Exposed to the street life in my teens, all I knew was to fight. The only female in a foster home of 4 boys, my exterior shield was built early on. The onset date is what carried into my adulthood. Tomboy? Yes of course but now a lady. Without the presence of a family, I felt attached to the affiliation of my hood. So I joined a gang and became the block’s worst nightmare. I began stealing from stores to keep nice things. I then began stealing from people, robbing them in plain sight without concern for their life.

It soon escalated to robbing entire homes. I would wait for vulnerability and then strike when the moment was just right. Lo and behold I graduated to stealing cars before I even had a license to drive. I kept thinking to myself, man I am one bad child, but I never got caught so I kept on doing it. No one told me what I was doing was wrong and I followed my gang so it automatically felt right.

Fast forward, I began running away because I was not comfortable in my surroundings. When I would run away from the foster homes I was in, I would be sure to take the parent’s car, without even caring, once again!

Then one day I found myself in college where I was not happy either. It was too far from my ‘motherland’. So I stole my dormmate’s credit card and purchased a flight online back to my old stomping grounds. Conformity kept me trapped so I came back.

It was 11 years after, while in the US Army I finally learned discipline and to do what was right, even when no one was looking. They called it integrity. Imagine having no morals instilled or demonstrated for you until it is forced in you. That was me, she was I.

Then I saw the movie, The Secret, and said, “Man, is this is all it takes to get what I want?” So I began following the practices and the teachings and then magic occurred! I am now a better woman, mother, and business partner to many people. There are many who now can say they are inspired by me when at first, they had been hurt and insulted by me.

So I thank the writer and the idealist behind making this movie. As a visual learner, it was all I needed. Thank you!