Know Who You Are...

I was sitting in my social studies class learning about statistics when I had an epiphany. We were studying the environmental and economical effects on society. My teacher explained that statistics showed that children who were brought up in low-income households would more than likely grow up to be low-income adults; children would were born to teenaged parents would themselves become teenaged parents; and those who were over exposed to people who smoke, consumed alcohol, or abused drugs would more than likely grow up to do the same.

I sat at my desk in disbelief. I lived in a low-income household. I was born to teenaged parents. I was exposed to smoking, drinking, and drugs. I WAS A STATISTIC! According to my social studies book, I was destined to be who my environment and economic status said I would be. But, I didn’t feel like a statistic. I had no desire to smoke or drink. I wanted to become a lawyer or psychologist. My future seemed very clear to me. I knew exactly what I wanted to do in life. So, was I engaging in wishful thinking, or was my teacher and social studies book missing something…

Here is my epiphany…I determine who I am…not my household or my parent’s bad decisions. I can understand how ones environment can influence them, but science doesn’t explain everything. To come up with a statistic, you have to plug in a bunch of numbers to take the place of real people. There is a soul connected to every body. We are not robots waiting for our circumstances to tell us what to do or who to become. Circumstances can change!

So…know who you are…choose who you become! It is one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life. When you know who you are, no experience, job title, or current place of residence can determine your destiny!

To Blog…Nakeia