Who I Am And Why You Might Want To Listen

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My name is Joshua. Most people call me Josh for short and I am a Millennial.  I was born and raised in New York City and I am a 25 year old Korean American. You could say I was a rebellious child. I was the one to always go against my parents and do things they told me not to do. So trying to listen to someone was not something I enjoyed. Don’t get me wrong, I can take direction. I can’t, however, take someone trying to tell me exactly how to do something. I like to find my own way and make mistakes along the way. Otherwise, how would I learn?

• You should always ask yourself what you can learn from any situation.

My parents, like most Korean’s, worked extremely hard to support the family. They immigrated from Korea in the late 70’s and worked tirelessly to start a family. They came with less than $600 dollars in their pocket and did not speak a word of English. They worked double shifts at manual labor jobs just to save enough money to eventually own their own business. They worked long hours and just barely had any time for themselves. They endured many roadblocks in their journey of prosperity and the American dream and overcame all of them, if not for themselves, for us, their children. Regardless of how much they worked,  they always had the time to make it back home for dinner and spend time together as a family. I was lucky to have such, great, hard working, and loving parents. I truly thank them for that.

• Remember to tell your parents that you love them. Even though your relationship may not be the best,  they did bring you into this world and without them you would not have existed.

I grew up most of my life as a sheltered child. I was told the world was a cruel place and staying by my parent’s side is the only way to stay safe. I learned from a early age that Asian American’s or anyone with “chinky” eyes were a target for racial discrimination. I grew up in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood in the outskirts of Manhattan. I was ridiculed and was teased as a child because I was different. Their racial slur of choice was calling me “Chino” or person of Chinese descent. This word infuriates me till this day, and every time I hear it, it makes me cringe and boil with anger. I learned that being mad and upset at the ignorant only brings you down to their level. I use this word as a motivator to succeed, as there is no better revenge than being successful.

• Regardless what people say about you, you shouldn’t let it upset you. What they say about you is matter of opinion, and only you know who you are and that is fact. I know it can be tough to hold back anger at certain situations but you have to try and let it go and learn from it. Some battles are just not worth fighting.

School was never fun for me. As a child I went to a Catholic school from grades k-5. I then entered in a specialized school that was located in Harlem, NY and went there from 6th-8th grade. I continued my education in a nearby High School and from there went on to State College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree. I hated the rigid structure of waking up at the crack of dawn to go to school to learn about things I could not care less about. I despised wearing uniforms and listening to teachers talk about their boring topics. I believe it was the beginning of social conditioning. School was preparing me to start wearing a “uniform” or a suit in later life, following a certain schedule and eating lunch at a specific time. I realize now that I did not question it because I did not know better. As I think about it now, I should have asked why I wore a uniform. Why was I being forced to learn stuff I didn’t care about? Why am I eating lunch at this hour? If I were to ask these questions now, the response would undoubtedly be; “because everyone else is doing it.” I believe school is necessary for other reasons besides learning the fundamentals of math, science, writing, reading and so forth. I like that school gives you the opportunity to meet new people. I find that friends are extremely important in my life and most of my friends I met going to school.

• You should see school as a learning opportunity and social outlet. It is a place to meet new people and network. We don’t always take what we learn from school and apply it to real life. We should always be thankful that we are able to go to school and learn and make new friends.

In college I studied hotel, restaurant, and tourism management. I chose this career path because I always loved staying in hotels. I learned quickly that working at a hotel versus staying at a hotel is very different. After college, I started with a large hotel chain in New York City and began to start working as a front desk agent in a shift many people call the “graveyard” shift. My shift started at 11pm and ended at 7am. It was the longest 8 hours I have ever experienced. At first the job was exciting, after all it was the career I wanted to be in. I learned and gained new experience and met some wonderful people but after having this job for about 4 months it began to stagnate. I started to hate going to work and working for someone else. I hated the office politics, it was very frustrating. I started looking for answers. I began reading books on personal finance and entrepreneurship and these books started to open my eyes to a world of opportunities. I slowly became addicted to these books and started reading a book or two every week. I slowly understood that having a job is not the only solution to earning a living. I learned there were other methods that people were using to create wealth. I only wanted one thing. I wanted to become like these people.

• I just want everyone to understand that I don’t hate people who want to get a job and work hard after college. I am merely stating that there are other methods to make money. If you want get a job, by all means please do. I am not saying entrepreneurship is for everyone, but that it is another method to earn a living.

I am not here to tell you what you should be doing. I am here as guidance. I am not an expert, nor am I a professional in this field. If I offend you, I am sorry, but I am not here to make anyone happy. I learned a long time ago that you can’t possibly make everyone happy. You can try but there will always be a person to disagree and oppose your beliefs.

I started The Millennial Mind to connect all other millennial minds and other generations to share ideas and experiences. I am a voice of a Millennial, frustrated with the rigid structure of society and the “normal” life. I am here to break free, through writing, and gaining wisdom from those who read and comment on my site. I am ready to embark on my journey and move ahead in life. I hope to one day be an entrepreneur and own my corporate ladder instead of climb it.  I hope to find myself and hopefully help others find themselves as well. I will share my stories and life lessons with you. If you disagree with what I write, I am not offended, but thankful for your feedback. This is a site dedicated to those Millennial’s who want to break free and grow as people. I hope we can all share our stories and gain experience from each other. Thank you again for reading a brief bio of myself and where I am coming from. I look forward to writing more entries and sharing my thoughts and stories with you all.