A few days ago I turned 24... if you've followed a traditional career path you've probably been employed ⁺/_- 2 years now. This year was the first I was employed by a company I didn't start. If you asked me at 19 whether i would start my own business, I would have told you all about my big plans:

1. I was going to use my returns from investing in the stock market to buy up commerical real estate.
2. And then make big bucks flipping it.
3. Using the profits, I would acquire ad agency and shift it's focus to empowering women through images (think nike ads).

[ It's funny how just a few years shows you what a doofball you used to be. Surely, it made much more sense to grab my digital camera, fire up photoshop and go at it. Go find the doofball in you! ]

If you went on to ask if I could be successful in this venture, I would have told you no. Not because the strategy had flaws but because I did. I graduated with a 3.82 GPA from a great university. Good or bad, I graduated conviced i was stupid.

When i started my first company, I was awaiting for the moment my co-founder realized it. But that moment never came, and his compliments increased. I tried to figure out what postures i made stimulated these statements - if i could only figure that out i would be set for life!

My cofounder encouraged me to challenging the limits and not accept things as they are said to be. He taught me to embrace my youthful bursts of excitement, and dive into the things that leave me curious. To be smart, I only had to follow my thoughts. For this, I am forever grateful to him.

Becoming an entrepreneur is a bruital life, whether you're starting someone elses business or your own. And I'm so happy i became an entreprneur. If i had gone a different path, the seeds that have enabled me to blossim, embrace failure and pick up the stones to keep moving foward, would never have been set.