Me in 500 words.

William Hughes

Vegas night, 2024
Aspetuck Valley Country Club

Lean into it, Willie Boy!

“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway” —John Wayne. That’s a quote my dad always told me when I was a kid, and to a certain extent, it’s how I try to live my life.

"You got to lean into it Willie Boy!" —To this day, I have no idea where this quote came from. I've looked it up in the past, and from my knowledge, even the internet doesn't know, referring to it simply as a "common idiom." What I do know is that my father, William J Hughes, has been telling me the same quote over and over since I was a lad; the same way his father, William E Hughes had been telling him.

Growing up, my father was essentially a walking book of wisdom, and it’s much through that wisdom I find my own comes from.

From a very early age I was taught that your life is what you make of it, and that what you got out of it would be a direct equivalent to what you put into it. That meant to achieve my goals, I would have to put in equal parts work and courage.

I was also taught that in order to be successful in life, I needed to be respectful. My father would reassure me that if I wanted to be successful in the world one day, I needed a few very important qualities; qualities such as integrity, chivalry, and manners. Alongside being a gentleman, I also learned to be my own person, and that the happiest people out there are those who do what they love.

The ultimate thing my father taught me was that I needed to, “lean into it,” this can be interpreted many different ways, though he usually says it when there’s a speech or presentation I’m nervous for; job interviews, social events, leadership meetings, exams, you name it, and this quote can be applied.

Very quickly when I was wee, my father showed me something he was passionate about. He never forced it onto me, nor did even expect me to partake in it, but very quickly, guitar and music would become a critical part of my entire life.

I still remember the days as a lad when I’d sit in my dad’s office, listening to whatever he had on at the time. From as early as 10 years old, I had a guitar in my hands. Even when I didn’t know how to play or what I was doing, I still held it, just imagining I was the one playing those warm blues and bluegrass tunes like my dad does.

When I turned 14, I got my first guitar, and the rest has been history. For the past eight years, my father and I have been jamming to every blues, country, and bluegrass tune imaginable. It’s our home away from our home, no matter where we are. No matter how uncomfortable, if we have a guitar, we’re happy as can be.