A couple weeks ago at the end of a long work day I walked into a local coffee shop to write a research paper for my clinical treatment class. Despite how passionate about the topic I am due to life circumstances and being overwhelmed by work and school I was feeling uninspired. I can talk about the injustice of trafficking (specifically domestic minor sex trafficking in the case of this particular paper) all day every day, usually, but I did not in that moment want to sit down and create a well written paper. As soon as I entered the coffee shop I noticed a friend of mine was sitting by the front window. I had not seen him in awhile so I walked over to say hello, I knew I really needed to work but I obviously was open to the distraction and glad to see him. After catching up a little bit, asking about his wife and work, I told him about the paper I came in to write. We spoke for a few minutes about that and other interesting topics (those are for another blog). When we started to say our goodbyes he said something that has really stuck with me since then. "Go change the world, one paper at a time." I had never really thought about how even the assignments I might see as menial, like writing a 10 page paper for a class, are preparing me for my future and are a chance to share my passion now with my professors and my cohort. The news articles and research I read to prepare to write that paper and each paper I write, and the topics I wrote about in that paper helped increase my knowledge base for working with victims of human trafficking. The paper is also being shared with my professor and all my classmates. It made me really disappointed in myself that I had procrastinated so much on that particular paper (and most assignments this semester). I think sometimes, even when I am focusing so much of my chosen studies are trauma and human trafficking, I still see my courses as a thing I must do to get those letters behind my name so I can take steps to doing what I really want to do. I do not always see each lecture, each assignment, each paper as an opportunity to better myself to go and change the world and a chance to share my heart and my passion with my others.
Thanks, Sean! This great friend is also my favorite rapper. Check him out! @iamseanlittle http://iamseanlittle.me/
Thanks, Sean! This great friend is also my favorite rapper. Check him out! @iamseanlittle http://iamseanlittle.me/