(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A Chicago area lawyer who overcame a number of hurdles over the course of his personal and professional life has written a book designed to help other people overcome self-doubt and other factors to realize their goals.
As the son of a Black father and white mother, Brian Thomas effectively grew up in two worlds. He credits his parents for moving the family to west suburban Elmhurst in the 1970s because it afforded him opportunities that he would not have enjoyed otherwise.
Not that there haven’t been challenges. Thomas is a two-time kidney transplant recipient, an experience that may have made him insulate himself. He said he learned to push back at some of his fears.
“That’s what the book suggests to everyone -- that everyone has this limiting voice that’s telling them they can’t do something. I’m trying to wake them up from that and say, ‘You can do it,’” Thomas told the Noon Business Hour on Friday.
He stresses that changes and realizing goals don’t happen overnight.
“If the thing you want to do is to run a marathon, don’t go out and run a marathon tomorrow,” he said. “Put those shoes on and go run a block, and then build upon that. And then over time, before you know it, you’ll be at that marathon.”
His book "The Privilege Race: A Guide to Overcoming Negative Voices and Influences" is available next month.
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