INTERVIEW Tony: Because I wasn’t focused in the classroom after three years of being on a scholarship and not producing what I came there to produce, the coach let me go. I was hurt at the time, so [the coach] used that to kick me off the team. I had to pack up and drive a thousand miles to start over-- in school and in life-- without sports. I was 21 years old and that was when life really began to challenge me. B.O.S.S..: Were you able to overcome that obstacle and finish school? What happened? Tony: In the midst of trying to finish school, I would have to say that life happened. And while being lost and confused, I gravitated towards females. I met my wife that first year I returned home. Still focused on women and not school, I didn’t know how to be a student without being an athlete. Without my scholarship, I had to find a job to pay for my car note, rent,
groceries, school supplies... I worked full-time, trying to be a student, but I didn’t know how to be just a student. So, it was tough. That first semester, I withdrew from all of my classes and returned to school the next term. From 2005 to 2010, I tried to balance being a husband, a father, an author, a full-time employee, and a student. I had to. The combination of my lack of stimulation in school and my dreams, goals and aspirations outside of college, prompted me to write my own book in 2007. By then, I felt like I had learned what I needed to learn, but I did want to finish. My switching majors and wanting to learn so many things, I needed to buckle down to just one subject in order to get a degree in that field. So, I had an eight year education, but no actual degree to show for it. B.O.S.S.: What kept you inspired to continue and finish your education? Tony: Just to know I can complete a task that I begin is the ultimate thing. But, I also learned a lesson not too many people get to learn. I learned “education”, but in the midst of getting an education, I learned it is most important to get “self-educated”. I remember Jim Rome saying, “Formal education can make you a living, but self-education can make you a fortune.” So, when you have both [formal and self-education], you are able to move forward and have no limits on your life. What inspires me is the fact that I know I am able to complete a task, take my self-education, combine it with my formal education, and have nothing I can’t do. B.O.S.S.: Amazing, amazing… What would be your one piece of advice about life to a teenager? Tony: I would say that the honest truth is that school may not be for everyone, but to really pay attention to your gifts. Some people may have limitations and things in life that may happen to adversely affect them-- from money, to parents, to lack of guidance or advising. You have to find out how to become successful. I say at that point you figure out that college may not be for you, you have to identify your natural gifts and then find an outlet to express it and turn that passion into profit. You can still use your abilities to change the world-- even if you are not successful in school for whatever reason, you can still become your own success story!