“I find myself more upbeat than others. I tend to find a different outlook on things. It could be storming right now, but there’s some sunshine out there. Even if you have to create your own, it’s still out there somewhere. Your negativity only goes so far, but your positivity can travel miles. When you’re negative, you’re bringing others down with you and you may not know it at the time, but that’s really hurting them more than it’s hurting you. Let’s reverse that. How can we help build them up along with yourself? Not everything has to be negative. Bad things happen, but there’s a good outcome for every bad thing. Everything happens for a reason.” (1/2)

“When I was 18, school wasn’t really told to me. It was like, ‘If you go to school, you go to school. If you don’t, you don’t. I really don’t care.’ So I was like, ‘Okay, cool. I won’t go to school.’ And I was fine with that. Well, I went to live with my dad and stepmom and they were like, ‘Nope. You can either work or you can go to school.’ So I found a couple small seasonal jobs, but then they were still like, ‘You’re still going to school.’ I said, ‘You guys told me if I worked I didn’t have to go to school.’ They were like, ‘Nah, you’re still going to school.’

They only told me that because they wanted better for me. Being forced to go to school, I hated it. It wasn’t something I wanted to do. But as time went on, I saw that I could get this job because I’ll have this degree, or I can make this much because I went to school and learned this. That’s what they were trying to teach me. Looking back now after a few years, had my dad never told me to go to school, I would have never gotten my degree, and I wouldn’t be pursuing the career that I am looking for. I really give props and thanks to my dad. I thank him all the time. Now they’re like, ‘What’s next?’  They make sure I have a plan and they want to know this plan. And it’s not just Plan A. They want Plan B, Plan C, and on down the line. They’ve taught me that I’m never stuck.” (2/2)