This past week, the PLA class visited 3dots downtown. 3dots is a vibrant space downtown that hosts artistic and innovative experiences where one can experience everything from local artists to avant-garde performances to pop up restaurants. While at 3dots, we had a chance to talk to and to ask questions to Spud Marshall, the founder of 3dots and various other non-profits in State College including New Leaf.
Spud shared his journey and while the road he took to become who he is now is very inspiring and untraditional, it served as a gentle reminder that everything is not black and white. For example, Spud graduated from Penn State as a Mechanical Engineer but he has done more work in social entrepreneurship and creative economic development than he has done in mechanical engineering.
Marshall’s story reiterated the fact that the path to success is not a straight line and that the definition of success is fluid and differs very much from one individual to another. While for many, success is mostly about how much money, fame, and power that one has, success for others is about doing what one is passionate about, changing peoples’ lives, and just turning communities around.
It doesn’t matter where or how you start off; the most important thing is your journey. It is my strong belief that if you know what you want for yourself, believe in yourself, and work hard toward your goals, then the universe will undoubtedly pay your hard work with positive results and you will see your labor bear fruits.
If you really want something, the universe will bend in your favor. But how much are you willing to sacrifice in order for you to get where you want to reach? The cost of success is nothing short of hard work. In fact, hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard. There is no such thing as productive procrastination in the struggle for success. You have to work twice as much as everyone else, you have to be willing to let go of the things that are slowing you down, and you have to have the necessary moral discipline to pursue various paths that lead to your destination without losing focus.
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