The value of money was unknown to me in my early youth. I never considered the fact that my parents were struggling, they gave me everything I could ever want and need, I figured we were well off. My mother taught me how much value money truly holds as I went into middle school. She would tell me about how she was barely getting by when she first had me, that juggling college classes and a job were too much to handle, so she dropped her college education—all to support me. I can’t help but feel guilty every time I think about it now, I demanded so much with no regard as to how my mother came up with the money to support me. Now that I’ve become an adult, I’m much more conscious with how I spend my money. Given the current economy and ever growing inflation, I find myself hesitating when buying personal items. I have to define what I want and what I need; will I use this product constantly? How do I plan to use it? Why do I need this? Admittedly, as my financial education education has grown so has the value I put towards money. Especially with our current economic climate I can’t help but worry about what life will be like for me financially in the future, it’s quite a terrifying thought. Money is such a definitive factor in the live’s of people now, it defines how you live, love, thrive, your schooling and future career—it defines everything. Because of that fact, I’ve wanted to pursue a career which will allow me build up an abundance of wealth… hopefully. My mother had to give up pursuing a career like that because of me, in a way I want to give back what she lost. She works as a loan officer currently, always telling me about the people she’s working on loans for and how money they have, she sounds so hopeful as she tells me these things. I know it shouldn’t make me feel this way, but I always feel immense guilt as she tells me this because I know she wishes her life could be that way. I want to give that to her, even if it takes me 20 years. She’s worth going through another 10 years of schooling for. I’m eternally grateful for everything she’s taught me about dealing with your finances and how they work, it’s given me a new perspective on many things and how the world works. I hope to use that and give my mom the future she’s wanted, and the one I’ve wished for too. Sometimes I feel like my intentions aren’t as great as I thought, but at the end of the day, even if my thoughts aren’t always focused on me they’re about helping someone else. I believe that’s good enough.