The reality of overcoming adversity comes in many forms. For our team, it came in the form of Uriel Tarin. Uriel was a member of our team and is someone whose memory still lives on in the memories of our team members who knew him. The reason for this is simple. In his kindness, attitude, and generosity of spirit, we were lucky to have him on our team until he passed in 2017. And he continues to echo through in the minds of the people who knew him.
Uriel was born with spina bifida, which meant that he spent his life in a wheelchair. He arrived through our doors in sunny Florida from Missouri. When I asked him what brought him to our state, he replied, “Have you ever tried to use a wheelchair in the snow?” And then smiled a knowing grin. I hired him that day—even though we had no job for him. Still, despite adversity, Uriel stood tall and confident in that human-to-human moment, and he won the moment.
Finding Strength in Unexpected Places
There was something about Uriel that made our hiring him a no-brainer. However, the truth of the matter was that he wasn’t hired because of his resume. He wasn’t hired because our team had a position to fill that day. He was hired because of his presence, perseverance, and confidence, showing that he worked daily to overcome diversity. Resiliency is one of the most essential life skills to possess, and Uriel had buckets of it.
Both literally and metaphorically, Uriel demonstrated optimism and resilience during his time with us. Sure, technically, we made an inclusive hire, but Uriel over-delivered. He consistently demonstrated his optimism and strengths in whatever we asked him to do. Uriel started with us by answering the phones and handling odd projects. Whenever someone called our office, he represented our company well, and our partners got to know him and liked him.
Overcoming Adversity with Optimism
We all have to consider that adversity is something most of us experience in life. That’s just part of the journey. The secret to remember when we have those moments when we face adversity is that we have a choice. We may not have a choice if we get diagnosed with a terrible disease. We may not have a choice if we lose our job. And we might not have a choice if we suffer a natural disaster. But, we have a choice in how we react to it—our mindset.
Optimism is a personal life skill each one of us can cultivate. Doing so makes the journey when faced with adversity much easier. The reality is that Uriel could have let his wheelchair define him. After all, it was an everyday presence in his life, and we can only guess that it wasn’t easy for him every day to be in a wheelchair. But here’s the thing about Uriel. His attitude, optimism, and humor propelled him in his life, always overcoming adversity.
A Lasting Legacy of Resilience
Uriel legacy is so layered as I reflect on it. Personally, I thought his souped-up Mustang, which had hand controls, was great. I remember seeing it daily in the parking for people with disabilities we created in our lot. Every day, Uriel proved himself and did more and more, and we came to depend on him. We were devastated when he passed, and we changed our Employee of the Year award into the Uriel Tarin Employee of the Year award.
Uriel and his story remain present in our company and teach lessons to our team members—even those who have never met him. It’s a lasting legacy. Each one of us has the power to make a lasting impression that goes well beyond where we are today. Uriel may have used hand controls in his Mustang car. He may have lived his life in a wheelchair. But Uriel was so much more. And he never let any adversity or limitations define him. Each one of us can do that too.
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