Who has been one of the most influential people in your life?

“I would say my sister, Jabree. She passed a couple of years ago. I used to really be shy, in a shell. She would always bring me out and tell me to be myself. Growing up, I was always scared to be who I was. She got me out of the house to really see the world. She really made an impact. She was just vibrant. She gave off good energy. You could just come around her and get in a good mood. She would always motivate you even without her saying much. She would make you a better you. We always wanted to get out and make something of ourselves to make Talladega a better place.” – Elijah “Qé” Peyton of Talladega

Elijah ‘Qé’ Peyton has learned to define success differently. (Tamika Moore / People of Alabama)

Life has taught Peyton to persevere.

“Keep going. Life is what you make it. I feel like people have a bad habit of blaming people. It’s a natural instinct to blame people for when you’re not where you want to be in life. I don’t feel like what we go through in life makes us. It’s how we deal with it. A lot of people have been through things. If they let that bother them, they wouldn’t be where they are in life now. You’re always going to be going through something. Last year taught me you’re always going to be going through something and you never know what it’s going to be, so instead of moping, pick yourself up and keep going. Sitting in one spot is only going to make your life worse. Keep working, you’re eventually going to be where you want to be in life.”

Where does Peyton want to be in life?

“I used to scream, ‘I want to be rich. I want to be rich.’ Honestly, I just want to be happy and comfortable somewhere with a good steady income. I feel like if I’m bent on just being rich, I might lose sight of what’s important. Don’t get me wrong, if that comes, I’ll embrace it, but as of right now, really just working on getting somewhere where I can be comfortable and happy. I feel if I wake up every day, doing what I enjoy doing, I feel like I’ll be happy.”

These are the faces and stories of people from all walks of life who call Alabama home. People of Alabama is a Red Clay Media and Alabama NewsCenter partnership.