Two things will define you and that is your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.

I was taught, as I was growing up, that money was just an object and it wasn't something that should matter while having many things handed my way. As a child how was I suppose to believe that when all of my girl friends had the entire Mary Kate and Ashley clothing collection? I was surrounded by people who believed that materialistic things were all that mattered and without any knowledge, I was jealous of the things that they had. I never put into consideration that, even though I didn't have everything in the world, I had a roof over my head, a family that truly cared for me, and all the love and happiness I could imagine.

The older I got, the more I noticed just how important money was to the people around me, mostly at school, but especially in my community and the towns around me. New clothes, new cars, new hair, new everything; the fast life. I like to describe the fast life as a life where people only want to speed through life as they think that their money will get them everywhere when in reality it doesn't.

I am the type of person that notices everything even the littlest things. As a freshman in college, I noticed that a lot of students had brand new vehicles, were going out every weekend, went out to eat a few times a week, and never had a worry in the world if their bank account had less than $5, like I experienced.

Instead of becoming envious like I was in high school, it was a real eye opener. While my friends drove 2015 Audi's or Cruze's, I had a 1997 Malibu that barely got me to work and back to my dorm. Growing up, I had no worries because my parents took care of everything. Did I have everything I wanted? No. Did my parents spoil me like crazy? Absolutely, even when I didn't deserve it. I was 19 years old now, it was time for me to be an adult; to take care of myself for myself instead of relying on my parents for everything. Some kids are cut off after leaving for school or never at all and I refused to have my parents pay for things for me when I have younger siblings that deserve to have the amazing things I had while growing up, so I cut myself off. Yes, I cut myself off. My first two months of college, I had interviews lined up because I knew I needed a job so I could support myself-- buy my own groceries, pay for school, pay for my phone bill, and soon enough, pay for my rent and car payment.

Since having a job (my first one, ever) for almost a year now, I have had the opportunity to purchase a brand new car, pay for my rent every single month, pay for my insanely priced phone bill, and still have money to spoil myself with. I did this on my own and I did it for no one besides myself. While I love working, I miss out on a lot of things that most 20 year-olds enjoy doing since I work 5 days a week and attend a niversity as a full time student. Paying bills every month has completely showed me that having stress, having your own money to pay for things, and knowing you worked your ass off for the great things you have is much more beautiful than having things handed to you for the rest of your life. There are some days when I get extremely frustrated with the fact that I can't just be a college student who goes to school and has much free time do whatever I want. There are some days when I get extremely frustrated with the fact that majority of my income goes towards bills when I'm barely 20 years old. There are some days when I get extremely frustrated with the fact that I stress over money while some people don't move a finger for the things they have. While I can be frustrated and stressed, it shows me just how crazy and hectic life can be but I wouldn't have been handed this life if I couldn't handle it.

There are much more things to life than the importance of money-- the way your family irritates you but you cannot get enough of them, the opportunity to attend amazing colleges throughout the country, the way the waves hit the shoreline, how beautiful it is that you're breathing right at this very moment, the light that shines through the trees, and a million more things.

Money can buy happiness, of course, but it can't keep happiness stay because happiness is forever and money is temporary. There is more to this life than a $20 bill, go find it.

I came from somewhere, I came from something, but I get to create where I go from here. I will be successful on my own. I will be happy on my own. I will make money on my own. I will pay for the luxurious life on my own. For my own.

Just because you come from having little, doesn't mean you can't make something huge out of yourself.

Coming from nothing actually means absolutely everything, always.