Prompt Page 0013: Re-springing Your Step

“Tell us about the last experience you had that left you feeling fresh, energized, and rejuvenated. What was it that had such a positive effect on you?”

I suppose it would have to be seeing Lester’s post about my new script.

Very few things are as empowering as positive feedback for me.

Constructive criticism is good. It gives me a direction to go. A way to become better than what I currently am. It fuels my drive to improve.

But the positive feedback, the knowing that my work is of quality, useful, and appreciated, does things to my brain that nothing else can do.

It gives me a huge confidence boost, which makes me want to tackle bigger and larger problems. I was able to overcome the hurtles behind me, so I’ll be able to handle the ones ahead of me. All I have to do is try.

Heaps and heaps of motivation. Gaining more followers, having likes on my videos, and receiving emails and comments makes me want to keep pushing and producing.

Seeing that people appreciate the time and effort I put into a free project makes me feel like it is a worthwhile endeavor. Hearing how my scripts help others makes me feel like I’m making positive ripples in my sphere of influence, which makes me want to keep doing positive things.

I’m helping people, which is what I feel my true calling in life is. To do good and make the world better, in whatever small ways I can.

And pride.

Pride in my work.

Pride in myself.

I am proud to say, “Yes, I made those scripts.” “Yes, my scripts are used in studios.” “Yes, I could charge for them, but that’s not why I made them, so I’m not going to.”

I am proud of the reputation I have built, and continue to build every day. I am proud of the direction I am going as a person and an artist.

I’m proud of my decision to come to Florida and pursue a career that I felt in my heart was right. That I stuck with it even when some people who were really close to me told me I wasn’t going to be successful. That it was a bad choice. That I was wasting my time, and that it was an ‘art degree’.

Screw you. It’s a Bachelors of Science.

I don’t care if I had purple hair when I got my degree, and that somehow that makes my degree ‘less’ in your eyes. That’s like saying I can’t teach when I wear flip-flops because my knowledge will leak out of my toes.

I don’t care that you don’t think of it as technical and hard. The truth doesn’t care if you believe in it. It will still be true regardless of what you think.

I’m happy with my choices, and I’m sorry you couldn’t be happy for me. I’m sorry your self-loathing was still eating away at you and that you felt like you had to tear me down so you could pull yourself up.

I’m not going to be sorry that I refused to back down, though. I’m not going to be sorry for not listening to you and for proving you wrong.

And if I am honest, there is a vindictive part of me who enjoys the fact that by being successful I am making those people eat their words. I know that is low, and shallow, but I like knowing that I am proving them wrong, and that they are not able to share in these warm, positive feelings with me. That they chose not to support me, and so now they can only watch from the sidelines.

I am proud that my mom can take pride in having me as her daughter (even if I have character flaws like vindictiveness that I need to work on…).

I feel I bring her honor by being successful and respected within my career field.

I feel strong, competent, and able.

I feel it all comes back to my favorite quote:

I’m going to succeed…
because I’m crazy enough to think I can.