A Prologue

"The life you have led doesn't need to be the only life you'll have"
-Anna Quindlen

I guess a proper way of starting this blog is to say a little bit about myself and why I'm choosing to share what I wish to share with the world.

Without getting into too many details, I was born in a New York City hospital (in the borough of Queens) to a Dominican immigrant and her cabbie lover. I was raised in a single parent home along with my three brothers, the youngest of which is/was adopted. The story with him is more complicated than I wish to share and deserves it's own novel...or biography...but due to the drama....a soap opera would be a better outlet.

We grew up in three of the five boroughs of New York City jumping from apartment to apartment with different family members in tow. When I was 17 I did something my family found rare...not only did I graduate high school, but I left for college. I attended college in St. Louis, Missouri. During my college years I thought I was so grown up, taking care of myself, my finances, my life....without the support of others.

I was so stupid... It was not until I graduated college, not even until I finished graduate school, that I started to realize what life is really about. The experiences I had growing up shaped my character, the experiences I had in college shaped my dreams, and my experiences now are showing me how to realize those dreams.

Life is full of obstacles, goals, and tough choices. We don't always take the right path but it doesn't mean that we don't end up on it.

The last two years have been especially difficult. Full of trials and decisions I wish I hadn't had to go through or make. Sometimes I wondered what I was doing wrong, or what I had done to deserve it. It wasn't until a few months ago that everything came in perspective...

I am exactly where I need to be and everything that has happened (good or bad) has been a catalyst to get me here. I can say for the first time in my life that I am happy. It doesn't mean that everything is going exactly how I want it, or that I have everything that I need, but I understand my current position and I appreciate it.

A key word in that last sentence is need...as opposed to want. That is what I want to convey with this blog. In future posts I will discuss ideas and tips on how to improve our life without making drastic changes, but instead by using the resources we have at hand, and living life to its fullest.

Keeping in mind that I'm speaking from my own experiences, not everyone is going to benefit from what I have to say. I will also be gearing my information to those with a similar financial situation...if you landed a $45K a year job straight after college........you're probably in the wrong place.

I will also cater to artists, as I am one (a filmmaker), and males...as I do not know life as a female nor do I know what it takes to survive as one. But ladies please feel free to stick around and give us your perspective on things.

Please feel free to share your own ideas and comments. Keep it clean and let this be a place where we can all learn from each other.