"Limiting myself is not an option."

Who would leave a full-time job for an internship? Our #MCM would -- and for good reason. You may already know superstar week, Darien LaBeach, but he has some HUGE news to tell you.

1. What's your story? What makes you unique?

A big part of my uniqueness is that I don't take myself too seriously. But to really understand me, I suppose we would need to start at the beginning. Understand that things may seem a bit random. There’s always a method to the madness.

I was born in Jamaica and moved to the US when I was 1. Sadly this means I can’t be President. But, growing up, that was the only thing my parents made me believe I couldn’t be. Because of them, I never truly felt there were limits to achieving what I wanted to achieve. This was even more important for me since I was the first member of my family to grow up in the United States. My parents couldn’t rely on prior knowledge to help me with a lot of things. But they are some of the smartest people I know and did some solid parenting on me and my sister based on their faith and intelligence.

Since then, I’ve moved to a few different places, traveled to some interesting destinations, graduated college and have met some incredible people. All of this to say, that my story is one of personal growth and adventure. Moving around gave me the opportunity to learn about myself in new places, around new people, with new ways of looking at the world. I learned to challenge my way of thinking and strengthen my own opinions.

But most recently, I left my job in Atlanta and the comforts of a salary & benefits to pursue a new dream in a dream city. To some, that decision was foolish. Some don’t think giving up a career for the hopes of another seems realistic. Especially when there were no guarantees. However, it was during this time that I remembered a statement by the famous Will Smith that has stuck with me over the years: “Reality is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity. So why be realistic? Why limit yourself?”

Limiting myself is not an option. So when I considered what was left, venturing into the unknown was the only real choice I had.

2. What motivates you?

Ever since college, my desire has been to inspire. That drive, manifests and draws from a lot of places, primarily from the idea that I am constantly growing and learning. In college, I was incredibly fortunate to work as a Tour Guide for the University of Georgia. Our boss and my friend, Eric Johnson, is to this day one of the most inspirational people I know. He told us a story from when he was in college.

He had this really smart professor who wanted to make an interesting point to the class. One day, the professor drew a circle on the board and said, “This is you.” He explained that inside the circle was everything you as an individual know. Outside of the circle was everything you didn’t know. As you gain more knowledge (through things like college) your circle grows, but it also starts to touch more things you don’t know. I've illustrated below.

The amount of information outside of our circles continues to increase drastically every day.

Does that blow your mind? It did for me! The lesson? On one hand you could see it as a negative: “We learn more to get dumber.” or “I’ll never learn everything." Pretty sad. I look at it another way. As we get smarter, we realize just how many more amazing things there are to learn. I’m motivated by a desire to learn as much as I can in order to be the best version of myself. That way, I can benefit and inspire others to do the same.

3. Who is a hero of yours?

My mom. Mainly because she had to put up with raising precocious me. She is the most family oriented, emotionally intelligent, and empathetic person I have ever met. Thinking about how she left her home to move to another country with her new husband and baby boy truly inspires awe. She’s worked as a nurse for the majority of her life, dedicating her life to treating others. When I think of her unshakeable faith, determination and ability to do everything she does, it definitely sets the bar high for other mothers, but also the lady I am lucky enough to one day start a family with.

4. What's your future plan? Your goals?

Next month, I begin working full time in Dumbo at Huge as an Associate Planner. Put another way, I get to ask ‘why’ for a living. It’s been an incredible ride and for now, my goal is to take life one day at a time. It’s ironic, considering my job literally has the word planner in the title.

This is not to say that I am failing to plan. Rather, that I plan to continue working hard & being nice to people. Doing these two things, in particular, seem to pay some of the largest dividends. I will continue to learn as much as I can and apply that knowledge to the brands and clients I get to work for.

One day, I hope to start my own agency. Remember those amazing people I keep talking about? It would be a dream to start something equally amazing that gives us the opportunity to bring our individual talents together in order to push the needle of culture and creation forward. Maybe it will happen in 5 years, maybe it will happen in 20. Only time will tell!

5. If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?

The way I see it, life is made up of moments, so don’t let any of them pass you by. On the surface, this seems like an eloquent way of describing FOMO (in a way it is). However, I think this is truly what drives me to seek out as many opportunities as possible – especially the ones other people may describe as impossible goals. One of my favorite quotes for those people is this:

“If someone says 'that’s impossible.’ We should understand it to mean ‘according to my limited experience and narrow understanding of reality, that is unlikely.’"

6. What is something you feel strongly about (a cause, belief, etc.)?

I feel very strongly about people participating in the political process. In high school, I was apathetic to voting because I did not feel like my vote made a difference. That fallacy of thought is shared by others and is a real barrier needing to be overcome. I credit my change of heart to the conversations I had with my father, a deeper understanding of history and the fight that African Americans in this country endured to ensure that I could have the right to vote, and the actions of friends who work in politics. So now, whenever I hear someone say that they do not vote for x, y, z reasons, I do my best to understand why they feel this way, point them to sources more credible than I, but also provide my own story to change hearts and minds. If you don’t use your voice to affect the story, then you fail to be a part of the narrative.

7. What's one of the coolest things you've ever done?

Freshman year of college, my hall-mates found ourselves on America’s Got Talent doing “interpretive dance” with our group called The Morphs – look us up, it’s pretty entertaining. But this was a prime example of saying “Of course!” to doing something that others might shy away from. We had gone to an audition in costume to support some friends of ours, and when the organizers told us that we were “too colorful not to have a routine” we choreographed a number to an iconic song. Then we, were flown down to Orlando to do it again for national television. Everything: flight, hotel and spending money was paid for by AGT which basically made it a paid spring break. One of the most unique and exciting moments of my life. Essentially, it was the best joke we ever pulled that got us on national TV. Oh, and this one time I hung out with Conan O'Brien. No big deal, but I think we're best friends.

8. Anything we haven't asked that you'd like to talk about.

To college students, in particular, know that itʼs ok to not have a “plan.” As you get closer and closer to graduation, people are going to continue to ask the same question in various forms, “Whatʼs your plan after graduation?” “Do you have a job lined up after you graduate?” etc. Some people have their job, internship or marriage planned but if you donʼt, you can smile all the same. Taking the time to figure out what it is you want to dedicate yourself to and to express your passion for is just as valuable as diving into a job. If you talk to any industry professional they will tell you the same thing. Donʼt be too eager to start the “real world” until you have explored all the options that only a 20 something gets the opportunity to enjoy. Anthony Bourdain said it best, “If youʼre 22, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel–as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them–wherever you go.” Explore the world and your opportunities before you lock yourself into anything–you wonʼt regret it.

Lastly, in my 24 years of life I’ve learned that there are two secrets to success:

1. Never reveal everything you know.

Darien enjoys a good joke but is always available to talk and provides mentorship for job search, resume critiquing and professional development. Connect with him via email at darien.labeach@gmail.com as well as Instagram (@dlabeach) & Twitter (@dlabeach)