There are challenges in life, but you have to face them head-on and keep moving forward.
That was the underlying message from Kendall Netmaker, the man behind Neechie Gear clothing, as he spoke last week at the Dr. Brass Bears Love Yourself Day.
“Some days things don’t go your way,” he told students, relating that his vehicle refused to start as he prepared to head to Yorkton to give his presentation.
So he rented a truck, and before arriving was ticketed for speeding. He said those things were obstacles he had to overcome.
“I was on a mission to be here today,” he said, adding when you are on your way in life “there are things that will try to stop you.”
But in terms of that life journey it is important to start with an idea of the destination.
“Think about what you want to be when you’re grownup, even if it seems out of reach,” he said.
Netmaker said that thinking big is important.
“I didn’t think big enough,” he said, adding when he was young his thoughts were to be a carpenter building houses as many on the Sweet Grass First Nations did. He was not dreaming of attending college, playing volleyball at a high level, becoming an entrepreneur or speaking to groups from Dr. Brass School to Russia.
But it all happened, and it can happen for any young person, said Netmaker.
“I’m no different from anybody in this room,” he said.
Netmaker said even as a youth he faced challenges, like arriving home from school at age five to find his mother packing the vehicle and then moving herself and the children out of the house as she was leaving his father.
What followed were nights in women’s shelters, then sleeping on the floor at his grandmother’s with his siblings as his mom slept on the couch.
By Grade 5 the family was in a house, and he was attending school where he fell in love with playing soccer, and later volleyball.
It was also where he made a best friend, an event which turned out to be a key development in his life. The friend, originally from South Africa, was the son of the local doctor. He asked the young Netmaker why he was not playing soccer in the after school program.
The barriers were many, no money for the fees, and not vehicle for his mom to get him to, and from, practices and games.
His friend told his parents about the problem Netmaker faced, and they took it upon themselves to pay his fees and to get him back and forth to soccer. When the family eventually moved away they left a 1986 Crown Victoria so his mom could continue to keep the young Netmaker involved.
Playing sports opened doors for Netmaker, A coach told him “I see a lot of potential in you,” he said, adding the word potential proved inspiring. “It gave me confidence.”
In time Netmaker would become highly accomplished at volleyball, and when it was suggested, he applied to university. He was turned down. His marks were too low as he had focused too much on sports and not enough on classes.
But he would attend junior college and ultimately make it to the University of Saskatchewan with his path expected to be a teacher.
That would be put on the backburner as Netmaker embarked on a new journey, creating a line of clothing. Neechie Gear was born, and with it a number of awards and opportunities to talk on the entrepreneurial effort around the world.
Through the ups and downs, twists and turns of his life, Netmaker said he has come up with a few simple guiding principles everyone should remember.
To begin with, even when you end up hurt along the way you need to persevere.
“Use your pain for gain,” he told the Dr. Brass students.
A step in that process is to “tell your story,” he continued.
Netmaker showed a picture of a woman who had been beaten by her partner. She finally left the situation, and went to social media with her story to have him found and dealt with by authorities. He said without telling her story she would not have gotten the help she needed.
“Write it down, make a video,” he said reiterating the importance of telling stories.
And finally, Netmaker told students to keep working toward their goals.
“Be persistent. Keep moving forward. Don’t give up,” he said. “No matter how hard it gets, keep moving forward.”
