A Date with Tomorrow's Somebodies

This weekend was by far the most memorable and influential weekend of my whole life!

I had the opportunity to attend the Kidult Youth Leadership Conference. Let me start by saying that I had never been to a conference like it so I had no idea what to expect, but it was much more than I had bargained for. At $25 a ticket, the conference was indeed a bargain, especially for what I left with. I left feeling more energized than I did when I walked in; mind you, this conference started at 7:30am and ended at 8:00pm but I walked out to the streets of NYC with a promising future vividly displayed in my mind and determination running through my entire body.

I used to think that someone not believing in me was what made me want to do something, because that's usually the case: you introduce someone to this radical idea you have and are almost always met with a "well that sounds great, but you know you can never do that right?" Those people are wrong for doubting us, and I turned out to be wrong for thinking their mind-set was what would push me to do something great. That's because for the first time, everyone I spoke to believed in me; they all listened in on what I had to say and ended the conversation with "I know you can change the world, I know you can accomplish this, and I am more than certain you can make a difference." I had never experienced that before, and I'm pretty sure most of the other attendees hadn't either. We instilled so much belief in each other that even I was incapable of second-guessing myself, and let me tell you I have some monumental dreams.

Aside from all Kidults who believed in me, there were speakers who believed in us all and showed us how to make our dreams come true. To name a few, Hezekiah and Ionnie taught us how to turn our ideas into money-makers. Datwon and Simone showed us how to dress for the job, whatever it may be. Jenn, Christina, and Tammy enlightened us on how to change the world. Paige Continentino helped us to manage time and even instructed us on how to meditate. Dr. Steve Perry set out to help us find out who we were really, using his own life story that truly set him apart in my eyes; I had goosebumps half way through his speech. Monica Pineda, with her sweet voice and a panel of elite marketers, coached us on how to brand ourselves and make anyone buy whatever we are selling. And throughout the conference, Mimi and Pharrell truly made us all feel we were special.

The conference speakers each embraced the qualities I strive to possess and the drive to get me where they are today, at the top of their world. They all spoke to the Kidults with so much power in their voices and ultimately made us feel that we can achieve it all, and then some.

After this past Saturday we all feel like super heroes, and with the technology Damien Scott spoke about during the Tech Talk, Ironman needs to step aside because the Kidults are officially taking over.