Dedication over Education

By Ezekiel Nero

You needed to read and write for every career or you didn’t get one, even though I was charismatic and great with people that didn’t count. But it all led to where I was today. A successful businessman with plenty of regrets but time to prove he was capable to himself. I began to realise my own worth and make myself proud. Yes, I wasn’t great at reading or writing but it didn’t mean that I couldn’t hold down a great business of my own. Anyone can make it. Dyslexia is not something that is supposed to hold you back, it is just an obstacle that you have to find a way around in order to reach the finish line.
It doesn’t make you dumb or stupid to have a learning disability, it just means that you are skilled in other areas. Just remember that sometimes dedication is just as good as education. I had many doors slammed in my face over the years but I created my own doors from scratch and walked straight through them. Never ever give up on yourself, be successful for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Feb 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9798823080354

Book preview

2023 Ezekiel Nero. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/26/2023

ISBN: 979-8-8230-8036-1 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-8230-8037-8 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-8230-8035-4 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

H AVING WRITTEN DEDICATION OVER EDUCATION , which is about my life, has been a true eye-opener, allowing me to see what I have been forced to endure to get where I am today. Many people have helped me along my journey, but I would like to thank those who helped make this book possible.

Firstly, I would like to thank my wife for always believing in me and giving me support whenever I needed it. Your love has gotten me far, and I believe it will continue to do so.

I would also like to thank my son for giving me a reason never to accept failure and to keep pushing my limits to become the best version of me I can be. And of course, thanks to my unborn child for making me want to strive for success and greatness.

The final thank-you goes to my ghostwriter, Tiffany Hepworth. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have a book at all. You have made my story come to life and have ensured it is inspirational and relatable to whomsoever should read it. Your dedication over the past two years to bring this book up to a high standard is greatly appreciated.

CHAPTER 1

R EADY FOR THE LONG, HARD day of graft ahead of me, I stared into the mirror and locked onto my appearance. I struggled to make my tie presentable for a second, but I soon changed that. As my eyes met with my reflection, I felt an uncontrollable urge to smile. How had things come to this point? I finally left the mirror and walked into the kitchen, where my girlfriend Amanda was breaking an egg into a small pan. I looked over at my son Joshua in his highchair and smiled once again. Maybe today would be full of smiling and laughter as many days before had been.

‘Do you want something made, babe? There’s plenty here?’ Amanda shouted over the sound of the egg sizzling in the pan. I turned to face her. As soon as our eyes met, my smile returned.

‘Thank you, gorgeous, but I’m already running late. Andy is already there; he is expecting me in a meeting. So, I’ve got to love you and leave you, I’m afraid,’ I said happily. I walked up to my son and kissed his forehead, then leaned over and kissed my girlfriend’s cheek while her back was to me.

I arrived at work and walked into my office, ready for the meeting. My two business partners were already speaking, so I grabbed an empty chair and joined them.

‘Sorry, lads. I woke up a bit late, but I’m here now. What have I missed?’ I asked, straightening my tie and looking professional.

‘Hi, man. I and your brother here were just discussing the number of good reviews this place is getting and how we can expand even more to make it better,’ Andy, my best friend and business partner, said.

‘Well, I’ve been thinking over the weekend that we could expand by maybe creating mobile apps that other businesses can use for their appointments,’ I suggested, sounding confident and ready for anything. My brother Wayne nodded enthusiastically as though he agreed that it was a great idea.

‘Of course, anything you say will be a good idea. Mr Smarty-Pants over there,’ Wayne replied with laughter. We all laughed together, my smile just refusing to stop returning.

I kept looking at the clock, counting down to the time when I would see my little family again. I loved my job, but there was nothing better than coming home to my two main people after a hard day’s work. I sat and looked around the place I called my office and at my business partners, who were across from me, wondering whether it was fate that we’d all ended up here working side by side as if it were the plan all along. I always wondered what being content would feel like: this was surely it. I was working all day today, then I’d go home to a nice home-cooked meal with my family, and then tomorrow we’d all go out somewhere to make memories. I couldn’t think of anything else that I wanted in life just then. I was a businessman with trustworthy business partners and with a partner and a child. My life was complete. I was ready to live the rest of it in happiness and peace.

It all seemed like a perfect life, didn’t it: a girlfriend who loved me for who I was, a son to raise and be proud of, a business that ran perfectly with family and friends? It may have seemed as if I had a perfect life, but it hadn’t always been this way. A decade previous, I wouldn’t have seemed like the same person. Some would say how that I’d gotten to where I was now was a mystery. It is safe to say that I had nobody but myself to thank for my success. Everyone tried to drag me down and convince me that I couldn’t be the person I wanted to be. They said I would never make it, that I was not destined for a better life, that I would have to live in squalor and poverty for the rest of my days.

But instead of accepting what those other people thought about me, I wanted to prove them wrong. I had something deep inside me called dedication, which had led me to acquire the best life possible. Everything I’d gone through had led me to where I was now. I hadn’t received the best education, which was something I still regretted. Having a poor education didn’t make the best start in life, and it almost caused me to give up on my dreams. The main thing is that I was finally winning. I’d nearly given up on many occasions, but just turned the adversity into life lessons. Having a bad education does not mean one will definitely have a bad future. I believe one has to take risks in order to see improvements in one’s life. I hadn’t gotten to where I was by giving up easily. What got me through the worst times was pure motivation and believing in my own personal abilities, even if nobody else did.

I had watched others around me struggle just as much as I was. I broke out of the system that had kept me chained and made me a prisoner, but those other people are still there, unable to break out. When I worked for someone other than myself, I just felt like a number, a slave to society and democracy. It gave me the to do what I needed to do to make something of myself and be my own boss. I am not saying it was easy or that it can be done overnight, but the time and effort put into determined the final result.

Just a man from Reading, I am Johnny Kelton. This is my story.

CHAPTER 2

T HERE I STOOD ON THE street corner with a small gang of friends as I did most mornings before high school. We often kicked a ball around with no rush to get into the building on time, laughing and joking without a care in the world. Well, that’s what we thought.

‘Johnny?! I can see you through the window, you know. Get to school; you’ll be late!’ my mother shouted to me through the window, our house being just across the street from where I and my friends were gathered. The lads had a laugh at my expense. Listening to my mother, I began walking to school, with my friends soon following. No matter where I went in my teenage years, I was constantly surrounded, never alone. The two guys I was with at this particular point were not close friends, just some lads I’d gotten to talking to because they were in most of my classes. I got on with anyone who spoke to me first, being quite a friendly person.

‘What lesson have we got first? I’m constantly forgetting.’ This came from Eric, a medium-sized blond-haired lad whom I’d only got speaking to a few months ago. I sighed and smiled with humour.

‘I keep telling you: maths is first today,’ I answered as we approached the big black school gates, where some of the other students were still entering.

As we walked through the gates and entered the school premises, I happened to notice two girls standing and talking near the entrance. One of them was a small blonde beauty wearing a short skirt and knee-high socks, and the other was a cute redhead wearing a revealing dress. I had to get their attention. The two lads I was with began to whisper and point out the girls’ best features. But I was more outgoing than they. As I walked past the girls, I whistled loudly to get their attention. Everyone who was standing outside looked over at me to see who it was who had caught my attention. A lot of the girls around me seemed disappointed that it wasn’t them I was whistling at.

The girls who had caught my attention shyly laughed at each other and gave me a look of interest, one of them blushing. I smirked to myself and walked through the school doors, ready to face whatever would be thrown at me