GET OUT! Two words can change your life forever. A little 10 year old boy and his mother were thrown out of their house by the little boy’s abusive and alcoholic father. They were quickly escorted to the back seat of a waiting police car, ready to take them to a safer place for the night.

Ladies and gentlemen, Contest Master, that little boy was me. I felt I wasn’t good enough. I felt rejected. Have you ever felt rejected?

I came home from school one day and I was hungry. In fact, I was starving! So, the first place I went to was the fridge! I swung that door open and looked inside. Nothing! So, I looked on the kitchen table. Nothing! I searched the entire house! I ripped open cupboards; swung open drawers! I even looked under my bed! Nothing! I was so angry! Angry at my dad! Angry at my mom! Angry at the world! I called my mom at work. “Mommy, why is there no food?! Why are you not home yet?! Do you know what time it is?!” She tried to explain, but I wouldn’t listen. I told her, “O.K., fine! I don’t need you! I hate you!” At that moment, I became my dad. And I rejected my mom!

I ran out of the house. Raging with hunger, I was ready to eat anything! Then, I saw a shopkeeper coming out with a bag full of trash. He threw it into a huge garbage bin and went back inside. I ran over and jumped inside! I ripped open the shopkeepers bag and started eating anything that looked like food! Fruit, meat, bread! Ppptt!!! Yuck! Lipstick?!?!! “Gotcha!” Uh oh! It was the shopkeeper! “Get out!” “Uh, uh! I’m sorry! I was just so hungry!” “O.K., calm down, take it easy. Hey kid, I’m concerned about you. You shouldn’t be eating my trash. Let’s get out and get in to my shop and we can have a nice hot meal!” At that moment, I felt accepted. However, I was still craving that same kind of acceptance from my own dad!

Emotionally, my mom and I were doing much better. Financially, we were doing much worse. Eventually, we ended up living at the homeless shelter. We felt so embarrassed and ashamed. But very quickly, all the people working there showed us so much love and acceptance. They became my family!

For example, I loved Stanley, the caretaker! He was like a father figure to me! I followed him everywhere! No matter what I did or said, he always accepted me! But I asked him one day, “Stanley, why do you like me? Even my dad doesn’t like me. I’ll don’t think I’ll ever be good enough”. Stanley said, “Hey, don’t you ever say that again! Oh Mike, you are good enough! But, it’s my job to make sure that I build you back up, so you never feel rejected again! From now on, this house will always welcome you home!”

My dad was never around to hug me. But Stanley showed me that there would be people who would come into my life and they could take the place of my real dad! That’s why I became a teacher. I could be a father figure and mentor for my students who feel rejected and need acceptance.

One of my students, Jennifer came into my classroom one day.
“Mr. Honda....”
“Get out! I”m busy!”
“My dad says I’m not good enough. Do you think so too?” Her dad, just as my dad, rejected her. I realized that I was becoming my dad!
I turned to her and said, “Oh, Jennifer, you are good enough.”
Ladies and gentlemen, isn’t that what life is about?
To be good enough? To be understood? To be accepted?

When I look back on the day my dad told me to get out, that wasn’t the worst day of my life. That was the best day of my life! I had to let go of those people who rejected me, and hold on to those people who accepted me!

Has anyone ever made you feel like you’re not good enough? One person, or one incident should never define who we are. Have you ever been rejected? Two words can change your life forever. Get out! Get out of rejection and into acceptance because you are good enough!

Contest Master!