I have always written books and stories since I was in the second grade. I've always been someone to want to create emotion. I think I was born a storyteller. But as I have grown older, there are new things around every corner: middle school, high school, college, and the "real world." As a college student with a book and novel published, I feel like I'm doing things I've always wanted.

More and more people read my work from Odyssey articles to novels, but with more eyes comes more criticism (and not the constructive kind). I've had people make fun of me, laugh at me, and tell me I'm not good enough.

"You'll never be enough." "You'll never be successful."

Yeah, right. Let me tell you something...

Maybe going for your goals is dangerous, but that makes it fun. Maybe you'll stumble... but who hasn't? If you're gonna let someone (even yourself) hold you back, then how will you ever have fun?

If you have ever had someone like that in your life, someone that wants you to stay still... it's because they are the unsuccessful ones. For some reason, people like to bring other people down. Human nature? I hope not. Human nature is wanting more. Human nature is striving for your goals, even the scary ones.

I'm here to tell you to set your goals high and then go beyond that.

"A professional is just an amateur that didn't quit." -- Richard Bach

So don't quit!

Even if that bully is yourself, don't let anything stop you.

Be the culture creators.

Be the influencers.

With love,

Wes