Allow me to head off topic from the regular sunglasses posts. I get many emails every day from younger entrepreneurs usually asking about my roots, education, and drive. As well, i hear horror stories of different people and their experiences through high school. Some of them even sound to me that the people have lost faith in themselves. When i was growing up i always had an interest in business. Wether it was taking interest in what my father, mother or even grand parents were doing, it was always a drive of mine to have a business. Obviously at such a young age the exact practices of this business i had in mind was not yet clear. I come from a city called Montreal. The community that most of my friends grew up in was rather sheltered. I was always considered an outsider due to my choices in where I would hang, activities I would practice, and the company I kept. There was nothing cookie cutter about my choices. Most of the people around me had these pipe dreams or even nightmares burned into their minds by their parents of teachers that if you didn't become a "PROFESSIONAL" with a college degree then you would never have a chance at a happy or successful life.
For those who know me well, they would be the first to tell you that nothing will ever stand in my way. I believe that mountains can be leapt, even in a single bound. I believe that dreams come true, for those who deserve it. I believe in equality and friendship. But most of all, I believe that just because someone tells you something is a certain way, it doesn't mean that you can't explore the possibility of doing it in another manner. This last statement was very present during my high school years. One thing my father had said to me and that always stuck in my head was "THEY WHO CAN'T, TEACH!". Even though I may have used that line many times in the wrong time and place, like the principals office, I truly used it as the basis of wanting to explore ideas that were presented to me.
One of the many high school's I attended was not ready for someone with this mentality. They pushed against it, and were not ready for a student to oppose their thoughts and beliefs. I was constantly told that I would never amount to anything and if I had continued on my path, that a successful job would never come to fruition. While other people were writing book reports on Oprah, I was writing them on Howard Stern. While others were doing projects on Dinosaurs, I was doing projects on Run Dmc. It came to a point that nobody at this particular school knew what to do with me. I would even go as far as to say that my family might have started to believe the teachers. There was always one teacher that put me down. My beliefs were to radical for her, my attire was to creative, and my mind was to dangerous for her to handle. Her ignorance and sheltered views lead to her trying to assure that I wouldn't succeed. I remember being absent from a day of school and hearing about her conducting almost a class which was a forum about me. Pushing what was ignorant drone classmate minds against me. My skin was never thin so i didn't crack under this pressure, but i would also never forget. Unfortunately not everyone has thick skin like myself, and things like this have crushed many peoples lives. The point of this post isn't to put this teacher on blast. In fact, every article i have written about me i personally mail to that count's house with great pride. This post isn't to start a revolution in your school or to challenge your teachers. The point of this post is to make you understand that anything you put your mind to can be achieved. Hard work, dedication, and believing in yourself is the only thing that matters. With a little finesse and countless hours, who knows, you could have the next Vintage Frames Company on your hands!
