The Wisdom Project

Thomas III, Age 43

What are the top 1-3 things you would like to pass on to others? How did you learn this?

Each one of us, I believe, has a unique purpose in that when we do what we’re called to do, passionate about, what a joy it is every morning to contribute back to our community. That’s your purpose. Whether it’s playing sports, whether you are an adventurer, whether you are in our science or medical field, whether you are a creative artist or play music, everything is going to revolve around you and your experience. Find those things that bring you joy and put your heart and energy to those things so that you are living on purpose. You are not going to be swayed when tragedy hits or when misfortune comes; you are going to have something so powerful for you to live, that is what is going to be required – what I call “living on purpose.”

I learned this, living on purpose, when in high school. I was in theater arts, playing basketball. I was more of a let’s try a little bit of everything to see where I best fit, but I saw that my purpose was bringing people together – whether that was bringing out family members to watch me play basketball or bringing out my classmates to watch me in theater, I saw that I could bring people together so that we are able to share, to learn and grow together from different perspectives. I consciously did this to try to find what I enjoyed, but when I found what I enjoyed, I then saw that others were involved also. That’s when I started to see what my purpose was. My purpose is to bring people together, to share, to each have a shared experience – that we are not in isolation or quarantine.

You’ve seen a lot of significant events and changes over the course of your life. What wisdom can you share from your observations and experiences of the world in your lifetime so far?

The most profound event, in my life, was the birth of my first child. When I had that experience in my life, it changed my life forever because I saw how precious life is and I saw the great role that I came to play, to help future generations. That was the experience for me that changed how I saw the rest of the world because I want to make the rest of the world be a better and beautiful place for my daughter.

What obstacles and disappointments have you faced that you were able to put into perspective, turn into a positive, and/or contribute to in a way that made things better? What did you learn from these experiences that you can share with those who did not have those same experiences?

I can remember, when I was in college playing basketball, my freshman year, I was a starter and that was one of the reasons why I chose to go to my college, because I wanted to play. Four games into my freshman year, I broke my fifth metatarsal bone in my right foot and I wasn’t able to play the rest of the season. The coach called me in at the end of the season and said, “Tom, since you weren’t able to play your freshman year, you’re not going to play another day here at this university. I suggest you transfer.”

Well, that was a setback, because I didn’t want to transfer; I wanted to stay there. I didn’t’ come there to go somewhere else. So I chose to stay and the coach chose to never play me in another game for the rest of the three years I attended school. I had to endure all the practices, travel with the team, re-work my scholastic college course work around the basketball travel schedule, even though I was not going to play not one game, not one season.

What that showed me was (1) you have to be committed to the things you say you are going to do. I said I was going to go and play basketball no matter what happened. I stayed for the finish of that goal. (2) it showed me that even though you have a setback in life, keep your commitment to not only yourself but to your family, the people that love you. Go over and above, even when it’s painful–even when people may not approve—even when people may not like you or your current situation—persevere. And that’s one thing that I take with me today, that even though we all have setbacks, keep your commitment to rise above, to be better for yourself, so that you will have a better journey in life.