There are some old posts in my archives that aren’t too impressive. That was so unimportant.” But here’s the thing: IT WASN’T. Sometimes I look back on things I spent time and energy on as a teenage entrepreneur and I think: “Wow. On the contrary, successful people are willing to learn, willing to grow, and know that good things are worth waiting for. So don’t feel like you have to hurry up and accomplish something big as a teenager - that’s not what it means so be successful. Not because they wouldn’t have been good - but because today, after taking my time and letting myself gain more experience, I know these things will be even better. I’ve yet to release my first LP or my debut novel*, but looking back, I can only breathe a big sigh of relief that I didn’t accomplish either of these goals as a teenager. And here’s the clincher… I’m glad they didn’t. I wanted to be able to look back and say: “look what I did when I was still a teenager.” But those big goals just didn’t happen. I felt like I had to be a “child prodigy.” I wanted nothing more than to publish a novel as a teenager (something I did not achieve) and release a full album of music as a teenager (something else I did not achieve).Īlthough I did other very cool things - things everybody praised me for doing - I didn’t feel truly accomplished because I didn’t hit those big goals. I felt like there was this ticking clock, counting down the days until I wouldn’t be a teenager anymore - and it was not something I was looking forward to. This is probably the BIGGEST THING I struggled with throughout my teenage years. Now, as a 21-year-old, I look back at some of those experiences I had when I was less experienced and think: “man, I wish I knew…” or “I wish I thought…” or “I wish I looked at it this way…” So that’s why today I’m going to share some of those things I wish I knew when I was a teenage entrepreneur, for ALL YOU AWESOME TEENS OUT THERE, who want to be your own boss. Needless to say, I did a LOT of exploring in my teenage years. I became a blogger and a video designer, I stepped into the world of recording and producing music, I founded a non-profit organization with my sister (and made a documentary), I tried (and failed) to be a food blogger, and I wrote six novels, discovering again and again my love for storytelling. I started so many ventures as a teenager, some of which failed, some of which I adore but don’t profit from, and some of which I now see stretching into my future for years to come. In today’s world there is more opportunity than ever to be your own boss - even as a teenager! In fact, your teenage years are the BEST TIME to start exploring an entrepreneur lifestyle. I have SO MUCH to thank them for, but most of all I’m grateful for this: the way they showed me that I could CHOOSE my destiny, live my dreams, and never have to work for anyone else if I didn’t want to. Raised by two amazing entrepreneur parents, I grew up with this sense of adventure and exploration, knowing that my future could be ANYTHING I wanted it to be. In fact, I’m pretty sure I was born with entrepreneur blood flowing through my veins. Long before I learned how to spell that tricky word, I was always brainstorming new ways to be my own boss. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t an entrepreneur.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |