As a kid, I always hustled with my mom to make ends meet. Working with her throughout my life has shown me that working smart and being persistent can get you anywhere even if you're grades don't reflect who you are.
In high school I had a hard time following the school system since things at home were rough and all my energy was focused on the problems going on at home. Luckily, I took a filmmaking class 
that changed my life because for the first time I had created an idea and watch the product in real life. Even though I graduated with a 1.6 GPA, I got my only A in my filmmaking class.
Luckily, I got accepted into college after graduation. It was a transformative year because I learned important critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, during the process of achieving academic success, I completely disconnected from my passion of creating videos. I ended up being awarded a full-ride scholarship but felt empty and shallow. In everyone else's eyes I was "Successful" but when I looked at myself I was profoundly confused because I did not feel the same satisfaction I felt when I completed a video project. I dropped out of college after that realization because I knew the time time to get back into creating projects was now. I couldn't wait and live my life tolerating a life that didn't fulfill me.
So I figured out that I had to change my habits, create my own schedule, and build my own network of friends to create with. After a few months after dropping out, I knew I was on the right path because I felt inspired by the people I surrounded myself with and also by what I was doing. My confusion in life slowly faded and I felt more confident in my abilities.
Listening to our gut and letting go of our ego is one of the hardest things to learn in life. Sometimes the harder path should be taken instead of the secure path. I chose the harder path to forge my own path. I am lucky enough to share it. Thank you.