“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

Walt Disney

On Today’s Monday Motivation, Corry discusses her pig story with Scott Ostrode.

Watch their conversation on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcast and Spotify.

Scott Ostrode grew up and has raised his family in the Sacramento area. His church family is important to him and supports the community and international children’s missions. Scott has been a licensed Realtor since 1998. In 2003 he joined Keller Williams Realty. He has been named Favorite Realtor by Style Magazine 5 times, recognized as Top Realtor by the NSBIA 3 times, and consistently ranked in the top 0.2% of Keller Williams Agents worldwide. Scott was recently recognized as an Elite Agent in the Northern California and Hawaii Region. Contact Scott at Sostrode@kw.com.

In 11th grade, I decided I wanted to raise a pig for the county fair. I went to Atwater High, in an agricultural town, and always had an interest but didn’t have the money or the space. My best friend, Kilie, was raising her first pig at her papa’s house in the country and I wanted to as well. I told my parents what I wanted to do, and they said I could. The only catch, I needed to come up with the money and find a place to raise it. I asked papa if he would be willing to allow me to use his property and if he would front me the money for food and supplies. As a result, I would repay him once I sold the pig at auction. He said yes!

I had another hurdle to overcome. How was I going to buy the pig? It was over $200, and I only had a week to get the money. I tried to think of who I could borrow the money from but had no promising prospects. As I was walking home from school one day, an idea took me on a little detour to County Bank. I walked into the bank and got in line like any other customer. When the teller asked, “How can I help you?” I responded, “Who makes the decisions here?” I didn’t know to ask for the branch manager. 

Caught by surprise, she walked me over to the branch manager, and as I walked into his office, I suddenly got nervous, realizing I had no idea what I was doing or what I was to say. But since I had the manager’s time and attention, I described my situation and determination to raise a pig for the fair. I built my case as a “qualified borrower,” having a 4.0 and a plan for repayment. I can still see his facial expressions, clearly revealing his desire to help me. He asked me to provide a copy of my report card, a referral letter from one of my teachers, and written consent from my parents. By the next day, I signed an unsecured promissory note for $240, and I had my money to buy my pig.

I was so happy to pick out my pig, and every day after school, I would feed him and clean up his pin, and the closer the fair came, I began to hear the other students talking about “their buyers.” As I probed to find out what they meant by “buyers,” I learned that most of the kids’ parents had connections and arrangements for who would be buying their pig. My heart sank and, for the first time, feared the possibility of not being able to pay back my debts to papa and the bank.

As I walked home heavy-hearted, my wheels were spinning, “Who was going to buy my pig?” And just about the time I was walking by Lucky (our local grocery store), I thought, “Meat department!” So, I walked in, went straight to customer service, and asked who was in charge of the meat department. They ended up connecting me with the store manager, Roy Torres. As I began to explain my dilemma and need for a buyer, I saw Roy’s eyes light up, and I could see he too wanted to help me. He assured me that my pig would be purchased at auction.

When the auction day arrived, I saw Roy out in the stands, and my heart was overjoyed when he won the bid and purchased my pig. I not only sold my pig and paid back my debts but also earned a few extra bucks for my pocket. The next year I repeated the entire event with the help of the bank and Roy and successfully sold my second pig. It was the second year that I realized the Lucky meat department didn’t buy my pig. Roy did, and it brings tears of appreciation to my eyes, even today. When I find myself feeling stuck, like my hands are tied, I remember back to my pig story and how determined I was to accomplish my heart’s desire. I choose to live with that same belief, determination, and zeal. Whatever you want for your life, you can have. You just gotta take a step at a time. You are creative, resourceful, and able to accomplish anything you want!