In my first college level English class, my professor had us do introductory essays to assess our writing proficiency. He said that my writing was a rare mix of horrible and pretentious (he didn’t mince words). At first I felt destroyed, like any dreams I had of being a writer instantly became impossible, but I decided I wanted to prove him wrong. By the end of the semester, he said he wanted to use one of my essays as an example for the other students but that it would set too high of a standard. Sometimes success, whatever that means for you, is just on the other side of that experience that makes you want to give up. Keep pushing through! Great article, Carlos!