I Am a Rough Draft

Adrian S. Potter
4 min readSep 6, 2021

And I’m in constant need of revision.

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

The Secondhand Inspiration Project begins with a motivational quote and ventures wherever the creative path meanders.

“Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they’re finished.” ― Daniel Gilbert

Recently, I had a conversation with a close friend in which she made a saddening revelation.

“I am at the point of my life where I have come to terms that I will never be successful,” she confessed.

Her words struck me in the gut like an emotional sucker punch.

She continued her concession statement. “I have a family that I love. I have a secure job. I have a decent home and some money in the bank. But I will never be wildly successful like I envisioned when I graduated from college. And I guess I am okay with that.”

I did not have the right words to be her cheerleader at that moment. But hearing this from somebody that I care about and respect was jarring and heartbreaking.

Now in context, her current mental state was skewed by current events and COVID-related wonkiness. Also, she had experienced several hard-luck happenings in her personal life. I understood her melancholia and much of what fueled it.

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Adrian S. Potter
Adrian S. Potter

Written by Adrian S. Potter

Antisocial Extrovert · Writer and Poet, Engineer, Consultant, Public Speaker · Writing about self-improvement, gratitude, and creativity · www.adrianspotter.com

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