People Who Inspire Me: Ramon Ayala

There are many people who inspire me, but probably the most surprising would be Ramon Ayala, aka Daddy Yankee. So, how could a reggaeton singer possibly inspire someone in the hair industry? Well, it has nothing to do with his hair, although I will say he does have a great style.  

Let's rewind a little to my college days, before I even went to hair school. I enrolled in a semester of Spanish, which I didn't really see coming because I had never had the desire to learn Spanish. But, I needed it for my degree and I told myself it would be a good thing to know in the long run. Oddly enough, something changed and I really became excited about learning Spanish.

After I moved home to go to hairschool, one of my friends introduced me to an artist from the world of reggaeton. Instantly I became hooked, and I asked him about more artists.  He told me I might like a guy named Daddy Yankee. I YouTubed him and at first wasn't that impressed, but on a second listen I fell in love with his music. The beat was addicting and even though I barely knew what he was saying, the music really spoke to me. The more I listened, the more I picked up on. One thing in particular was a phrase he sang at the end of a number of his songs, "El cielo es el limite" - "The sky is the limit". As I have begun to grow my career, this phrase has stuck with me.

Daddy Yankee built himself up from the bottom and now has a music career, owns his own record label, has his own non-profit organization to give back to his community, and is continuing to build and add to his empire. But it wasn't easy for him. He started at the bottom and has worked to the top. The sky is the limit for him; anything he wants to achieve he finds a way of doing so. He is an example to his fans of achieving your dreams. He is an example to me of not giving up, seeing what I want to achieve and finding a way of making it happen.

Everytime I feel stuck, frustrated, or that where I want to go with my career (or my life) seems impossible, I think to myself "El cielo es el limite". I have adopted Daddy Yankee's motto, if you will, as my own. I have realized that I can accomplish what I want to if I go for it and find a way of making it happen. Thank you Ramon Ayala, Daddy Yankee, for inspiring me to push myself to make it to the top of wherever I am wanting to be.