The best advice for an ambitious 'kid' born into a poor family with no resources, information or support

 

Tony Tran, CEO, Co-Founder @ Third & Loom wrote,

Watch the following movies:

1. Fight Club 

2. Forrest Gump 

3. The Shawshank Redemption 

4. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and 

5. Enter the Dragon.

Afterwards, stop asking for advice (Fight Club). You're missing out on what's out there by following these pointers (Enter the Dragon), because advice interrupts your flow by making you wait and think (Crouching Tiger). The only way to get somewhere is to keep moving (Forrest Gump). It doesn't matter what you're moving towards, direction is meaningless without a cause (Shawshank).

Find a cause first, then ask for advice.

You won't get all your answers from one person. In fact, you need to always infer and think critically. People are saying amazing stuff all the time. Soak all the great things in, then apply it to your questions. Build the answers out yourself.

When I landed in NYC, my family and I made high-end silk ties at $9.50/dozen. My brother and I wore used women's coats for 3 years to brave the cold before we had money to buy cheap ones. We didn't have American citizenship then. I came to learn about free library cards in Middle School—and then I was at the library after school everyday. 11 years of making ties, studying in between, and gaining some level of respect on Brooklyn basketball courts (they called me Speed Demon), I got my first web engineering job. I was 16. 

I've gone on to build experiences for some of the biggest companies in the world. I've sat in very high positions, and have gained enough experience and insights to be rejecting offers from big companies. All I've worked for, eventually bore this beautiful fruit: choice.

It all started with my believing that I am ambitious kid. 

Like my mentor would say, hardwork does not kill. Laziness does.

Reading this today? Looks like you're already on the right track.

Goodluck