CHANGE

All my life I've always been "afraid" of change but surrounding myself with inspiring friends helped me understand Ghandi's famous phrase "Be the change you wish to see in the world". So many things inspired this past week it's either a friend's growth in her cyclist journey or having a few drinks with two aspiring artists celebrating a maitre'd following her passion to continue her education. 

Everyone has their own philosophy in life, but the key is always finding the career that you love and forge your own path that fits best to you. It's nice to see them fulfill the next chapter in their lives. I'm so proud that they're pursuing their dreams that it inspires me to go after what I want in life. I don't know if it's the PEENO NOIR that knocked some perspective in my head but it made me understand a huge difference between a job and a career. After what I've seen with my three friends I now understand what it means to "dress for the job you want". From what I've experienced last night I want to "dress for the person I want to become".

Where it all Began: A Drifter in the City

It was five years ago back in Baltimore I was living a sheltered life without a job and a short supply of friends. My answer was to escape my mundane life to the bustling streets of Manhattan. Sometimes I don't know if it was just a spur of the moment, a vacation, a lifelong dream of mine, an urge for a change, or an adventure but it's still surreal to this day. All I had was a ticket, a luggage, and some money to get me by.

New York was an "accidental" wake up call that I needed. One of my dreams in life was to live or be a part of something in the Big Apple. I'm not a true believer of signs but being here got me to change my perspective and accept the coined phrase "everything happens for a reason". I remember that I came at a bad time and my first stop was at Columbus Circle and that crazy snowstorm in February. 

It's been an interesting adventure, I've found myself living a bohemian lifestyle by staying in hostels, the YMCA at the Upper West Side, and in the Hotel Chelsea, or hanging out in Irish pubs to kill time. 

It's been quite interesting experience that a year can make- from a two week stint in the Bronx, living in Harlem for less than a year, and now living in Brooklyn. There is so much I had to learn is that whenever you go in life, you have to make it the best you can or revise it the way that want it to see fit.