It is often said that “youth is wasted on the young,” especially among those who seem to disagree with how the youth like to spend their time. Descriptions like “lazy,” “rude,” “loud” and “obnoxious” have been used in one form or another to describe just about every rising generation. Think Elvis Presley and his swagger. “Immoral.” Think James Dean and his anti-establishment aura. “Defiant.” And then think about the latest episode of The Jersey Shore. Fill in the blank here yourself, but you get the idea: youth have had a bad rap ever since there were adults old enough to complain about them.
However, in a time when respect and courtesy seem to be in ever-increasing short supply, it begs the question whether or not the youth of today are all they’re portrayed to be. Lazy generalizations and poor media inferences make it simple to think there is no hope for the future. But when you get down to brass tacks, when you look in between the lines at the details, might there be something there to give one hope — at least hope enough to think there could be a few diamonds in the rough?
Case in point: Josh Noble. At first look, you might not think he’s different from any of his 20-something counterparts. He wears jeans and T-shirts more often than not, lives in an apartment void of nearly everything except a 50-inch flat screen TV, and engages in daily social activities, none of which resemble “work” or “school” in the traditional sense. In fact, by all estimations, one might think this type of lifestyle could describe someone camping out in their parents’ basement while figuring out what their life’s plan is going to be (i.e., Xbox.)
But here’s the rub: While Josh may seem unassuming in his rather casual attire, the apartment he inhabits is one of the nicest in Tempe, Arizona (new construction overlooking the Salt River, no less). And the lack of furniture? Almost a necessity in order to host the overwhelming number of college-aged kids who come to hear him speak. And what does he speak about? Well, about how he’s driving a brand-new BMW convertible, and makes enough money to be considered among the top 10% of all American wage earners.
But before you think that’s all to Josh Noble, you’ve got to spend a few minutes with him in person to see what makes him most interesting. Call it old-school manners, but this kid won’t let you sit on his couch until he’s first offered you something to drink right after shaking your hand — all with a smile reminiscent of a young grocery store bagboy from the 1950s. (You know the type — kind, eager, presumably extinct.) In fact, looking at him, you begin to wonder if his parents are somewhere around, perhaps hiding in the next room to make sure he’s playing host correctly.
But this is the genuine appeal of Josh Noble — what you see is what you get. He doesn’t have anything to hide; rather, he’s eager to tell you his life story, and how a relatively average youth grew up to be one of the most successful Americans around.
Raised on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon, Josh grew up in a moderately affluent household where stability and love grew in equal proportion. His mother and father, both as hardworking as they were kind, taught him many of the basic virtues necessary for everyday citizenship in the community. Diligence, honesty, etiquette and reliability are just a few of the lessons that seem to have stuck. In fact, as Josh takes the time to recollect his youth, you begin to wonder why he would ever have left such a utopia.
But, like a lot of youth his age, Josh soon found himself attending college far away from home, giving his best at 18 credit hours per semester. Things were going pretty well, too. He had above-average grades, a productive summer internship, and a map for the future that seemed to have success written all over it. As he explains, “I was doing what I was supposed to in order to build the only kind of future I had ever known.”
However, there was a kink in the system that Josh didn’t quite anticipate. Actually, a kink that millions of Americans didn’t anticipate. With the downturn of the economy, jobs were at an all-time low, companies were downsizing, and Josh’s childhood utopia took a subsequent hit.
“Nobody saw it coming,” he begins to describe, “and I almost didn’t believe it myself when I first found out, but my dad’s company had been doing some restructuring, and in the mix he was let go. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal at any other time with as much experience as he had, but the economy had changed, and things weren’t like they used to be.”
Now before you begin to worry, Josh’s dad was able to find gainful employment without too much difficulty, but there was left an impression on Josh that would change his life forever. Here, his father had dedicated decades of his life to one organization — a very robust and successful business at that — but one that had ultimately taken the rug out from underneath them, so to speak. The stability they had enjoyed for so many years proved to be much more fragile than any of them had anticipated.
Returning to his college dorm after a visit back home, Josh had a lot of time on his hands to think about his future; about the plans he was following, and how, in a very real way, they might not magically produce the kind of future he had always counted on. Thousands of his contemporaries were graduating from college every year, but without the promise of a job in the current economic upheaval.
“It made me think a lot,” he says. “I always just figured that if you put in the time, you’d get the results, but there were too many people around me — really smart and qualified people — that weren’t so lucky. There was no guarantee in my mind anymore. I had to do something different.”
Which is what made him open the fridge and pull out a can of Verve. Interestingly enough, his roommate had formerly introduced him to Vemma his freshman year of college, offering him an opportunity to begin working it like a business. “I wasn’t interested though,” he recollects. “I signed up to be polite, nothing more, really.”
But as Josh looked down at the can in his hand, he began to think of how he needed to take hold of his own future, and how this might possibly be the way to do it.
“At first I wanted to do it because of the money,” he recalls. “I wanted to have a stable financial future, so I wouldn’t ever have to worry about not getting hired or losing a job. But it didn’t take long before I realized that business doesn’t grow unless you have something more important than money on your mind — you have to want to help people to really succeed.”
And succeed he did. When initially making enough money to cover the Verve in his refrigerator was the goal, he soon began to understand how helping others was the greatest reward. “I finally understood how much fear can run your life,” he says. “I saw it happen to my family, and I saw it all around me as I began to talk to people about Vemma. It’s not that they needed more money — they needed a way out of a situation they felt had no hope.”
Which brings us to an event we had the chance to attend while visiting with Josh. Out of interest, we asked if he could throw together a small gathering of people who might be interested in learning more about the aforementioned opportunity. A few quick phone calls and moments on Skype later, we found his house packed to the walls with at least 50 college-aged kids who were interested in hearing what he had to say. But even more revealing was when a woman of perhaps 60 made her way to Josh’s standing-room-only apartment; an older woman who quickly found herself in desperate need of a seat. No one around seemed to know how “the old lady” had found her way to the event, but Josh — without a moment’s hesitation — took her by the hand the minute he noticed her and gave her one of the only seats available in the room. Everyone who had come to the party had been eager to learn more about an opportunity, but only Josh seemed to realize the real opportunity they all failed to see. “Success only happens when you really help people,” Josh says. “It’s less about building a business, and more about making a difference.”
So, if you’re wondering what today’s youth are all about — sure, there will be those who disappoint, who will never fail to live below even the most rudimentary expectations. But realize there will also be those like Josh Noble: individuals, young as they may be, who go beyond the status quo. Youth who look at life through a different lens because of all the challenges being thrown at them. And while they may not dress like their parents’ or grandparents’ generations, or eat, or speak, or vote in similar ways — they are the future of our ever-changing world, and if any of them are even remotely like Josh Noble, there is hope for them yet, as well as us all.
*Results not typical, your results may vary. The success or failure of each individual is dependent on their own efforts. The Company has generally expected results which can be obtained by visiting
http://VerveTruckers.com
