Breaking the Silence.

Today’s Marketing Cookie is an inspiring tale of a young boy who faced a huge challenge and triumphed against all odds.

The story begins in Mississippi when, at age 5, Jimmy’s parents separated, and he moved in with his grandparents to be raised on their farm in Michigan. The transition was traumatic for Jimmy, and he developed a stutter so severe that he refused to speak for eight years. He was essentially mute from the first grade until high school, speaking only to his dog, his sole confidant during those years of silence.

One day, his ninth-grade English teacher noticed Jim's silence but also his unique talent for writing poetry. His teacher said, "Jim, this poem is so good, I don’t believe that you wrote it." He continued, "The only way you can prove to me that you wrote it is to stand in front of the class and recite it from memory." 

Jim stood up and, to everyone’s surprise, he recited the poem perfectly, word-for-word, without a single stutter. Together, he and his teacher realized that reading and reciting poetry was a way of liberating Jim from his silence and giving him the power of speech. He practiced the rhythm and flow of verses, eventually learning to speak fluently, and most importantly, Jim started to believe in himself.

When Jim went to college, he discovered acting. On stage, he learned to overcome his stutter by converting the dialogue of his characters into short verses like a poem. He also leveraged the dramatic pauses he needed to find the right words to express emotions he never thought possible. 

A career as an actor eventually blossomed for a boy who once spoke only to his dog but found his voice through a love of writing poetry. This once-silenced voice became one of the most recognizable in the world, known to us all as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufasa in The Lion King. His name is James Earl Jones.

When you face personal challenges in your career, remember that finding success begins with embracing your unique strengths and passions. By tapping into your creativity, persistence, and resilience, you can transform your struggles into stepping stones towards success. 

Just like James Earl Jones, who found a way to turn his love for poetry into a legendary acting career, we can follow the advice of today's fortune as it says, "Do not let what you do not have, prevent you from using what you do have."