doing everything right but failing: A look at making it

Failing is okay. Most failure comes with a great story and plenty of lessons. Most people assume that a college degree makes you invincible to failure and that you should be better off than those without degrees. You "made it" afterall and should put that degree to use. But what happens when that isn't what happens? How do you "make it" and still end up where you started? Well everyone's story is different. I'll tell you three.

Story #1
​Young girl raised by the system because her single mother is a convicted drug dealer/addict that is mentally disabled. At 7 she goes from group home to foster care to family members houses only to be reunited with her mom at 13. She attended 7 middle schools and lived in 5 different cities growing up. She works hard to make great grades and becomes a B++ student and gets into a out of state college. She is a success.

Story #2
Boy grows up with single mother who is struggling to make ends meet. Brothers and sisters left to their own devices cause mom has to work. Most of his siblings drop out of highschool. Finds a love for music and art. He graduates and goes to community college. He is a success.

Story #3
A girl with a minister single mother of three finds a love for singing in church. Is the youngest of three and once the older siblings are gone she begins to take care of her sickly mother. She hates school, but is smart. She graduates and gets a scholarship for school out of state. She is a success.

Fast forward>>>

​They each graduate college with degrees, practice art, and begin adulting. By their mid-late 20's they are broke, struggling for stability, and are desperately not wanting to fall into the holes their parents did. They are black. Does that matter? What about the theory that college grads are promoted to middle class with a degree? I say theory because unless you graduate with a job that's not reality. Especially if you're black. If you're black you go back home to poverty and search for jobs in a place you desperately wanted to leave, but if you're not into corporate America then you just float. It feels like you've done everything right, but are failing. Truth is the neighborhoods you left don't have jobs for black success stories, they barely have resources for residents let alone for some snobby graduate. Truth is ain't no place for black graduates who are told all they need is a degree. What happens when you get the degree and it was in the fine arts? If you're black you betta get a degree in a social science, business, or science. You betta not go home. Does knowing I'm story #1 make this understandable? Does a BA in fine arts not matter? I'm not bitter, I just have questions. Who has the answers?

I'm sure if you can't relate to our stories you have your own. That moment where you did everything right, but you suddenly fail. You feel like a failure. That's normal. I've learned that failing is okay.

On Making It
Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves and others to "make it". Said to God it's a made up term that makes you feel like crap. Cause if you don't "make it" you feel stupid. STOP WITH THE COMPARISONS!! There is no I made it juice. The people that have "made it" made their own happiness. That's it. I'm pretty sure they didn't peek over there shoulder being a sour puss (I'm old school) about what everybody else is doing. They discovered what would make them happy and did it. Go make it or whatever. Make whatever you want cause it won't make itself.