What did I want to be? I wanted to be rich and successful of course! -- wasn't that every teen's dream. We wanted things, nice things but I didn't know how to get there but somehow I saw that in my future. I didn't have a platform or foundation to pave the way. When you grow up from a first generation immigrant household, you were always told to stay in school and study hard -- well that's what my parent enforced upon me instead of telling me to follow my dreams and do what I love. Following my dreams was chasing a fantasy to my parents. My parents barely made it primary school but somehow they knew that doctors, lawyers and businessmen was where success was found; these were professions they experienced personally and what they identified to success.
I wanted to be an artist, I am really good at drawing and tracing graphics, my penmanship is incredible-- fonts are cooool. I wanted to make music because I love beats and even more when the lyrics flow so well together to make a cohesive song, AMAZING! At the time, my first big investment was a boombox (do they still exist?) and I was so excited when I was able to afford CDs instead of cassettes. Making a mixed CD was the cooolest -- a whole CD with only slow jams ---yasss! I wanted be a tattoo artist. I found myself doodling on my arms and ankles, it was those black gel pens that made the ink so vibrant and real. I was pretty crafty too -- I always find myself making things or turning nothing into a something, remember how expensive Barbie clothes were? The list goes on and on.
The strange thing was that when I was asked what I wanted to be, I recall saying I wanted to work in real estate and only knowing that you sold homes to make money. I had no background about Real Estate but I like the idea of homes and making sales...hah! As you can see, my parent's belief instilled the idea of success being something that was known in the world.
I guess I was a DREAMER when I was 15.
(article also found on LinkedIn)