It’s already clear (has been for awhile) you are not an average “kid,” or maybe I should now say “young woman.”

you’re not inwardly focused, you’re outwardly focused.

you don’t wait for life to unfold, you think about things, plan, wonder and try

you’re not afraid to take risks and do things that are different, scary

you expect a level of excellence from yourself and push to achieve it

you’re not going through the motions, you’re grabbing life by the hand saying, “Let’s go!”

three recent cases in point:

Brave & confident – the city of Dover wasn’t able to organize a spring soccer team for your age group.  You wanted to play – so did a few other girls – and so an agreement was reached with the town of Epping where Dover girls could join their team. You didn’t hesitate!  Looking back at my own level of confidence at 11 years old, I would have been way too nervous and intimidated to become part of a team in a distant town, joining a group of players and coaches I didn’t even know. This took guts, confidence and self assurance.  With this kind of “nothing will stop me” attitude, you’re going to be a big success Emma.

Entrepreneurial – having decided you wanted to start babysitting, you attended a course at Wentworth Douglas Hospital to prepare yourself.  Several weeks later you had your certificate… and knowledge. Did you stop there and wait for the world to come to your doorstep?  No!!  You made business cards, laminated them and walked around your neighborhood handing them out… but not randomly… to houses where you knew they had kids.  This is called “being entrepreneurial” (read earlier blogs about things you did like raising money to fight cancer).  There are two kinds of people in this world… people who wait for circumstances to come to them and people who create their own circumstances.  You are the latter.  This is of particular interest to me and Grammy  because we started our own business, and later on, created a scholarship called The Beaupre Entrepreneurial Scholarship, recognizing and rewarding students from Somersworth High School going to UNH who demonstrate the attributes of personal motivation. Entrepreneurs make things happen, they don’t sit back.

Achiever – this past school year you had a hunger to succeed, a drive to reach a certain level academically.  While you’ve always been a good student, in sixth grade you set a specific goal:  achieving high honors which is a 9.3 average across all your classes.  You not only worked hard to achieve this, you thought about it often and talked about it… with your parents and your teachers. The goal was clear, tangible, measurable and openly shared.  There was one class where you were just a little shy of the 9.3 mark, but because all your other grades had reached that level – and because your teacher knew what you were trying to achieve and was proud of you and supportive – the 9.2 became a 9.3 and you achieved your objective.  Way to go Emma!  Dreams and goals are so important in life… but equally important is creating a path, a blueprint with specific steps to help make dreams and goals a reality.  That’s what you did Emma.

Keep doing this your entire life and you will have an amazing journey, touching many, making a difference, leaving the world a better place.  I’m so proud of you!