A Message To My Kids at 18

18

Character

As I type this, I notice the long lapse I’ve taken between writing. It’s been a while but I am really excited to talk to you. Photography and rampant company ideas are saturating my september and I am extremely blessed to be uttering those words. On September 29th, I was having a conversation with Soph who let me know a little bit about her life. It was different from mine as she comes from a different place in the world, Long Island. I thought about how our Christmas’ might look different every year. I started to put my life into perspective even more. Soph came from a place of wealth but understood wealth very well. And she never let it define her as a person. What is going to define you ultimately? For me, I knew it wasn’t money. Out of all of the dollars my family, friends, and I have all spent and kept, this number was unknown to me. And I really didn’t care. Money has very little bind on the type of person you are. It can help you be charitable. It can help you reach objectives. It can help you sniff out people’s opinions, intentions, and feelings toward you. What you do with money has a better definition of the type of person you are, not how much you have.

Embracing New Ideas

You know doubt is nothing powerful. It is not something that should dictate your life. Calculated decisions are much more valuable to your well being. Whatever it is you are searching for, doubt can creep. But what type of ego would you have if you are letting others tear that down. And doubt can come in the form of people. I think that motivation can stem from many places.

I was sitting in class in September of 2019. Still 18. Still beautiful, young, and totally capable of making mistakes. I find that I won’t iron out a lot of the kinks in my armor until I reach my 20s, but I’m okay with that. I’m still working toward the best version of myself everyday: even when I’m in class. We had to give presentations during a fashion economy class. That day, I decided my group would present first. I spawned that. I owned that much. And when we were not presenting, we were asked to observe and be objective, as if we were CEO's of companies attempting to be critical of new business plans. I liked the power of being in the audience. Sometimes we learn the most when we take a moment to listen and think. I began to write things down whilst I listen to other people speak. This is a very powerful thing to do, as you won’t be able to remember all the good things you hear every day. In fact, your mind will constantly be filtering unimportant and important information daily. Everything I write is with the intention to express and educate. Feelings are interconnected with so many parts of our days. You may read one section and it may resonate so well you end up living by it. This is your choice ultimately. Taking notes, I realized that power can be shifted to me in a plethora of ways. The title CEO is not something that cannot fall under my name. In fact, cannot is no longer in my vocabulary. And it shouldn’t be one you let others tell you exists. The only thing I can not do, is to let others dictate my life for me. Noticing the power which came from this small class activity, I manifested it into thoughts as I continued to write down questions to ask those presenting. I noticed a large need for something in the universe. I noticed the people in it, and how they choose to interact with each other. Social Media determines a lot about how people feel about other people. This is a way of interaction and connection that is extremely popular amongst my generation. With newfound confidence, I began to wonder what these same people were in need of. With weaker egos due to the constant reassurance accompanied with posting their lives on social media, I began to think about who could benefit from all of this. Long story short, I sparked a business idea. I let my mind wander. I didn’t doubt the ideas creation. I didn’t doubt the legitimacy of a company under my name. Instead, I let my mind roam. I thought about the work it might take. And I then understood the work it would take to do so. If this isn’t something I end up being passionate about, I know how much work I would need to put in to sell and market this idea to someone who is passionate. Passion comes in waves when we find the things that inspire us. And you inspire me.