--- title: Take Your Shot. Take a Risk on Somebody. description: Growth takes more than hard work. Orvin Kimbrough reflects on opportunity, mentorship, sponsorship, time, access, and opening doors for others. image: https://orvinkimbrough.com/hubfs/Take%20Your%20Shot.%20Take%20a%20Risk%20on%20Somebody.jpg --- [![image 1-1](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%201-1.png?width=1500&height=625&name=image%201-1.png "image 1-1")](https://orvinkimbrough.com/) - [Books](https://orvinkimbrough.com/books) - [NIVRO AI](https://orvinkimbrough.com/nivro-ai) - Content - [Blog](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog) - [Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-move-podcast/id1790945701) - About - [Meet Orv](https://orvinkimbrough.com/about-orv) - [Contact](https://orvinkimbrough.com/contact) - [Media and Testimonials](https://orvinkimbrough.com/media-testimonials) [Join The Thriver's Path™](https://orvinkimbrough.com/begin-the-thrivers-path) [![image 1-1](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%201-1.png?width=1500&height=625&name=image%201-1.png "image 1-1")](https://orvinkimbrough.com/) [Join The Thriver's Path™](https://orvinkimbrough.com/begin-the-thrivers-path) [![image 1](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%201.png?width=114&height=48&name=image%201.png "image 1")](https://orvinkimbrough.com/) - [Books](https://orvinkimbrough.com/books) - [NIVRO AI](https://orvinkimbrough.com/nivro-ai) - Content - [Blog](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog) - [Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-move-podcast/id1790945701) - About - [Meet Orv](https://orvinkimbrough.com/about-orv) - [Contact](https://orvinkimbrough.com/contact) - [Media and Testimonials](https://orvinkimbrough.com/media-testimonials) [Join The Thriver's Path™](https://orvinkimbrough.com/begin-the-thrivers-path) [![image 1-1](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%201-1.png?width=1500&height=625&name=image%201-1.png "image 1-1")](https://orvinkimbrough.com/) [Join The Thriver's Path™](https://orvinkimbrough.com/begin-the-thrivers-path) - [Books](https://orvinkimbrough.com/books) - [NIVRO AI](https://orvinkimbrough.com/nivro-ai) - Content - [Blog](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog) - [Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-move-podcast/id1790945701) - About - [Meet Orv](https://orvinkimbrough.com/about-orv) - [Contact](https://orvinkimbrough.com/contact) - [Media and Testimonials](https://orvinkimbrough.com/media-testimonials) [Join The Thriver's Path](https://orvinkimbrough.com/begin-the-thrivers-path) # Take Your Shot. Take a Risk on Somebody. ![](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hubfs/Take%20Your%20Shot.%20Take%20a%20Risk%20on%20Somebody.jpg) ## *When I was growing up in St. Louis, I knew hunger.* I knew what it was like for housing to be uncertain. I never knew my father, and my mother was not around much. Some days, I went to school knowing I would at least get lunch. But I did not walk around thinking my life was no good. I loved my block. Whatever block I happened to be on, it was where we played, made friends, and imagined what life might hold. I learned early that there were things I could not do for myself. I could not always feed myself, but I could tell someone who had the means that I was hungry and willing to work for food. I did, and I have never forgotten the people who gave me that chance. These days, when I drive through St. Louis, I think about life as it was and life as it is. I am grateful to still be here. I also wonder *what kind of place we are leaving for the people coming after us.* Recently, a young woman told me she was unhappy here. She was just learning the difference between mentorship and sponsorship, and she did not feel she had people willing to put their names behind her. At the same time, she was tapped out by requests for her time that did not come with pay or seem to honor what her time was worth. I told her she would have to **choose where and why she gives her time.** I learned that the hard way myself. There is a difference between **spending time** and **investing it**. If I do not decide how to invest my time, other people will be glad to spend it for me. That does not mean every worthwhile opportunity comes with a check. It means I have to know why I am saying yes, what I can afford to give, and when I need to say no. I have thought about that conversation since because she was naming something else as well. She wanted someone to do more than offer advice. She wanted someone to see what she could become and put their name behind her. I know what that can mean. Gary Dollar, my former boss at United Way, gave me an opportunity that I was not, on paper, seemingly prepared for. He saw my drive and my willingness to learn, then challenged me to grow into the opportunity he had given me. I remember him telling me, *“Shaking hands and kissing babies isn’t sustainable in this business.”* I had to do that part of the work, he said, but I also needed operating discipline. I needed to execute. My work ethic was there before Gary. What he gave me was knowledge I did not yet have—the kind of knowledge that can hold people back when no one takes the time to share it. I remember thinking that getting the job could never become the moment I decided I had made it. *I would have to make it every day.* I got the shot, and I did not put the work down. I kept moving. I still do. Later, when I hoped to serve on a corporate board, I could prepare and tell people with access to those rooms what I hoped to do. But I could not open every door from the outside. **Someone had to be willing to see me as a possibility and speak up.** That is the tension I keep coming back to. We each have to take responsibility for what we do with a chance. But someone else may have to take a risk before that chance is available to us. It is why I cannot tell the young woman I met simply to work harder or accept every unpaid request in hopes that one will lead somewhere. **She has a right to guard her time.** She also deserves to be seen for more than the experience she has already been allowed to gain. This is part of what I mean by **the architecture of shared prosperity.** We need people willing to pursue an idea, build a business, apply for the role, or speak an ambition aloud. We also need people with access to look beyond a résumé and a familiar network. *See the aptitude. Share what you know. Open the door,* and then challenge the person you invited in to grow. When someone with her talent begins to wonder whether she can build a future here, that should concern all of us. A region does not grow on ambition alone. It grows when businesses make room for talent, when leaders share access and knowledge, and when people can see a path from what they are capable of today to what they might become. **Every time we overlook someone who is ready to grow, we leave some of this region’s potential untouched.** I do not fear where we are as a region. I respect our condition enough to say we can do better. I know what it meant when people took a risk on me, and I hope I have honored their faith. I hope the young woman I met finds people willing to see her capacity, because I have seen her work. **I will keep taking my shot. And where I can open a door for someone else, I will. That is how we move forward together.** ---   "What part of your voice have you muted because comparison convinced you it wasn’t enough?" ###### — Reflection Question Reading List ## Books for Every Stage Wherever you are on your journey, there's a book to meet you there. ![Ward and the State book cover](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Ward_and_the_State_1360x1800_no_crop.png?width=200&name=Ward_and_the_State_1360x1800_no_crop.png "Ward and the State book cover") For Young Readers ### Ward and the State *A Story for Young Thrivers.* A picture book that helps children see that where they start doesn't decide where they can go. Get the Book ![More Than a Conqueror book cover](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/More%20than%20a%20Conquerer_FINAL-1.png?width=200&name=More%20than%20a%20Conquerer_FINAL-1.png "More Than a Conqueror book cover") For Teens & Young Adults ### More Than a Conqueror *A Toolkit for Young Thrivers.* Practical tools to help young people move through hard seasons and build the life they want. Get the Book ![Twice Over a Man book cover](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Twice_Over_A_Man_800x1200_HQ.jpg?width=200&name=Twice_Over_A_Man_800x1200_HQ.jpg "Twice Over a Man book cover") For Adults ### Twice Over a Man *A Fierce Memoir of an Orphan Boy Who Doggedly Determined a Finer Life.* Orvin's own story of growing up an orphan and choosing to thrive. Get the Book Introducing ## The Thriver’s Path™ This blog is part of **The Thriver’s Path™** — a growing ecosystem of writing, courses, reflections, and community designed to help people of all ages reframe their thinking, reclaim their agency, and take their next meaningful move. Ready for your next move? → Explore More writings, resources, and ways to engage at [**orvinkimbrough.com**](https://orvinkimbrough.com) Connect Join the conversation inside the **Thrivers Club™ community** Tags: [Community](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog/tag/community) Keep Reading ## Related Articles ### [![](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hubfs/BLOG%20VISUALS%20(27).jpg) November 5, 2026 What Really Drives Us: Why “Enough” Isn’t the Same for Everyone](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog/what-really-drives-us-enough-and-margin) ### [![](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hubfs/BLOG%20VISUALS%20(26)-2.jpg) October 29, 2026 Purpose Over Pressure: The Motivation Strategy That Actually Lasts](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog/purpose-over-pressure) ### [![](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hubfs/BLOG%20VISUALS%20(25).jpg) October 22, 2026 Stewardship, Not Hustle: A Faith-Centered Model for Modern Leadership](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog/stewardship-not-hustle-faith-centered-leadership) [![image 3](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%203.png?width=88&height=84&name=image%203.png "image 3")](https://orvinkimbrough.com/) - - - - - - - [Home](https://orvinkimbrough.com) - [Blog](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog) - [About](https://orvinkimbrough.com/about-orv) - [Give Back](https://orvinkimbrough.com/give-back) - [Get in Touch](https://orvinkimbrough.com/contact) - [Privacy Policy](https://orvinkimbrough.com/terms-of-use-privacy-policy) Subscribe to our newsletter. 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