Michelle Graetz

I would say God, because I put my faith in Him. For a while there, I stopped praying, and I remembered when I used to pray for something, it may not happen as quickly as I wanted it to happen, but it would happen in His time. I would say God, because growing up, I prayed hard. And the things that I have today are the things that I prayed for when I was young. So if I am where I'm at today, it's only by His grace.

The best career advice I ever received came from my husband. When we got married, I was young and I wanted to work within my area, but I wanted to do my own thing. I did not want to work for a company. He said to me, the best thing you can do is do your own thing, because you can do it at your own pace, and you can invest as much as you want. And you know what? He was true. What he told me was good advice, and it was real. Because I have been able to accomplish a lot of other things, and if I had a 9-to-5, I don't think that I would have accomplished as much as I have. I'm not seeking things just so I can become something. I'm seeking things because I want to teach other people how to do it. I'm picking knowledge, I would say. It's knowledge, education.

I would tell them, quite honestly, to put their head down. Don't let the distractions hit you, don't let whatever you think somebody else is doing better than you get to you. Put your head down and focus - I'm not saying surrender, but focus. Pick a goal. Focus on it, get good at it. Nobody can take away your skills, the things you can do that nobody else can. You can do it differently than anybody else. Whatever it is, I don't care if you dance, I don't care if you cook, I don't care if you're a lawyer, I don't care if you're a farmer. Whatever you do, wherever you choose to do, do it your way, the way it works for you. And trust me, people will see your success.

In my area, I would say the biggest challenge is mindset. We live in a very small area with a population of 2,400, and I'm one of less than probably 50 Hispanics here. I think there's a lack of resources, and as a youth leader, I see that the kids aren't really empowered to learn how to learn. Learning is not just the structure of the classroom - learning is a habit and an analytical way of being a critical thinker. I think we're lacking that. There's a lack of resources in my area - we have the church and certain groups, but the youth especially need more support. The major obstacle would be mindset, because don't let the restrictions of your circumstances or where you live stop you from accomplishing everything that can be accomplished. It's not impossible, you just have to do it, even if it makes you uncomfortable. You have to get out of your comfort zone.

To me, my work and personal life, I would say whatever you do or say, mean it. It should come from the heart. Don't wait too long to do something you think needs to be done, and remember that life is not short, life is unpredictable. Whatever idea you think you want to do, if it's in your heart, do it. Don't wait for somebody else to pull the trigger for you. Be a positive influence. Even if you think it doesn't matter, people are watching you. If you use negative words, if you wake up in the morning and the first thing you think is bad things, that's gonna set the tone, and that applies personally, in business, and in your family. You can't help who you're gonna work with, but learn to set boundaries, and don't let negativity influence the way you feel and the way you take your life, your everyday life. That's just me and that's the way I see it.