The Cost of Being First
A trailblazer is someone who goes first.
They're the person willing to step into the unknown, creating a path that didn't exist before so others can follow it. They don't have a blueprint, a guarantee, or someone to show them exactly what to do. They simply take the first step. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself: What have I been a trailblazer in?
When I look back at my own life, I realize I've been fortunate enough to experience many "firsts."
I was the first in my family to go to college. The first to become a collegiate athlete. The first to become a pilot. Looking back, those accomplishments sound exciting, but living through them felt anything but glamorous.
Being first is lonely.
No one talks about that part.
There were no family stories to follow, no one who could tell me what to expect, and no roadmap showing me the next step. Every decision felt like I was walking into unfamiliar territory.
Growing up, my mom wanted one thing more than anything else: for me to go to college.
Failure wasn't an option in our house. The word "no" almost didn't exist.
She was a single mother raising our family in a two-bedroom apartment. We qualified for free school lunches, and money was always tight. We weren't surrounded by abundance—we were surrounded by determination.
I remember telling her one day, "Mom... we don't have the money to apply to colleges."
Most people don't realize that applying to universities isn't free. Every application had a fee, and when you apply to several schools, those costs add up quickly.
To me, that was the end of the conversation.
To my mom, it was simply another obstacle to solve.
Looking back, I still don't know how she managed it. She found a way around every roadblock. My high school ended up providing five free college applications. She made sure I attended every college fair, every campus tour, every informational meeting she could find.
At the time, I hated it.
I had already decided what I was capable of—and what I wasn't.
I had placed limits on my own life before it had even begun.
My mom refused to let me stay inside those limits.
She spoke life into me long before I knew how to believe in myself. She saw potential I couldn't see, and she never stopped reminding me that my circumstances didn't determine my future.
Looking back now, that's one of the greatest gifts anyone has ever given me.
Not every door opened.
Some schools rejected me. Others accepted me, but I knew they weren't where I was supposed to be. Eventually, I packed up my life and moved over 1,200 miles away to a small college in East Tennessee to continue playing basketball. Just down the road sat the university I had dreamed about attending for years: the University of Tennessee. After two years, I transferred.
The dream that once felt impossible became reality. I graduated from the University of Tennessee debt-free. I should have felt like I had reached the finish line. Instead, I found myself asking, "Now what?" For so many years, getting to UT had been my entire identity. It was the dream that carried me through difficult seasons. Once I accomplished it, I realized something surprising. I had stopped dreaming. For nearly four years after graduation, I simply worked. There wasn't another mountain to climb. And I learned something during that season: a person without a vision slowly begins to drift. We were created to grow. To build. To pursue. To become. Living without something meaningful to work toward isn't peace—it's stagnation. Then aviation entered my life. Suddenly, I had another impossible dream. I didn't come from a family of pilots. I didn't know anyone who had walked this path. There wasn't a step-by-step guide explaining how someone like me was supposed to make it happen. Once again, I found myself becoming the first. That's the thing about trailblazers. You don't get a map. You don't know if you're making the right decision. You don't know how long the journey will take. You just keep taking one faithful step after another. There are days I still wonder if this dream is too big. There are moments when it feels almost ridiculous to believe I'll accomplish everything I've set out to do. But every meaningful dream starts that way. Someone has to be willing to go first. Someone has to believe before there's evidence. Someone has to create a path where one doesn't already exist. Maybe that's you. Maybe you're the first in your family to pursue higher education. The first to start a business. The first to break unhealthy cycles. The first to follow God wholeheartedly. The first to dream beyond what anyone around you thought was possible. If that's you, I want you to know something. The loneliness doesn't mean you're on the wrong path. The uncertainty doesn't mean you've failed. Sometimes those feelings are simply evidence that you're walking where no one around you has walked before. Trailblazers don't wait for perfect conditions. They move forward with faith, grit, and perseverance. Today, I'm still chasing another dream that many people would call unrealistic. I don't have a perfect plan. I don't have every answer. What I do have is a willingness to work hard, stay disciplined, trust God, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Because every trail that exists today was once untouched ground. And one day, the path you're creating may become the road someone else is brave enough to follow.
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