I was recently reminded of a client that came to me several years ago. When I met him and we discussed his resume, he expressed a concern over his lack of education and how he would be perceived by employers. I assumed he was concerned about not having a college degree. Many of my clients tell me a similar story. But his story was different.

When he was 12, his father left. When he was 14, his mother left. He dropped out of school in the eigth grade to work in a gas station so he could take care of himself and his 10 year old sister. His obstacle was not that he didn’t have a college degree…he didn’t even have a high school diploma… he never even attended high school…not for even one day.

Yet, the man standing before me had gone on to have a successful career and at the time was already earning a six-figure salary. We were able to craft a compelling resume for him based on his successes achieved over a 20+ year work history. At this point in his career, his education only had minimal relevance to his search and he landed a new position fairly quickly. And as I got to know this man better, I was impressed by his intelligence, motivation, and tenacity. He was obviously a fighter and a survivor and his childhood experience, while tragic, made him a stronger person in so many ways.

I think about him every time I meet a client who feels like their challenges are insurmountable. He’s a testament to the fact that people do extraordinary things in their personal and professional lives everyday. Take a look at your current job search challenges. Are they really insurmountable? Do you really have as few resources as my client did when he was abandoned? Are there people you could reach out to for help, support, and guidance? Probably so.

Take a moment this holiday season to reflect on all you do have. It’s probably a lot more than you think.