These labels of victimhood which I had branded myself with followed me into my early adulthood. It was the fear of once again failing that prevented me from pursuing a career as I matured. It took someone who really believed in me more than I believed in myself to realize that I was not a disappointment and never had been. I had excelled in my own way, and I could use those very same tools and experiences to forge my own path and discover my true potential.

How'd I do it? I networked like crazy, learned marketing, and with a sales background prior to law school, I knew if I had a potential client, I knew how to close. It is hands down, the best professional decision I ever made. When people ask me in retrospect how I turned down the offer and took the leap at that time, my answer has been and likely will always be I have no idea. Temporary insanity, I suppose but never have I been so fortunate or thrilled by the prospect of being bonkers.

Where can people who don’t have a serious problem but still need some good advice turn to?! There had to be an option out there, especially for young girls trying to find their way as they were being catapulted into adulthood. I knew this question wouldn’t be solved on my lunch break, so I decided to pitch in where I could.

I began baking challah weekly. I remember those first few weeks (or months eek), those challos were not very tasty. I knew they weren't the sweet, fluffy challos I dreamt of, but my father kept encouraging me, telling me how delicious they were, albeit I knew they were a drop flat and bland-tasting.

Resilience. Drive. Dedication. Empathy. These are just some of the traits that medical schools tell starry-eyed MD wannabes that they will need to make it in the competitive and taxing profession of medicine.

I was never that kid who always dreamed of being a doctor.

My entire life, I was known as the dancer. There were many times where I would meet girls who would recognize me from camp as “the dancer” and call me as such. My identity was so tied up with this persona that, in all honesty, I was terrified to let it go. I was moving from a place of creativity, expression, and freedom to an area that was more about logic, rational thought, and in a way, confinement. However, I believed that this would satisfy a large part of who I was and that I would need to learn how to weave these two parts of myself into one.

Playdough has endless opportunities. It starts with a color that is bright, vivid, and hopeful. It continues to bring forth endless possibilities because it is ever-evolving. Its purpose is not to stay the same, but rather to explore all options and create a unique art piece each time you play with it. As kids, we view life as Playdough. We are full of excitement, positivity, and possibilities. However, somewhere along the way, we feel the need to be molded to fit a specific shape, a society expectation, and a family precedent.

At the end of the day, you can balance your religious integrity and frumkeit while working for the big leagues. Encourage yourself to chase those dreams and keep moving forward. As funny as it sounds, it’s such a great feeling when you realize you made a kiddish Hashem. Even if it’s something simple like wearing skirts and sleeves in 112 degrees (LA in the summer, let me tell you), or opting out of happy hour (not the social scene for you), when you take a moment to remember where you are and who you are, and truly understand the importance of balancing your Yiddishkeit, you will be successful.

And so began the hustle. Reaching out to suppliers, designers, engineers, freight forwarders, and others who could help me achieve this dream. It took a while to get everything organized, but it was a time filled with exhilaration and ingenuity. In just a mere few months, I created a product and ordered 800 units to be shipped from overseas.

I don't bake Challah, cakes, or cookies, and yes, sometimes supper is scrambled eggs. When I look at the syllabus of any class, the first thing that I do is calculate which assignments need to be focused on and which can be handed in without much effort. I'm not aiming for 100% average in every class; a nice 90 will suffice

I am all about finding who you are and what makes you, you. What makes you smile. What moves you and what you are passionate about. There is purpose to that passion, and whatever it may be for you, pursue it. Go for that dream even though the road to obtaining it will be hard. I always thought one dreams of achieving something, and then that's it. But what I learned is that:

Then one day, when you've been working long enough for your tuition to be paid, you discover that this month's Payday will be exciting for the first time in what feels like forever. This Payday, you can introduce your paycheck to its lonely, minute number of brethren huddled in the deep corners of your savings account. And slowly but surely your bank numbers start to rise again. It takes time and patience, but in the words of Mother Gothel, "All good things to those who wait."

It may seem that what I did was extreme, and in some ways, maybe it was. I made many sacrifices. But it helped me achieve some big goals, as well as uncovering new layers of myself. As time goes on, I hope my budget will be less rigid. But no matter how much money I have available to spend, I know that what I have learned from my "wallet diet" will always stick with me.