Me in 2043

What should I even write about? Honestly, I don’t even like thinking about the future. It’s like there are too many unknowns, too many damn possibilities, and not enough clear answers to let me know if I’m on the right path. Every time I think about it, this heavy thud starts in my chest. It speeds up, and before I know it, my vision gets all shaky, and I start to feel warm. It’s not until I snap out of it and start moving that I realize what’s happening to me. (Does that sound like anger? Because that’s what it feels like.) You look around, and everyone else seems to be so put together so successful and I’m sitting here thinking, I don’t want to be some celebrity or some athlete. No, I’m looking to build something real my own business, . But the worst part is seeing these so-called successful people in my life, and all they give me are these fortune cookie pieces of advice. It’s so frustrating.

I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. I can’t be. Other people in different majors or at different points in life have to feel this same frustration too. Why is it that people hold onto the “keys to success” like they’re some sacred secret? Why do they hoard it all and take it with them to the grave? It's like seeing different levels of success and then realizing how selfish some people are, not willing to share anything that could help someone else. I get it nothing comes for free, trust me, this country’s proven that. But what I’m talking about isn’t a fantasy job or some crazy pipe dream. It’s about achieving something that’s real, something an “average Joe” can have. And seeing the work people put into it just to get by, just to try and be “average”it’s exhausting.

I’m sorry, but when I think about the future, it just frustrates me. It feels like everything’s stacked against me, but I’m not going to give up. I won’t. I will not stop until I get to my dreams. And when I get there, I’ll be the one to show everyone that it’s possible. I’ll give back to a community that works hard, that wants to make it but doesn’t always know how.

"Mr. Santana"

I’m sitting in my office, pen in hand, ready to sell off part of my company. I look down at the date—09/15/43. And then it hits me. I’m about to make the biggest mistake of my life. All the values and goals I’ve built up in the name of “success” none of them align with who I really am. My hand’s shaking as I hover over the signature line, and I take a deep breath. No. THIS is not what I stand for.

In that moment, I remember why I started this whole thing. I think about the anger I used to feel, the anger that made me swear I’d never become like “them.” I don’t talk much about religion, but right then, I felt it I don’t know why, but I felt like something was watching over me. Maybe it’s my past self-reminding me, or maybe it’s something else entirely. Either way, I sat there, frozen in silence. My face started to sweat. I felt the tension in the air, the eyes of the room on me, waiting for me to seal this deal. And in that moment, I made my choice.

I slowly set the pen down, pushed my chair back, and leaned into it, taking in the moment. I looked around the table at these greedy, self-centered bastards and said, “Sorry, but I can’t do this.” I can’t sell something I’ve poured everything into for people who don’t deserve it. They haven’t worked for it. They haven’t sacrificed a single thing. With a newfound strength, I held their gaze, unflinching. Their smug grins began to fade, while mine grew.

“The reason this company exists,” I said, my voice unwavering, “is for the community. It’s about helping those who truly deserve it. That’s all that matters.” Some people don’t deserve the future they’ve been handed. And some who do deserve it will never get there. But I stand for something different. I stand to make a change a change that even my career can’t fix. A change that no amount of money, race, or nationality can touch. I stand to make a difference.