The Plastic Spoon!

I know all about being born with a plastic spoon. A plastic spoon might be found in the trash because it’s meant for one-time use only. Being born with a plastic spoon means one starts life at the bottom. One may have hard working parents who serve as good role models and provide what’s needed. However, when they pass away, they may not leave behind much except debt. Saying I was born with a plastic spoon isn’t a knock on my parents; it’s just the truth. I was born poor, with parents who were socially and economically uneducated. The likelihood of me graduating from college and earning a degree was extremely low. Yet, I earned a master’s degree and beyond, defining what hard work and determination are.
My plastic spoon was fortunately handed to me in the 70s, before cell phones and computers became common items. I didn’t even realize I was poor or different until I moved to Greenwich, CT, from the Bronx in 5th grade. Being light-skinned in Mount Vernon and the Bronx, NY, led to me being called a ‘white boy.’ There was no such judgment when I moved to Greenwich; I was clearly black and clearly out of place. My parents instilled in me that I had to work twice as hard to achieve what a ‘white’ person did. During my childhood, I felt this was a false statement. I didn’t apply myself in middle school, high school, or college. By 25, I had a college degree with minimal effort. I was the first on my mother’s side of the family to achieve this, yet I lacked the work ethic deserving of it. Despite this, I worked daily and often held two jobs, striving for a better life.
The plastic spoon effect is now worse than ever. Social media and the internet have people born with plastic spoons investing their time and money in items like sneakers, clothes, and cars that don’t last and don’t build family wealth. Being born with a plastic spoon has become more than just a starting point; it’s a mentality of spend, spend, and spend more to appear wealthy, when these items will eventually join the plastic spoon in the garbage.
At 51, I have far more than I ever thought possible. Understanding this drives me to continue growing my personal empire so that one day when I pass, I leave behind a trust for my family. Not just a watch or a car, but an assortment of properties and companies that can be transformed over time into a family name associated with generational wealth or even a silver spoon. Just because I was born with a plastic spoon doesn’t mean I can’t leave with a silver spoon. It’s possible with the right guidance, hard work, time, and a little bit of luck