I was not where I wanted to be in my career and was having a slow day at the job I had at the point when I drew this. The job at the time was to drive autonomous cars around Scottsdale and to provide feedback as to what happened during a day’s worth of driving. On our way out to Scottsdale every day I would always see a far-away view of the downtown Tempe area as we drove North on the 143. Just seeing that everyday made me want to live in the city one day in the future – which is what inspired me to draw that on a sticky note on a particularly slow day on the job.
This 2-point perspective drawing of a fictitious city makes me think that anything is possible and that if you can dream it, you can achieve it. I wasn’t living in the city and did not have the job I wanted at the time I drew this but am now living in the city and on the career path I want to be on as I move forward in life. With each advancement in life I make as I reach goals of mine, I set new ones and aim to reach higher everyday. It’s amazing what can be done in a year when you keep at it and at the rate I am at, I am excited for where I’ll be in a year from now in the future as I continue to strive forward.
I am aware that not everyone thinks quite like this and I make it my goal to help people reach their highest potential when I interact with them. Wether it be through what I do for my job, what I do athletically, or how I speak to them in person, I want to leave whoever I interact with more inspired than they were before we started talking. I want them to believe they are more than thought they were and to not be afraid to chase after their goal(s) no matter how big or small they are. I may not be in a position to do big things for the world right now but I believe that by doing small things in big ways, it leaves a lasting impact on those around me. While I’m not fully sure who my message will reach I know that largest of waves begin with the smallest of ripples in their inception.
I’m a firm believer in the notion that we create the future we want to inhabit. The little efforts we make today impact our future massively. Wether we spend an hour per day working on ourselves or an hour a day not, we age the same. Over time, the overall product produced by each investment, into whatever it is we choose to invest in, will become more than the sum of all of our contributions. An hour per day for a month might not make a noticeable difference in anything but an hour per day for a year, or a decade even, adds up and that’s when things go from good to great.
In a society where gratification is instant and comfort is encouraged, we are hardly pushed out of our own boundaries. With the world changing as fast as it is, it is forcing us to adapt to new, ever-changing norms as well. Normal is an illusion and just as growth is necessary to keep up with inflation, it has now become essential for survival. These are tough times, I will admit that, but I believe this is the push we need to help us get out of our comfort zones and continue to push our own boundaries individually and as a society. While the present looks grim, I think the future will be bright. The present-day terrors are only building us up so that we’re strong enough to create a better future. through all the storm clouds of today, I see hope as I look up and beyond.
Submission by Seamus White
