymore. I put in the work to prepare and do my best.

Final thoughts

Life is never easy. No one ever said it was.

You have to do the work. Sometimes extra work. When you do, it will all pay off.

Life is not meant to be fair. It means you have to put in the effort to achieve things in life.

Maybe some things come with ease to you, but for others, you have to work a little harder.

Have you ever worked a little harder on something in life?