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Staff post about: Dave Thomas Become an Author

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When Thomas was 15 years old, he wrote an essay for school called The Pursuit of Happiness. In it, he wrote, “When I was eight years old, I dreamed that I would one day own the best restaurant in the world. My restaurant would serve great tasting hamburgers made just the way you like them, and all of the customers would love the food and come back again and again.”

From the time he was a young boy and spending most of his time eating in family restaurants across the U.S. with his father, Thomas had dreamed of becoming a restaurateur. No one and nothing was going to get in his way. “If you want it bad enough and try hard enough you can get it,” said Thomas. “You can make your dreams come true.”

Thomas had been given up as a baby, his adopted mother had passed away, he moved around so much that he rarely made friends and he never finished his high school education. The odds were stacked against Thomas from the get-go. But, Thomas never let any of those things stand in his way. He had a passion for hamburgers and he believed that his unique vision could succeed. With that faith, Thomas set out to realize his dreams.

With the right combination of hard work and desire, Thomas believed that anyone could make their dreams come true no matter what their circumstances. “You can do what you want to do,” he said. “You can be what you want to be. There’s no one to stop you but yourself.”

There were times that Thomas, like any other, experienced setbacks and difficulties in starting up his business. But, from the time he was fired from his first job at the age of 12, Thomas vowed never to fail again. His grandmother had armed him with the confidence he needed to succeed and she often reminded him that regardless of one’s successes or failures, the important thing was to keep striving for your goals. “Hard work is good for the soul, and it keeps you from feeling sorry for yourself because you don't have time,” she would tell the young Thomas.

What kept Thomas believing in his dream even when the people around him were telling him he was crazy? Thomas knew that he had a good product. “Anytime I had any doubts, you know what I would do?” Thomas asked. “I’d have a double cheese with mustard, pickle and onion, a bowl of chili and a Frosty. And I’d say, ‘I know we can sell this. It’s fantastic.’” Thomas knew that faith alone was not enough to succeed. But, he believed even more strongly that without faith and the belief in one self, one would never succeed. “Believe in your dream,” said Thomas.

“People may tell you that you won't make it, that you're wasting your time. If you keep your dream in mind, have done your research and are willing to work hard, you can make it come true.”

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