Noah G., Incarnation Catholic School
The Foundation for Success
To lay a good foundation is to set your life afoot. You really cannot set a wrong foundation because your foundation determines who you are and what you will want to be. “What are you doing in your life now, that will help you in the future,” Robert Cornwell. You should not have to worry about whether you have set the right foundation, if you do not like what you do, try something else.
Your foundation is based on the goals and hobbies of your childhood. Some of the hobbies I had were puzzle / building related. Such as games like Superliminal, Clue, Portal / Portal 2, and every child’s favorite, Minecraft. I could come home every day and build whatever idea came. But then, I discovered Redstone, Minecraft’s electricity. I started to build doors, elevators, and at one point, a functional printer. This led to building my self-esteem, which led to me thinking of being an electrical engineer. I thought if I could do it in Minecraft, there must be a way to bring it into the real world.
Another thing that helped build my self-esteem was the Rubik’s Cube. I started solving one in third grade. My first solve took about three hours, then down to two, and then to one. My confidence kept growing, and I kept setting lower and lower goals. 30 minutes, then 20, then 10. It came to the point where I wanted to get to under 1 minute, and I knew that I would need to get a speed cube. So, my grandpa decided he would get me one as a birthday gift. I went all the way down to just 41 seconds to solve that cube. To this day, it is still the main Rubik’s Cube I use.
Goals are also a big part of building your self-esteem. When you finish a goal, you get more confident. Some goals I had are getting straight A’s and saving up to buy a GoPro. A goal I still have today is to get into MIT. When you complete one of your goals, you will gain more confidence in yourself, and you will feel you can do greater things.
Building a foundation is critical to helping your life. Whatever you do in the future is determined by what you do in the past. If you liked playing with building blocks as a kid, you might consider being a construction worker. If you liked math as a kid, you might consider being an engineer. If you liked sports as a kid, you might consider becoming an Olympic athlete. There are many foundations for many different careers that will determine the future of your life. The only thing you need to do is to make sure yours goes the way you want it to go.
