ROBERT.JORDAN

     

     Born in Stanford, California, but my first memories were of my Grandmother's house, nestled down in the corner of a cul-de-sac in an area called Richmond Heights of Orlando, Florida. My Mother's drug addiction caused her to leave me with my Father when I was only nine years old. Being raised by a single parent was hard enough but my Dad, was in the Air Force. Excellence was never stressed, it was expected. The disappointment of letting my Father down hurt worse than any bad grade or lost game. So as a senior at Lake Howell High School, I decided to focus. But I couldn't stop playing the trumpet in the band (which I did since the 7th grade). Or lead the varsity basketball team in steals (4 years in a row). I still was the Student Government President that year but my mind was made up. I wanted a track and field scholarship.

     After a memorable senior year, I solidified a five year scholarship to Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to pursue my dream of going to college. As one of the most heavily accoladed MTSU Blue Raider track and field members, I earned an opportunity to represent the United States in the Junior Pan American Games at eighteen years old. After changing majors halfway through my college career and graduating with a Bachelors in Liberal Arts, I was still searching for my purpose in life. I decided to teach second grade at an inner city school back in Orlando, FL. The same neighborhood I was raised in. Soon after, I received an invitation to compete professionally on an Elite Team sponsored by Nike that trained at Disney World. I gave it a few years and everything I had but after many injuries and major surgery, it was time to put the track spikes away. I had truly lived my athletic dreams, but that part of my life was over. Depressed but determined to shine again, I stepped into the world of commission only, face to face corporate sales. Satisfying my competitive desire to earn a reward for winning. Within a year I advanced into management and opened my own marketing company Supreme Solutions. It operated successfully for five years with offices across the Southeast Region, when the circumstances outside my control caused me to close my business. I once again, had to start over.  By now sales was in my blood and I was looking for more of it. I determined that the car industry was a perfect fit. Quickly working my way up the ladder into management, I found that even if your success makes someone else money, they may forfeit that money just to keep you from being successful. After working for a couple different brands, I found the Porsche dealership allowed me to broaden my circle of influence the most and eventually transition from selling cars to selling houses. Still, feeling purposefully unfulfilled, I started Live. Learn. Become. to show the youth that it's never the situation, but the way you react that determines the outcome. Through many disadvantages, countless challenges, multiple setbacks, devastating losses, endless obstacles, starting over and rebuilding numerous times, failing and quitting in my mind...I have persevered. My message is simply that even though it's tough and life can be unfair, you must keep going. So wipe the tears from your eyes and get back up. Live. Learn. Become.

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Robert Jordan | Greenville, SC | 864.663.6990 | bookedtospeak@gmail.com