Gym Weights & Mental Weights, do you even lift?
Derrick is a born & raised Chicagoan who transplanted to North Carolina while following his dreams. In 2014, he made the difficult choice to leave his family back in Plano, IL to venture on his own, in hopes of becoming a college wrestler for NC state. Back in Chicago, the average work life consisted of factory work and Derrick saw a different life for himself. He saw potential in this growing city, the warm weather, and considered this “the vibe.”
As many college students will understand, financial aid did not cover all of his educational expenses so he started looking for work. He found security in bars, during which time his energetic personality caught the eye of a manager for a retail corporation which became the starting point for Derricks' retail career. His genuine connection with people & bubbly personality allowed him to truly succeed & begin a path of multiple promotions. Moving stores from Cary, NC to Raleigh, NC, continuing to meet multiple people and creating a life here. All seemed to be riding on cloud nine until Covid struck and changed his life.
In 2020, gyms were closed which caused a huge mental strain on Derrick, being his outlet & passion. Simultaneously, he was in the process of being developed for a supervisor role that became obsolete during a restructuring in the company and his mental state took a massive blow. He was unsure of his next step in life, like how to continue his workouts, or even how to get out of this fog of hopelessness.
Derrick had to dig deep, having his mom as his biggest support. She would be there for him during his matches, in his own words “a little fat kid, punching a locker because of a loss.” She would sprinkle some tough love & tell him not to waste her time, that she would never stop supporting him, no matter how many losses. This became the montra and his motivation as he looked toward a new path.
He found a way to work on call in the retail location and has been focusing his efforts as a bartender. He loves to see people’s expressions when they get their drinks from an energetic, body-building guy that looks like he should be the bouncer. Having fun at your job is a blessing, and he is looking forward to managing his bar as the company he currently works for continues to grow. He came out of his comfort zone moving alone, out of state, and found “a beautiful woman that supports me, and family.” Derrick's advice is to take that step that you are afraid to take because he does not know where he would be if he didn’t. “You cannot always escape your demons, but you can always learn how to deal with them.”