Academically, the hardest challenges I faced were the times I would study intensely for hours, yet the results would not reflect the work. While many would define that as a failure, those moments taught me that it is better to study a small amount of content over a long period of time instead of studying a large amount of content in a small amount of time. This lesson is applicable to life outside of school where in addition to not having the fear of making mistakes, I found the solution to that fear to be constant preparedness. Therefore, I review everything I learned the day that we learned it so that I can make sure I fully understand the concepts and I do not have to cram for quizzes. This has helped me greatly memorize the information I needed and also perform well academically. So by micro-studying daily, I can retain more information.

Academically, the hardest challenges I faced were the times I would study intensely for hours, yet the results would not reflect the work. While many would define that as a failure, those moments taught me that it is better to study a small amount of content over a long period of time instead of studying a large amount of content in a small amount of time. This lesson is applicable to life outside of school where in addition to not having the fear of making mistakes, I found the solution to that fear to be constant preparedness. Whether it be athletics or academics, the fear of failure will always be present. Recognizing that failure is not a bad setback, but a necessary setup for success has helped me grow into someone who is not afraid to try new things. That is exactly what I want to be remembered for. Not someone who got it right the first time every time but someone that persevered through failures to succeed. I want to be influential to other people to show that humans make mistakes but that those mistakes do not define the person but what defines a person is how they respond to their mistakes.

The song that inspires me the most is "Firm Foundation" by Maverick City Music featuring Chandler Moore because the song says to trust God because he is always reliable no matter what situation you are in. The song says that God will not fail and that there is no need to stress about life or what will happen because trusting God, brings peace that he is the absolute factor that remains constant in any storm of life. Music is the thing that makes me joyful. No matter how upset or sad I may get, I know that music will always change the way I feel to be more positive. Music is therapeutic, through the many genres of RnB, Gospel, Rap, Instrumental, Classical, Indie, there is no emotion that music can not express. That is what I love about music, there is music that can touch you in any state of mind.

To have a positive impact on the climate I eat plant-based foods as a substitute for red meat. I do this for two main reasons, my health and my effect on the environment. The first reason that I decrease red meat consumption is that red meat intake gives a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases than plant-based foods. Humanity has always tried to prolong the inevitable death that will occur for all humans through advancing science and technology throughout the centuries. So by reducing red meat and eating more plant-based foods, I can prolong my life expectancy. The second reason I eat plant-based foods is that plant-based diets are better for the environment than red meat diets because of the lower effect on land, water, and emissions because plant-based foods are more sustainable. The impossible whopper from Burger king has a similar nutritional sheet to a traditional beef burger but the difference in how it's made is dramatically different. Cattle create emissions from their bodies and to herd them in large groups takes up land which is from deforested land in many cases. Plant-based foods have a minuscule carbon footprint and that is why I eat those products which have a positive impact on the environment.

"Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki is my favorite book because it taught me a personal finance lesson that I find important which is that the biggest risk in investing is not investing. Too many times there is this stigma against investing based on a short-term outlook but when focusing on the long-term goals, investing is very safe. Even with dips in the economy like the Covid pandemic, the future of the economy always reflects an uptrend. This is why learning finance is so important because starting early will reap great rewards when it is time to retire. Instead of spending money on useless things like the newest phone or expensive designer products, investing even small amounts of money can result in exponential gains. So because of this advice, I realized that investing is the best way to attain financial freedom and why I learned personal finance. The bank does not store our money, so why should we. When we put our money in the bank, the banks lend it out to other institutions so that they can make more money while giving the people less than a percentage in interest. This fact should signify that relying on the bank to save money is really losing money. Especially with inflation rising, the amount of money that was in the bank account is worth less than the year prior. So by learning how stocks and the market works, I was able to start the path to financial freedom so that I will not only be able to retire earlier but I will also have the chance to pass on wealth to the next generation all thanks to the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad".