VALDOSTA — Christian Stafford has hazel eyes and a gray tooth. He’s soft spoken, but his placid demeanor and quiet confidence conceals a hidden energy and intensity.

Stafford came to Valdosta from Orlando, Fla., seven years ago. He’s a graduate of Valdosta High School. He said he never plans to go back to school. He’s had enough of that sort of thing. If he needs more education, he said he knows how to read.

Stafford believes in learning directly from the master teacher — life. One of his favorite books is “Think and Grow Rich,” by American author Napoleon Hill.

“Think and Grow Rich” examines the power of personal beliefs and the role they play in personal success. “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve” is one of Hill's hallmark expressions, according to www.quotesdaddy.com.

Stafford said he agrees with Hill’s philosophy. Things have to manifest themselves in thought before they can be turned into reality, he said.

“You determine what happens to you,” he said. “Never let anyone else tell you what you can be. You can be anything you want if you really want it.”

He has spent his 24 years staking out his personal formula for success. His interests include mixed martial arts, snowboarding, the beach, fast cars, fitness, and

business. His favorite drink is a grape slushy from Sonic. His favorite movie is “Blue Streak” with Martin Lawrence. His favorite musicians are Royce da 5’9”, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and The Game.

In 2006 Stafford advanced to the finals in the Valdosta Martial Arts Center Day Tournament. Mixed martial arts is a combination of boxing, kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu, he said.

When asked if that’s how he got the gray tooth, he answered no. He said that happened in middle school. He lost his balance while racing another kid on foot and ran head first into a concrete wall. He still practices martial arts with friends in his garage.

Florida is his favorite place. Stafford enjoys the beach and swimming but said he doesn’t venture too far out. He doesn’t want to confront a shark on its own turf. He said the Florida lifestyle is healthier, the men and women fitter than those in land-locked areas like Valdosta. He was co-owner for a time in a combination ice cream parlor and sandwich shop but said he had to pull out when the economy hit a rough patch.

He traveled to Europe with the high school French Club once. He was the only black member of the group. He said it was hard to meet women because he couldn’t speak French that well. The natives talk fast, really fast, he said. He was glad when their trip took them to England, where he could understand and be understood.

On one occasion during the trip, he said he was monitoring the perimeter of his group, on the lookout for pickpockets. A woman who had been watching him reported to someone in the group that she thought he was a pickpocket because of the way he kept circling the group.

Stafford enjoys going to South Georgia Motorsports Park Speedway in Cecil for the Test and Tune Grudge Racing events. Those are events in which people modify and race their own personal vehicles. He plans to enter after making a few more modifications to his 1996 Honda Civic.

In line with his appreciation of fast cars, Stafford and a friend were planning to go see “The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift,” the third installment of The Fast and The Furious film series. He decided he wanted to make a Hollywood-type entrance at the theater, doing one of those slide or ‘drift’ maneuvers with his car into the parking lot. He decided to make a practice run one night, a sort of dress rehearsal.

It was raining hard, perfect weather to practice skidding his car sideways, he thought. When he rounded the curve where he planned the maneuver, his car hydroplaned. He hit the curb and ended up in someone’s front yard at 1:30 a.m. in the pouring rain. His $500 Ford Probe was totaled. The policeman at the scene was understanding, however, when he explained what he was trying to do, and didn’t write him a ticket. He rode to the movie in his buddy’s vehicle.

Another favorite pastime of Stafford’s is going to Hooters to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Once a month, Hooters offers Pay-Per-View UFC events free of charge, he said. Occasionally, he likes to make a little side-wager with whoever he’s with.

He’s not married, not even engaged, not even thinking about getting engaged, he said. It’s too soon for that. He’s not ready to trade his race car for a minivan, or the beach for a sandbox. He’s too busy thinking of ways to leave his mark on the world. If the right opportunity comes along, however, he might take a chance.

“The bigger the risk, the greater the rush,” says one of the characters in “The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift.”

When I met Stafford, he was working at Publix. We struck up a conversation. His calm confidence and respectful demeanor and the smile with the gray tooth made him easy to talk to. Our conversation veered into martial arts. Now, every time I see him, we greet each other with a courteous Kung Fu bow.

Stafford attends New Covenant Church. His father retired from a position with AT&T.; His mother is a teacher. He has two brothers, ages 18 and 21. His long-term business plan is to build enough capital through sales to enter the real estate market. If he ever opens another restaurant, he said it will probably involve pizza.