Life

As I look at life up to this point its been a journey filled with choices and unexpected paths. When I look at the the experiences I've had I'm thankful because they have helped mold me into the person I am today.

When I was a kid I remember I loved to play baseball. I used to play everyday with Jeremy, my neighbor and still great friend today, and my brothers. However one day I started playing basketball and I just loved it. Its funny that I used to tell everyone that I didn't want to play baseball so that I could just shoot baskets in Jeremy's backyard. It was a way for me to just do something that made me really happy and was a ton of fun. My brothers and friends always thought it was weird and boring just to shoot jumpshots by yourself but I'm a pretty independent person so I felt right at home. So the first part of my life was pretty much filled with playing sports all the time with my friends and brothers and doing mandatory schoolwork :)

When it was time to go to college another decision had to be made. Which college should I choose? When I look back on that decision, it's one that definitely shapes your life in a significant manner. The friends you develop, the people you meet are pretty much dictated by this one decision for about 4 years of your life and also growing up and gettting prepared for the "real world" is affected by this decision. I chose Cornell University because on my basketball recruiting visit I felt comfortable and at ease with the students and I loved the campus. As I look back on my time there I am really happy I made the decision I did. I met some great people and was continually challenged in my studies.

After college another significant decision had to be made. Where should I work? That was probably one of the toughest decisions for me to make because it was going to be my first job and my first time being out in the real world working for a paycheck and paying my bills. There were a few things I knew I wanted. A challenging job, nice work environment and an place where I could learn a lot. I eventually chose to work at a small financial advisory firm in New York City that I still work at since graduation. My job has been continually challenging, I have great co-workers and feel like I am still learning each and everyday.

The times I had as a kid were fun and carefree. Playing basketball into the wee hours every summer day were something I loved. I didn't have a care in the world. As a kid you don't have a lot of responsibility and that is something I really enjoyed. Having to focus on school and play basketball was easy.

As a young adult things are different now. Priorities change. Now in a position to use my education to work I always try to work as hard as I can and just challenge myself each and every day. I look at life now as an everyday challenge. From work to dealing with different situations I've learned you have to be able to adapt quickly and make adjustments. At times this can be difficult but I look at life as one day segments.