The most helpful piece of financial advice I have ever received was to invest in conjunction with saving. This is incredibly useful for several reasons, as while saving safeguards your current money, investing makes sure you have more of it in the future. Since I received this useful bit of information, I made sure to heed it with vigor. Whenever I received money, whether through paycheck or gift, I followed a simple rule: one third for my checking, one third for my saving, and one third for investments. As I have next to no mandatory expenditures every month, I have ample money than I can use freely, meaning I do have the possibility to spend more than I save. However, I am aware that there will never be another period of time in my life that is like this, so I should utilize all the beneficial possibilities that will come from being frugal. While advice of frugality has improved my financial literacy, this is not the only topic this is limited to. In order to invest responsibly, I have to be well educated on the market, and thus I have learned the basic fundamentals of stock investing. This means that I am not only securing myself a better future, but gaining more insight into the world around me. I have learned about the perils of inflation, forex, cryptocurrency, and stock options. I keep a balanced budget, and make sure that Im saving and investing enough. I thoroughly believe that I will be better off in the future, because I made sure that I would have money, and a sense of security.

My favorite book is Mario Puzo's Godfather. Growing up, I absolutely loved the film that was inspired by it, and was overjoyed to find out that there was another version of it that I could read. The story of the godfather is simple: A man sacrifices his morality in order to preserve his family. There is a reason this story is so popular, the message is so universal. Family is something all of us have in some sense or another, and we all have to make sacrifices for the family. My mother had to take classes for law school at night, so that she could take care of us during the day. Like Michael Corleone, she had to sacrifice a portion of her own life to help her family. Unlike Michael, she did not shoot anyone. I love the book, because I find so much wisdom in it. The Corleone's views on family and friendship. I think the Godfather, Don Corleone said it best when he said, "Friendship is everything. It is more than talent. It is more than government. It is almost the equal to government". The book is full of small kernels of wisdom that I have taken for my own. A lot of this advice has helped me build better friendships and a stronger relationship with my family. This makes the book not only entertaining, but a force for actual positive change. I don't intend to racketeer, but I do intend to be a good friend and value traits such as loyalty and commitment.

When I think of music, the first genre to come to mind is rock. The first rock band to come to mind is Van Halen. Upon hearing the song "Eruption", I decided that I NEEDED to pick up the guitar, and have been playing ever since. While for some people the first few weeks of learning is arduous, to me it was second nature. I went from basic strumming to barre chords very rapidly, and guitar became my life. Throughout the beginning of my playing experience, I consistently tried to learn Eruption, but never could get it down. I could hear myself getting closer, but it was still sufficiently out of reach. It looked so effortless when Eddie Van Halen did it, but I knew that one day, I would be able to do it. After a few years of playing, I was finally able to play the entirety of the song. I was filled with joy when I finally was able to play the most difficult part of the song because I had worked so hard to learn it. While there are songs I listen to much more often, none have inspired me to pick up an instrument and dedicate a considerable amount of time to it. No other song has caused me to idolize someone and learn as much as I could about their skillset. I love Van Halen, and I have Eruption to thank for that.

Running up the winding flight of stairs, I yearn to hear the beautiful sweet sounds the strings make. After a long day of school, making and listening to music serves as the best way for me to destress, unwind, and therapeutically deal with any of the problems I may have faced. The thing that without a doubt makes me happy is music. I started playing guitar at the end of 6th grade, as a stress outlet in regards to my parents divorce. I crave stability, a luxury I was not afforded at the time, making a consistent hobby very appealing. While for some people the first few weeks of learning is arduous, to me it was second nature. Music impassions me when I'm having a bad day. If things don't go my way, I put on a few feel-good songs and destress. When I want to feel emotional, I'll play a tearful ballad. If I need some energy, I put on some high energy rock. If I'm stuck on a difficult math problem, I take a quick break to think about it while strumming my six string. For me, music is the perfect coping mechanism. Because music is a universal language, it has helped me form friendships I never thought possible. I have friends who live across the country that I talk to consistently, because we both share an immense passion for music. I have several friends that I make music with, and the ability to collaborate and create with someone is an indescribable one. Whenever I'm with friends, we are either talking about music, listening to music, or making it. I can say that the thing that makes me truly happy is making music; I don't know where I'd be without it.

At my twelfth birthday party, I received a sheet of paper from my father. Never seeing a cheque in my life, I was confused as to why I was getting a flimsy piece of paper with numbers on it. Initially frustrated I was not getting a football or a video game, I look back and realize that that cheque was the best gift I have ever received: $100 to start a brokerage account, managed by my parents. When I started out, I had very little understanding of how the stock market works. I knew that you wanted to buy a stock you thought would go up in value, but that was about it. My father worked for a brokerage firm, OptionsXpress, and he eagerly taught me the very basics. I could see my $100 dollars growing, slowly but surely. I learned how to diversify, and to buy stocks across sectors. I learned what an earnings report was, and what dividends are. From all of this, I derived the importance of solid financial planning, and how to save and keep my money. As I am about to start college, I look to get a degree In finance. I want to fully understand the stock market, and how investment portfolios and banks work. I want to master Microsoft Excel, learn a programming language, and learn how to work a bloomberg terminal. Alone, these tools are very useful and will suit me for a plethora of jobs. Together, I can do nearly anything related to finance, from banking to working for a hedge fund. I would like to work on wall street, preferably in investment banking. The hours will be long and arduous, but the knowledge and resources that will be at my disposal will be immense, there is nothing I cannot achieve.

For me, a simple pleasure is something I try to experience frequently in order to make my day just a slight bit better. A simple pleasure is making my bed look nice and neat. It's a nice hot shower in the morning that rejuvenates me. It's a close shave with a soothing aftershave which smells of sweet sandalwood. It's a bold, flavorful espresso with a cup of greek yogurt. To an outside viewer, these can seem tedious, or even like chores. However, by recategorizing them into simple pleasures, I am creating a sense of satisfaction just by completing menial tasks. This propels me to complete more tasks, and puts me into an organized and productive mindset. Because I am feeling productive, I actually am productive. Because of this, I feel satisfied with my actions, and thus feel happy. Another simple pleasure to me is music. Running up the winding flight of stairs, I yearn to hear the beautiful sweet sounds the strings make. After a long day of school, making and listening to music serves as the best way for me to destress, unwind, and therapeutically deal with any of the problems I may have faced. The thing that without a doubt is one of the biggest pleasures in my life is music. I started playing guitar at the end of 6th grade, as a stress outlet in regards to my parents divorce. I crave stability, a luxury I was not afforded at the time, making a consistent hobby very appealing. While for some people the first few weeks of learning is arduous, to me it was second nature.

Running up the winding flight of stairs, I yearn to hear the beautiful sweet sounds the strings make. After a long day of school, making and listening to music serves as the best way for me to destress, unwind, and therapeutically deal with any of the problems I may have faced. The thing that without a doubt I am immensely passionate about is music. I started playing guitar at the end of 6th grade, as a stress outlet in regards to my parents divorce. I crave stability, a luxury I was not afforded at the time, making a consistent hobby very appealing. While for some people the first few weeks of learning is arduous, to me it was second nature. Music impassions me when I'm having a bad day. If things don't go my way, I put on a few feel-good songs and destress. When I want to feel emotional, I'll play a tearful ballad. If I need some energy, I put on some high energy rock. If I'm stuck on a difficult math problem, I take a quick break to think about it while strumming my six string. For me, music is the perfect coping mechanism. Because music is a universal language, it has helped me form friendships I never thought possible. I have friends who live across the country that I talk to consistently, because we both share an immense passion for music. I have several friends that I make music with, and the ability to collaborate and create with someone is an indescribable one. Whenever I'm with friends, we are either talking about music, listening to music, or making it. I can say that the thing that I am passionate about is making music; I don't know where I'd be without it.

One way I keep a growth mindset is through introspection and journaling. When I was younger, I did not appreciate the value of this, as I thought I should always focus on the future, instead of the past. This caused my understanding of both future and present to be incredibly flawed, as I often did not understand why my actions were met with certain reactions. This frustrated me: I would repeatedly try to learn new things, and wonder why I was not able to learn them. It was not that I was incapable of learning, but my mindset was deeply flawed. In middle school, I started journaling as part of an english project. Originally resenting it, I slowly began to appreciate its value. While most of my peers used journaling to act as a codified memory bank, I used it as histogram of thought. I could see my thoughts on anything change, and this made me realize how my thoughts and opinions grew and changed over time. At present day, I reread what I write in order to help me grow as a person. If I can see what helped improve my life in my journal, I can continue to grow and improve as a person. To me, this is what a growth mindset is: learn and correct from past mistakes and continue past successes, allowing me to grow. Journaling, and subsequent introspection of said journaling has been immensely helpful for my growth based mindset, improving my school performance, interpersonal relationships, and self discipline.

One investing tip that I received from my father was break down returns into small timeframes as to make them more accessible, and I have fully taken this to heart. If I want to net a 15 percent return on the year on my principle, it sounds like a daunting task. however, all I need to do is break it down into a weekly percentage, which would be a little over a quarter of a percent. Sounds much easier, doesn't it? On an initial investment of $1,000, that would be a little over 5 dollars a week. This makes investing much more manageable, and prevents me from seeking high risk investments that more often than not fail. To achieve this, I trade weekly options. However, I don't buy them, I sell them. Sometimes puts are overvalued, and selling an out of money put can make a solid, safe return if it expires worthless. Why would I want them to be worthless? Simple: as I am selling the puts instead of buying them, I am short the contracts. Once they expire, I have to cover the puts, meaning the lower the price of the put, the more money I make on each contract. I personally believe that everyone can invest, and should do so. Investing is how wealth is made, and I believe the pursuit of wealth is an inalienable right analogous to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Running up the winding flight of stairs, I yearn to hear the beautiful sweet sounds the strings make. After a long day of school, making music serves as the best way for me to destress, unwind, and therapeutically deal with any of the problems I may have faced. The hobby I can confidently say is my favorite is the guitar. I started playing guitar at the end of 6th grade, as a stress outlet in regards to my parents divorce. I crave stability, a luxury I was not afforded at the time, making a consistent hobby very appealing. While for some people the first few weeks of learning is arduous, to me it was second nature. I went from basic strumming to barre chords very rapidly, and guitar became my life. I moved a total of 3 times from 6th to 8th grade. This was very stress inducing, as I was constantly being put in very different environments. Whenever I would feel alone, I made sure that my guitar gently weeps, not me. Because of the immense dedication that I put in to the instrument, I got rather good rather fast. At present, I have learned a great deal about the guitar, and I have shared it by teaching others how to play. This has not only made me a better person, but a better player. To teach something, you must truly know it. I had to adapt and master techniques, as to teach them better. I am also focusing on songwriting, because I think that music is a universal language, and with it I can express my true feelings to the world.

To me, Creativity means the originality. It is analogous to childlike wonder, as it is instinctual. If you look at the stories of some of the most famous movies, books, songs, and pieces of art, all of them come from a place of spontaneity and instinct. Jackson Pollock did not think of what to paint, he just painted. Guitarist Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones came up with the riff for I Can't Get No Satisfaction in a dream. With all examples of art, the principle of creativity is self evident. Without it, the source of inspiration is not derived, and the only thing that occur is replication. For me, I apply creativity in critical thinking and problem solving, and in my musical pursuits. I look for novel ways to solve problems, whether it be schoolwork or a problem at work. No two problems are exactly the same, and being able to solve problems creatively can help me adapt to solve whatever comes towards me In my musical pursuits, I constantly use creativity. I crave originality, and do whatever I can to develop my own sound, style, and aesthetic. I'll mix a classical violin melody with a southern blues riff. Ill tweak my amplifier so that the voltage goes up. I want my music to be as intentional as possible, and as creative as possible. I don't want to make noise, I want to make art. Regardless of your occupation or background, creativity is a commonality all can share. It costs nothing, and is supremely beneficial. With a creative mind, your only limitation is what you can imagine.

When I think of music, the first genre to come to mind is rock. The first rock band to come to mind is Van Halen. Upon hearing the song "Eruption", I decided that I NEEDED to pick up the guitar, and have been playing ever since. While for some people the first few weeks of learning is arduous, to me it was second nature. I went from basic strumming to barre chords very rapidly, and guitar became my life. Throughout the beginning of my playing experience, I consistently tried to learn Eruption, but never could get it down. I could hear myself getting closer, but it was still sufficiently out of reach. It looked so effortless when Eddie Van Halen did it, but I knew that one day, I would be able to do it. After a few years of playing, I was finally able to play the entirety of the song. I was filled with joy when I finally was able to play the most difficult part of the song because I had worked so hard to learn it. While there are songs I listen to much more often, none have inspired me to pick up an instrument and dedicate a considerable amount of time to it. No other song has caused me to idolize someone and learn as much as I could about their skillset. I love Van Halen, and I have Eruption to thank for that.

Running up the winding flight of stairs, I yearn to hear the beautiful sweet sounds the strings make. After a long day of school, making and listening to music serves as the best way for me to destress, unwind, and therapeutically deal with any of the problems I may have faced. The thing that without a doubt fuels my life is music. I started playing guitar at the end of 6th grade, as a stress outlet in regards to my parents divorce. I crave stability, a luxury I was not afforded at the time, making a consistent hobby very appealing. While for some people the first few weeks of learning is arduous, to me it was second nature. Music fuels me when I'm having a bad day. If things don't go my way, I put on a few feel-good songs and destress. When I want to feel emotional, I'll play a tearful ballad. If I need some energy, I put on some high energy rock. If I'm stuck on a difficult math problem, I take a quick break to think about it while strumming my six string. For me, music is the perfect coping mechanism. Because music is a universal language, it has helped me form friendships I never thought possible. I have friends who live across the country that I talk to consistently, because we both share an immense passion for music. I have several friends that I make music with, and the ability to collaborate and create with someone is an indescribable one. Whenever I'm with friends, we are either talking about music, listening to music, or making it. I can say that the thing that fuels my life is music, I don't know where I'd be without it.

Be Bold. This sentence is so universal, yet incredibly specific. Both empty, and full of substance. To be bold is to be tenacious, courageous, unyielding in action. Boldness transcends topics, cultures, and places. Being bold means asking your crush out to prom. It also means learning a language. It also means admitting wrongdoing in an argument. Bold means growth. It is impossible to be bold and act without change, as being bold implies doing something new that requires courage and tenacity. Throughout history, the boldness of individuals acted as a catalyst of change. Martin Luther was bold and audacious when he publicly called out the wrongdoings of the catholic church. In doing this, he stood up for his beliefs, no matter the consequences. The founding fathers of the United States were incredibly bold in their declaration of indepence from the british crown, risking the lives of themselves and their fellow countrymen. While these examples are few and far between, the principle can and should be used in daily life. people need to take calculated risks, and advocate for themselves better. Sure, it takes effort, but so does anything that is of any value. In being bold, a person will better themselves internally and externally, and live a meaningful life.

To me, joy means knowledge. I believe joy is derived from knowing something, because joy is felt after gaining knowledge about something. A small boy feels joy from receiving a birthday gift, because he knows that the gift is his, and he can play with it. A football team feels joy after a victory, because they know that they bested their opponents. Joy can also be taken away with knowledge. Knowledge of a sickness or a bad test grade takes away joy from the individual, and creates sadness. While it is not possible to know events ahead of time, I seek out joy by looking at situations as optimistically as I can. For example, my father and stepmother had to move away in the last year because of a job. While i felt devastated by his leaving, I now find joy in both seeing him and the anticipation of seeing him. I could feel sad that I don't get to see him every day, but what good does that do me? I would much rather feel happy than I would gloomy, as would anyone else. I also savor good experiences much more, getting more joy from them. When I recieved gifts for my birthday, I not only felt good because I was getting something, but because my happiness brought the gift givers happiness as well. It feels nice not only to get something, but to feel appreciated. With this knowledge, I know that in order to seek out joy, I have to see the good in things, and appreciate all that I have.

Running up the winding flight of stairs, I yearn to hear the beautiful sweet sounds the strings make. After a long day of school, making music serves as the best way for me to destress, unwind, and therapeutically deal with any of the problems I may have faced. The skill I can confidently say is my best is the guitar. I started playing guitar at the end of 6th grade, as a stress outlet in regards to my parents divorce. I crave stability, a luxury I was not afforded at the time, making a consistent hobby very appealing. While for some people the first few weeks of learning is arduous, to me it was second nature. I went from basic strumming to barre chords very rapidly, and guitar became my life. I moved a total of 3 times from 6th to 8th grade. This was very stress inducing, as I was constantly being put in very different environments. Whenever I would feel alone, I made sure that my guitar gently weeps, not me. Because of the immense dedication that I put in to the instrument, I got rather good rather fast. At present, I have learned a great deal about the guitar, and I have shared it by teaching others how to play. This has not only made me a better person, but a better player. To teach something, you must truly know it. I had to adapt and master techniques, as to teach them better. I am also focusing on songwriting, because I think that music is a universal language, and with it I can express my true feelings to the world.

A characteristic I value the most in myself is my determination to do what I set out to do. When I have conviction behind my actions, I always make sure that I complete what I set out to do. currently, I value this because it has helped me achieve a lot already in my life. When I first turned 16, I wanted a job so that I could have spending money. Unfortunately, I didn't have a car, so I was rather limited in my potential places of employment. However, this did not prohibit me; I walked to nearby businesses and asked for a job, until I found a place to hire me. I turned the issue of commute into a benefit: I would use each trip to phone my father, who lives across the country. I was hard pressed to find a consistent way to talk to him, but then I realized how i could better use my time. Because of my determination to find a job, I was able to not only find one, but solved a separate problem that existed in my life. this is eminently useful skill; determination to achieve goals means that I am problem solving. As I become determined to do more things, I become better at problem solving. I have already reaped some of the rewards of this, I have better relationships with my friends, family, better study habits, and overall work ethic. I think my determination and will will be and extremely important quality as I mature, as when my responsibilities increase, so does my need to do what needs to be done. I am an aspiring entrepreneur, and starting my own business requires immense self discipline. There will be nobody to tell me to finish tasks, no bosses to report to, bills to pay, and salaries to give. Instead of cowering in fear of this immense workload, I challenge it. I wish to be a force for change, and I must congruently be a force of action. Nobody will force me to be accountable except for me. I believe that if I cultivate these traits, I will be considerably better off. The dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible. T.E. Lawrence's words are immensely accurate, in order to change anything, you must have the combined traits of creativity and willpower. I believe the later is more powerful and important than the former, so I value it more . If you aren't willing to do what it takes to achieve your goals, your greatest limitation is your mindset. If you are, you greatest limitation doesn't exist.

I want to be a legacy to be one of innovation. To me, innovation means change, but more importantly change that is for the better. The internet was innovative with its creation, and it has bettered the world in numerous ways. It allows for the world population to collaborate instantly. It allows for ideas to spread faster than ever before. It acts as a transcript for world events. It even allows me to find this scholarship. While I don't expect to create an innovation with ramifications as drastic as the internet,I do want to be a force for change. I want to start a business, and provide a good or service to as many people as possible, positively affecting their lives. This is important for me, as I am a goal oriented person. I see a problem, and create a goal on how to fix it. I saw that people wanted to learn how to play the guitar, so I offered lessons. When I started doing this, I noticed that each of my students were learning in different ways, so I was forced to innovate how I taught. by improving on my methods, I not only became a better teacher, but a musician. Once I saw how effective this approach to life was, I decided that I was to take this principle of innovation and apply it to other aspects of my life. I want to continue to do this, as I see no downsides in improving the lives of others; alleviating problems people face is profitable, morally ethical, and wholly right.

A large yet relatively unknown problem in the world is the lack of fresh produce and food in low income urban areas. According to the Annie E Casey Foundation, around 19 million americans, mostly in low income urban areas, are susceptible to this phenomenon. This problem is worth solving for the most obvious of reasons: everyone should be able to have access to fresh produce for purchase. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain several vitamins that are not found in other foods, and are crucial to human development. This is entirely unacceptable, and needs to be changed. The lack of fresh produce prevents people in affected areas from getting the food they need, causing health problems, For a long time, there was no viable solution to this problem. It was too expensive to ship fresh foods to these locations, it was unprofitable, and it wasn't considered a big issue. This no longer is true, as vertical urban farming can solve this; it provides affordable, healthy produce for low income communities and provides jobs. A current solution to this is to subsidize produce in order to make it profitable. This is only a temporary solution, as it fails to provide any innovation to the problem. As the price for produce goes up, the subsidies won't be able to fix the problem, as low income communities wouldn't be able to afford them. Increasing food stamps wouldn't fix this either, for the exact same reasons. As prices increase for the growth for food, shipping of food, and for the upkeep of stores, this price increase is burdened onto consumers. For obvious reasons, this means that providing a solution through entrepreneurship is the only answer, as such a large problem requires a novel and creative solution. Vertical urban farming is the obvious solution to this problem, as it solves the issues of logistics. If farms are located within cities, then shipping fresh produce to local supermarkets and grocers would be considerably easier to the current system. This idea is possible today because of new advancements in technology, especially in regards to engineering and computers. Crops could grow in vertical stacks, saving space in the compact urban setting. Farms would become tall instead of wide, and advancements to artificial illumination means that crops would receive light constantly. While the cost of running lights could become high, this could be countered by installing solar panels or using low cost LED lights. The farms could be designed to grow a specific crop, meaning that the environment would be tailored to grow a specific piece of produce year round. fruits such as Oranges or watermelons with specific seasons would have those seasons eliminated; vertical farms could grow them year round. In addition to providing food, these farms would provide jobs. People would need to work on these farms, and these jobs would be available to to people in low income communities. These farms would require harvesters, engineers, mechanics, and distributors, which means that the income from these jobs would go back into these communities, uplifting people out of poverty. As more jobs are created, the economy as a whole will improve, meaning that related jobs will come about. Fruit juice companies might build plants to produce juice next to these farms. In conclusion, vertical farms provides affordable, healthy produce for low income communities and provides jobs. This potential of this concept is very high, but the upstart costs would be high as well. Farms would either have to be built or retrofitted, and this process would be costly. The jobs would be high paying as well, and while this would be good for the community, it would be hard for the entrepreneur. The tech involved would also be expensive; hydroponics bays and irrigation systems would be pricey as well. However, this could be counteracted by an investor, as many people rightly believe that great entrepreneurs can make the largest impact on the world. The only limit on problem solving is resources, and the resources can be allocated to an entrepreneur who wants to make the world a better place.

The most helpful piece of financial advice I have ever received was to invest in conjunction with saving. This is incredibly useful for several reasons, as while saving safeguards your current money, investing makes sure you have more of it in the future. Since I received this useful bit of information, I made sure to heed it with vigor. Whenever I received money, whether through paycheck or gift, I followed a simple rule: one third for my checking, one third for my saving, and one third for investments. As I have next to no mandatory expenditures every month, I have ample money than I can use freely, meaning I do have the possibility to spend more than I save. However, I am aware that there will never be another period of time in my life that is like this, so I should utilize all the beneficial possibilities that will come from being frugal. While advice of frugality has improved my financial literacy, this is not the only topic this is limited to. In order to invest responsibly, I have to be well educated on the market, and thus I have learned the basic fundamentals of stock investing. This means that I am not only securing myself a better future, but gaining more insight into the world around me. I have learned about the perils of inflation, forex, cryptocurrency, and stock options. I keep a balanced budget, and make sure that Im saving and investing enough. I thoroughly believe that I will be better off in the future, because I made sure that I would have money, and a sense of security.