I don’t use Tumblr much, but since summer’s over, I feel the need to reflect a bit. Honestly, this summer wasn’t anything like I had originally expected. A few months ago, I thought I’d be doing more “fun” things, for lack of a better word. Things like going out with friends, making day trips, and pretty much just enjoying my youth before collage starts and everything changes. In the end, I DID get to have my fun, but I ended up spending 90% of my time working. Pretty much everyday besides Sunday, I leave the house at 7:30AM to drive to Brooklyn to work at a gas station. Not very glamorous at all, but I actually love it. I get to spend my day and evening in the city, which I enjoy to the fullest because it’s a place that’s alive 24/7 and very much opposite from the mundane suburban life.
Oh, but as boring and plain as I make NJ out to be, only there could I ever have gone to Six Flags to the point where I DON’T want to go anymore, “broken into” a local gym just to run around the tennis courts at midnight, spend an entire hour circling around Newark with the most confusing directions to Ikea, made late-night/early-morning diner runs, drive to freaking PENNSYLVANIA by accident just to go to Minado, and so on. And only here would I have met the amazing people I have in my life right now.
Aside from the amazing atmosphere, I also got plenty of experience in running a business. Experience to not only take over THIS business, but to take over my dad’s business as well. Not surprisingly, it’s a lot of hassle. And with this business being a gas station in Brooklyn, there are a lot of things that can go wrong, and they do. But I guess that’s the thrill of running your own business: the obstacles you face on a day-to-day basis and doing what you have to do to make profit and survive.
To be honest.. I do all of this for the money. I’m a stereotypical girl. And I’ve learned from my dad who’s uh, far from the ideal parent.
Money makes me happy.
I’m gluttonous as hell. I waste money on cosmetics, shoes, clothes (some I’ll never wear), and video games.
I seek comfort in buying luxury items that I can alternatively pay $10 for [a fake] on the streets of Manhattan.
And I spoil the people I love TO DEATH. If I treat someone to lunch or dinner, I’ll take them out and burn a couple hundred dollars on good food. I love surprising people with gifts. And if I’m getting someone a present, I make it a hella good one.
Once I start making money, I’ll always want more. Clearly, these are horrible habits that I’m not exactly proud of, but it’s how I get my satisfaction.
Everyone has their own way.
However, I REFUSE to have someone else pay for all of this unnecessary shit that I want. I don’t like getting stuff for free because it makes me feel dependent on someone else. So obviously, I have to figure out my own way to get the money myself. Which is what I’m doing. Needless to say, I’ve taken full advantage of being 18. In the past month, I’ve invested a couple thousand dollars of my own money in a vending machine and a coffee business. Ideally, I’ll make the money back and then some, but there is always the risk of these ventures being a couple thousand dollars wasted.
Now, with pharmacy school starting, I have to revert back to a daily ritual of classes and I have to divert my focus from making money to making good grades. But I’ll make time to come back to Brooklyn on a regular basis. I’m almost a little worried that with all these business opportunities ahead of me, I won’t want to settle for a 9-5 job. Already I don’t like the feeling of being OBLIGATED to be in the same spot for hours at a time. If things were a little different and I didn’t have this constant societal pressure to make something of my self in college, I’d totally go for something that’s freelance. But I’ll figure something out. I’m obsessed with the idea of success. Always will be. I’ll always be thinking of ways to enhance these businesses, attract more customers, and of course, make more money.
Posted On: Tue, Aug. 23, 2011
