There are moments in life that divide who you were from who you are becoming. For me, those moments arrived as three awakenings. Three seasons that broke me open and rebuilt me in ways I did not understand at the time. Each one was stronger than the last, and this third one has pushed me harder than anything I have ever carried.
Awakening One: Isolation and Identity
My first awakening came right after high school in 2022. While everyone went off to college, I isolated myself completely. I spent my days taking the 75 hour real estate course, reading self help books, cutting out drinking, and trying to build discipline before I even understood who I was.
It was the beginning of my growth, but it was not pretty. It came with a huge ego because I thought doing the “right things” made me better. In reality, part of me was trying to convince myself that choosing a different path meant I was not missing out.
Looking back now, I am grateful I never went to college. The girl I was back then would not have survived the level of reflection, accountability, and rebuilding that my life demanded from me. She would have created years of regret she was not ready to carry. Skipping college was not a mistake. It was protection.
Awakening Two: Stepping Into a New New World
My second awakening began at the start of 2025. I quit my 7 to 3 job at 20 years old to work seven days a week for Shawn Elliott, one of the most respected names in ultra luxury real estate.
What began as an internship quickly became immersion. For four months, I learned by watching, listening, and absorbing everything I could. When I was hired full time, the pace only intensified. Eight more months working beside him, seven days a week, inside a world defined by pressure, precision, and expectation.
Over the course of a year, I saw what real success looks like up close. The responsibility. The confidence. The weight behind every decision. Holding six figure checks in my hands unlocked a new level in my mind. Success stopped being a concept and became something tangible. Achievable.
And then came the decision. Continue building his empire, or finally build mine.
Leaving was one of the hardest choices I have ever made, but it was the one that separated who I was from who I am becoming. You cannot step into your purpose while standing in someone else’s shadow.
Awakening Three: Alignment and Purpose
My third awakening is the one I am living through now. The season of alignment. The season where everything starts to make sense. The season where the lessons turned into clarity and the clarity turned into purpose. This awakening has tested me, stretched me, and rebuilt me in ways the other two never could. It has required honesty, surrender, maturity, and a level of self confrontation I was not prepared for.
But it is also the awakening that taught me I am exactly where I need to be.
