“LIVE A LIFE OF PURPOSE...ON PURPOSE.”

A few weeks before I turned 18, I discovered a video playlist on YouTube called “Letter to My 18 Year Old Self.”  The playlist had videos of different people who have successful, yet diverse careers. They were asked to write and read letters to their 18 year old selves including advice and lessons learned over the years.

A piece of advice that was especially memorable was from Kerry Washington who said: Make sure your dreams are yours. It’s easy to be completely influenced by what others think we should be or do, and we should never compromise our dreams, values, and passions.

I asked myself, “What kind of impact do I want to have in my career and the ‘real world’?” and “What does a great leader look like and how can I become one?”

My main focus has always been to live a life of purpose, intention, and action. These thoughts and questions have taken me to exciting places and sparked some of the most fulfilling ideas and experiences.

LET CURIOSITY LEAD THE WAY

I have learned how to open myself up to new opportunities and experiences.

For example, my participation in the Diamond Challenge for High School Entrepreneurs, a global pitch competition for young entrepreneurs, helped me realize a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation that I didn’t know I had! Prior to the program, I knew absolutely nothing about business and entrepreneurship but was enthralled by the challenging and exciting process of taking an idea and turning it into an actual business/social venture. I was inspired by many young entrepreneurs, like Justin Lafazan and Haile Thomas, who were working on ventures that made a significant impact in society. Their energy and passion were contagious and I quickly caught it.

Eventually, I became an ambassador for the program and helped build community between the thousands of Diamond Challenge participants from around the world. The journey can be rewarding if you let curiosity lead the way.

BUILD SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS

I used my own experiences to launch my venture, OpportuniMe, which aims to solve a problem that high school students face when looking to gain experiential learning experiences. OpportuniMe connects high school students to opportunities that will help them explore possible careers, build their network, and start finding or cultivating their passion(s) before they head off to college.

I realized how frustrating the process of searching for these opportunities was for me and thousands of students around the country. It was disorganized, time-consuming, and stressful. My goal is to make this process more efficient. It is a challenging yet rewarding experience to be part of the solution.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND INSPIRE OTHERS

The major obstacle I’ve had to overcome is not believing in myself.

Self-confidence is not a destination, but a never-ending journey of stepping out of your comfort zone, and working to become the best version of yourself - each and every day.

When I participated in my first entrepreneurial pitch competition, I gained valuable skills and experiences that have helped to mitigate my self-doubt. I have since become more confident and comfortable with taking risks and stepping out of my comfort zone daily.

After I spoke at Harvard’s Women In Business conference, a student told me that she shared a similar struggle in self-confidence and now felt more inspired than ever to put her self-doubt aside and pursue her ideas. It made me so emotional to know that I could inspire her!

The most rewarding part of my entrepreneurial journey is that many more young women and girls have told me that I inspired them to go after their business or nonprofit ventures. That means the world to me. To me, that is what impact and leadership are about. It’s all about serving and inspiring others.

 Today on my desk sits a letter I wrote to myself a year ago. In this letter, I am reminded daily to:

●       Share my story with others

●       Build community and relationships

●       Live a life of purpose, intention, and action

●       Be grateful for the miraculous gift of life

What would your letter to yourself say?

Miracle is currently a first year Business and Communications student at Northeastern University in Boston. She founded an edtech venture called OpportuniMe in her senior year of high school which is currently in Northeastern's IDEA venture accelerator.  For more information, check out this article about her by Forbes. A big thank you to Miracle for this guest post!