Overdoing it

Sometimes inspiration strikes in the most unnecessary moments.

One such moment would be a United States History project in which the task is to create a cereal box advertising one of Roosevelt’s New Deal Programs.

Not only did I have an amazing idea of how I would advertise the CWA (Civil Works Administration), but I had the audacity to challenge a similarly creative friend to see who could create the better box. I won in the end… but not without ridiculous amounts of effort on my part.

Firstly, I painted one of the hundreds of cereal boxes I have in my possession a light beige. Secondly, I formatted and printed the information required from the project rubric. Thirdly, and definitely the most time-consuming(ly), I made dozens and dozens of little “rocks”, painting them various shades of gray, adding shadows with markers, and meticulously attaching them to the box with hot glue. Fourthly, I made three little “dudes” to be “working on building” the box. One to put up the last letter on a painstakingly-cut sign, one to paint the final letter on the doorframe, and a third to do something with some sort of squeegee (honestly I’m not sure what the bald dude is holding).

Not only did I receive an outstanding grade for the assignment, but my teacher even wrote me a note saying “You are an encouragement and inspiration to me.” and I’m almost certain my project will be used as an example in years to come.

To go above and beyond on a project like this is completely unnecessary, but to be as proud of a result as I am of this is worth the effort. (I’m not saying I’ll willingly cut and paint cardboard rocks for another six hours of my life-this was quite enough-but it turned out fantastically).

Consider going above and beyond on something as trivial as a school project, or maybe do a boring chore with extra excitement, and it may just give you the courage to go above and beyond when it really matters too!