Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, my mom a single mother at the age of eigh. While I was growing up, we lived a very36life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would37my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At four, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never38again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I didn’t want to be bad enough. She39that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school-walking on my own!
When the Great Depression（大萧条） 40, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support（支撑） both of us. At that moment, I decided never to be41again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real42point happened on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1916. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels for families and was angry that they charged（收费）an extra $2 for each child. That was too43for most American families. I told my wife that I was going to open a hotel for families that would never charge extra for44. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not45, mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of hard time. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my heart, I46doubted we would succeed. Fif years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world­ - Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situations. But if you can find a47in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
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