Tag: Writing Prompt

  • What’s your biggest dream?

    What’s your biggest dream?

    To write a book worthy of a Pulitzer Prize.

    Not because I need an award. Awards gather dust. They eventually become another object on a shelf.

    What I hope for is something quieter.

    I hope to write something that outlives me. A book that someone opens years from now and still finds truth in. A book that reminds a stranger they are not alone, or helps someone understand a history they never knew they carried.

    Most of all, I hope my words become proof that I was here.

    That I lived. That I paid attention. That I loved enough to write it all down.

    I hope that someday, someone I’ve never met will turn the final page, sit in the silence for a moment, and begin asking questions. Who was this man? What kind of life shaped him? Why did these stories matter so much to him? What was he trying to leave behind?

    If they dig deeply enough into the words, I hope they’ll find the answers. Not because I ever wrote about myself directly, but because every honest sentence carries a little of its author within it.

    Long after my voice has gone silent, I hope the stories remain. Not to make me unforgettable, but to leave behind a small piece of light for whoever comes next.

    If that journey one day leads to a Pulitzer Prize, I would receive it with deep gratitude. But the prize has never been the dream.

    The dream has always been to leave something behind that time cannot easily erase.

    Kyle J. Hayes

    kylehayesblog.com

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    Resources for Hard Times

    If you’re looking for practical help, food support, or community resources, you can visit the Salt, Ink & Soul Resources Page.

    👉 Resources for Hard Times

  • What Do You Love Now That You Hated When You Were Younger?

    What Do You Love Now That You Hated When You Were Younger?

    Myself.

    That answer took me a long time to arrive at.

    I would not say I hated myself when I was younger. Hate is too strong a word. But I spent a great deal of my youth wishing I were someone else.

    Even at a young age, I knew I was different.

    Sports were fine, but I was never as good as my older brother. Music was enjoyable, but I could not play an instrument or sing like my other siblings. Everywhere I looked, someone seemed to have a gift that was easier to see than mine.

    My gift was quieter.

    I was smart. I liked books.

    That may not sound like much now, but when you are young, fitting in can feel more important than understanding who you are. I spent years measuring myself against other people and coming up short because I was using the wrong ruler.

    I wanted to be an athlete. The musician. The person everyone noticed when they walked into a room.

    Instead, I was the kid who disappeared into a book.

    What I did not understand then was that the things that made me different were also the things that would shape my life. The hours spent reading taught me how to think. They taught me curiosity. They taught me empathy. They taught me how to sit with an idea long enough to understand it.

    Most importantly, they taught me how to find my own voice.

    Age has a way of settling old arguments. The things we once viewed as flaws often turn out to be foundations.

    Today, I no longer wish I were someone else.

    I am grateful for the quiet kid who loved books. Grateful for the young man who kept reading even when it was not popular. Grateful for the person who eventually learned that fitting in is overrated and that becoming yourself is the greater achievement.

    What do I love now that I disliked when I was younger?

    The answer is simple.

    I love being me.

    Kyle J. Hayes

    kylehayesblog.com

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    Resources for Hard Times

    If you’re looking for practical help, food support, or community resources, you can visit the Salt, Ink & Soul Resources Page.

    👉 Resources for Hard Times

  • Who Are You Most Inspired By?

    Who Are You Most Inspired By?

    The person who inspires me most is Fred Rogers.

    Not because he was famous.

    Not because generations of children grew up watching him.

    And not because he seemed to have all the answers.

    He inspires me because he knew exactly who he was and never seemed interested in becoming someone else.

    In a world that often rewards loud voices, he spoke softly.

    In a world that celebrates outrage, he chose kindness.

    In a culture that often mistakes cynicism for wisdom, he believed people were worth caring about.

    What strikes me most is that he did what he truly loved. He found a way to use his gifts in the service of others and then spent decades doing exactly that. He did not seem to chase trends, popularity, or approval. He held fast to his convictions, whether the crowd agreed or not.

    That kind of consistency is rare.

    Many of us spend years trying to figure out who we are. Others know who they are but are afraid to live it. The pressure to fit in, to be accepted, or to be successful on someone else’s terms can be overwhelming.

    Yet he seemed content to walk a different path.

    A path built on the belief that every person has value.

    As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to admire that more than talent, wealth, or fame. The people who leave the deepest mark on the world are often the ones who make others feel seen. They remind us that kindness is not weakness, that compassion requires courage, and that treating people with dignity is a worthy life’s work.

    When I think about the kind of person I hope to become, I don’t think about being the smartest person in the room or the most successful.

    I think about being useful.

    I think about leaving people better than I found them.

    That is why he inspires me.

    Not because he changed the world through power.

    But because he changed it through service, one person at a time.

    Kyle J. Hayes

    kylehayesblog.com

    Please like, comment, and share

    Resources for Hard Times

    If you’re looking for practical help, food support, or community resources, you can visit the Salt, Ink & Soul Resources Page.

    👉 Resources for Hard Times