In 2007, 3 years into the corporate life, making $3500/mo at GlaxoSmithKline as a Network Analyst, I picked up and left to pursue photography full time. (I know, crazy right?!). With no savings, I was young and devoted all my free time to traveling, I was devoted to making it work.... and it did! A year into shooting I was booked to shoot former Mayor Michael Nutter and late Dr. Ackerman for a back to school campaign than ran city wide from newspapers to buses for months. It felt great! By 2009 I reached a personal milestone when I broke the 6 figure mark! . . Fast forward to 2013, I’m hired to develop a mobile app, (yea, I’m a nerd 🤓). After negotiations, we settled on a price tag of $65,000 of which a $30,000 deposit was received. I wanted more for my life and my family. I took the 30k and moved from a 1 bedroom bi-floor duplex in south Philly to a newly renovated 4 bedroom townhouse in northern liberties to give my daughter her own room and her mother her own makeup room. I signed the lease for my very own studio / event space, and decided it was time to rebuild my credit (and spoil myself for my 30th birthday). I bought Canon. . . After messing up my credit when I was young, worked to rebuild but still needed a massive down payment to keep my monthly under $400. So, yea, I dropped $14,000 down for her, this baby, loaded #BMW X5, then I wrapped her Matte #PhiladelphiaEagles green, with blacked out lights... loved her. . . See, I had it backwards. The key to growth and success is to not celebrate temporary pleasures. See, we sometimes go so long WITHOUT that once we have the opportunity to be WITH, we splurge. Growth, learning not to value materialistic things and instead set yourself up to procure lasting WEALTH instead of dwelling in the temporary satisfactions. . . @zsazsabeaute and I promised to each other that we’ll set ourselves up for that exact lifestyle, focus on traveling, happiness, and establishing WEALTH. Now our credit is exceptional, I’ve parted ways with my beloved Canon, we’re consolidating with the goal of buying an income property and our new house next year. With the continued blessings such as those we’ve had thus far, we will! 💚 (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoE06-Nnczm/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=748n99xgy5g1