What are the odds of a socially challenged, young black male born and raised on the south side of Chicago, achieving extraordinary lifetime goals? MY BIO Full Name - Earl
C. Bell Jr. MY BEGINNING At only six weeks old, my growth was stunted by pneumonia. My divorced mother raised me with my three older siblings. The divorce came about after years of my mother being mentally and physically abused by my biological father. With an attempt to be the man of the house, I was running wild in the streets by the age of twelve, hustling for dollars. That same year of gang affiliation led to me being detained in one of Chicago's Audy homes. At the age of thirteen, I fathered my first child. By the age of fourteen, I began to use drugs to escape my reality, while selling them to support this child. After my sophomore year, at the age of 16, I dropped out of high school and was headed for either my grave or an awaiting jail cell. MY TRANSFORMATION I began to start thinking seriously about where my life was headed when some of my fellow-gang members were being gunned down in my hood. I was incarcerated at the time and had a lot of time to think. During this period, I decided that this was not the life I wanted to live out. Upon my release, my mother became firm and gave me the choices of going to the U.S. Military Service, enrolling into trade school, or to leave her house. I really liked working on cars so I decided to study auto repair. I worked as a mechanic for ten years and I was only happy in that profession for the first six months. In 1990, I visited a small local gym and instantly knew what I was born to do. I persuaded the gym owner into giving me a job cleaning up the gym. I took to my new position like a fish takes to water! I noticed a lot of simple improvements the gym could make. I voiced my concerns and the atmosphere and financial growth of the gym improved significantly. It was then that I was inspired to start my own business, and finance the classiest fitness facility in Illinois. I am convinced this goal would have never been realized if not for the most tragic occurrence of my past life. Meanwhile, I had become merely tolerant with my life. I was extremely unhappy with my full-time job, but I was making substantial amounts of money. I had simply settled for financial stability within the field of car mechanics. MY DEVASTATION About six weeks before the day I was to marry my childhood sweetheart, my best friend/first cousin was a victim of an accidental drowning. He was to be my best man, but he will always be my best friend. My world was crushed, for I had spoken to him hours before his death. My great grandmother had raised me with my cousin in our pre-school years. We were more like brothers than cousins. His death shattered my world. The emptiness and pain this left in my heart is still indescribable to this day. My cousin was two years younger than I was and he looked up to me, believed in me and supported me unequivocally. The day that he past away, I made a commitment to never stop believing and achieving my goals. MY VICTORY Since I made that personal promise on that tragic day, I have become a happily married man, won and placed in numerous amateur bodybuilding championships, began doing motivational speeches for Operation Snowflake, opened my own personal training studio, became a state bodybuilding judge and annually promote a south-side bodybuilding competition in Illinois. Most importantly, I have gained confidence that with God in my life there is nothing I cannot achieve. What is next for the guy who has overcome unmeasurable detours? When I think of my past accomplishments, a thought of contentment instantly flashes by. I then am reminded to think of the promise I made to my cousin, and to realize how much further than mere contentment I have to surpass. THE SAGA CONTINUES What happens after the victory? After you have been through the obstacles? After you felt you had overcome the hard times? Well, for me after my accomplishments of becoming a happily married man, opening my personal training studio, promoting my own bodybuilding show and becoming a State Bodybuilding Judge, it all fell apart. It began when legal complications could not be settled and I was evicted from my first studio. The relocation and legal fees drained me mentally and financially. In the midst of getting settled into my new location, someone that I started in Personal Training, gave a job to and trusted, conspired to ruin my name and put me out of business. Spreading lies that got my Illinois Judging and Promoting license revoked. Eventually I had to fire him, but lost 60% of my clientele in the process. Trying to rebound from a rebound was a huge financial drain, which led to having my current location under an eviction hearing, my doors being locked for a week by the management and also having my car repossessed. The strain of all this put a great toll on my marriage of twelve years, which despite an effort on both parts, could not be salvaged and ended in divorce. STARTING OVER AGAIN What do you do when you have been broken down? When you are on you’re knees searching for an answer? The first thing I did was look up and seek God’s face. The second thing I did was get off my knees, and the third thing I did was Start Over. I went back to the basics of hard praying and hard working. There were some very glooming days when I did not know what tomorrow would bring, or If I would make it out of this situation. One step at a time, I clawed my way out of the hole. First, by rebuilding my business, which is much stronger and more solid today because of the lessons learned during this period. Having my Illinois Bodybuilding Judging and Promoting license restored, although I do not think I will be judging or promoting anytime in the near future. Last but not least, one of the most important pieces to the puzzle, finding my new Love. Someone that is like-minded, focused and supportive of me, but seems like they are from another world. Combining all of these pieces and keeping God first, I feel even more confident that I will get to that next Level. Sir Earl
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