What I’ve learned from going to an impressive university.

I gave my Mom my word that I would give college a genuine chance. Therefore, I fully experienced my university and all it had to offer socially and academically.

I learned that I wasn’t nearly as obsessed as my peers about my major, impressing others with my intellectual accomplishments, and, most importantly, doing what I don’t love in order to be normal and agreeable.

I am deeply tied to my emotions before anything else. I also acknowledge that my emotions are not accurate representations of truth or context and must be judged and used accordingly. With that said and demonstrated by my life’s work and resume, I learned that I had to get up to go to work every day with not just a sense of happiness but the full embodiment of joy.

Once I had fulfilled my commitment to my Mom, I decided to make space for someone better suited for a more traditional path. I didn’t want to continue taking up a spot at university someone else desperately needed. So I dropped out and started on my journey. I did so without thinking of the journey or my destination but with a clear aim of consistency in making sure whatever work I did and completed brought me joy.

My mind is set in integrity, first and last, so it was a challenge to navigate the traditional world of “better than,” material…