The only dream that has ever mattered to me is “The American Dream”. When I think of The American Dream I am reminded of the old school, non-stop, 24/7, bone crushing, teeth gritting, back breaking Hustle that this country was built on. But you might be asking yourself, “what does the american dream even mean in 2019”? Well that question doesn’t have one single answer and that is the beauty of this great nation. There is no predetermined path to success, only guaranteed methods of working toward it. Hard work alone does not guarantee success, hard work with the search of opportunity is where you have the best fighting chance. What some people fail to understand is the difference between a “guarantee of opportunity” and a “guarantee of outcome” opportunities are not equal and it is the same reason that they are not given. Opportunities are sought out and taken by the Hustlers, the Go Getters, and those who still seek The American Dream. I learned at a young age what it means to pursue the american dream, it means being beaten down time after time and growing in spite of it. The American Dream to me is an ever changing concept, it is the hard road traveled and it is every goal that you make and break. Pursuing the dream, for me personally, has been and still continues to be a difficult road. A long road where I have encountered many versions of myself, each with their own unique challenges. Whether it was the homeless middle schooler trying to provide for himself and his pill addicted mother, or the naive 18 year old who signed his life into the Corps for a little bit of self purpose, or most recently the broke college kid just trying to make ends meet long enough to see a graduation. My struggles, challenges, and hardships aren’t unique and neither are yours. What is unique is what you make of yourself in spite of it all. Life is not about the shitty cards you are dealt, it is how you play the hand and hustle the dealer. The American Dream will never die as long as people are still willing to fight for it. My current dream is to graduate from college and use my knowledge gained to pursue a career in counter-terrorism. The only challenges in my way are money and time. Two things everyone knows are continuously in short supply and high demand. However, neither of those have ever stopped me from previous goals and they won't stop me from future ones. The hustle and The American Dream will never die.
-Justin
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