Perspective Points #1: The Intro
DISCLAIMER: I wrote this on January 7th, so if this blog does not match the following in regards to its structure/layout, that is why.
As I sit on a plane with the same back pain I’ve grown all too familiar with as a result of the many cross country trips I have made between home and school, I prepare myself not only for a new semester, but a new year. While at the time I am writing this we are only a week into 2023, I can’t help but rethink this idea once again as I look to make this year the one where I “actually do something worthwhile.” I throw quotes around that phrase because I have been telling myself starting a podcast about my thoughts and writing a blog about it is that something. Whether this is the only time I write here or it is the beginning of newfound love for spewing what’s going on in my head to the entire world, I want to say thank you for reading this far. Maybe now would be a good time for a brief (most likely not that brief) introduction to who I am.
Luke Hopkins. Son of Brian and Jonell and brother to Jake, Joey, and Eve. While only 20 years-old I feel as if I have had my fair share of experiences in my lifetime, and I’m not just saying that because almost every adult refers to me as mature for my age. Growing up and up until this day, I have participated in quite possibly the widest range of sports: from playing little league baseball against kids four years older than me so that my brothers and I could all be on the same team to an oddly successful swimming career to being named captain of the football and rugby teams in high school and finishing off with a brief stint on USC’s rugby team. Nowadays I simply partake in Hybrid Athlete Training which is just a fancy way of saying I lift heavy objects and run until my legs basically stop working. As a certified personal trainer, I have an abundance of fitness and health related topics to talk about, but more of that talk at a later time.
In addition to sports, I acted in several different theater productions for both my school and external organizations from 2nd grade up until high school. I always like to say that me getting braces in the 8th grade was the reason I never got casted for a Nickelodeon show and why my acting career died, but that’s just me. I had a YouTube channel dedicated to Call of Duty and Minecraft for two years while I was in middle school; though it ended with me wiping the internet of any traces before high school out of fear of it being a topic of conversation. With my more recent endeavors, I self-taught myself how to play the ukulele in the abundant amount of free time I had during quarantine because I thought it was the most productive thing I could be doing with my time. What a strange time spring of 2020 was.
To talk a little bit more about the present, I am entering my second semester of my junior year at the University of Southern California. And before someone makes a comment about it, no, my parents did not make a large donation. Quite the opposite, but perhaps that’ll be another post as well. I am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Neuroscience with two minors in Psychology and Nutrition. While my quick deflection to the classic “Where are you looking to go to Med School?” question usually consists of some type of grad school acknowledgment, I really started studying the human brain and behavior to better understand people. At the end of the day, I am still looking to find a way to help as many people as possible by trying to better understand what the hell they are thinking. Like I said, this passion stems from what my urban tribe (aka my family) has been like over the past several years. There’s a decent amount to talk about in that category of my life, and I say that in the nicest way possible as I believe it has truly shaped me to be who I am today. Once again, all of that for another time.
While I am just now realizing how dense these paragraphs are, and the lack of actual content there is within them, I think right here is where I will introduce the main reason for Perspective Points. The podcast/blog is intended to be an outlet for me to share experiences I have had within my life, as well as general topics I want to discuss, in hopes of inspiring positive and productive conversations with whomever cares enough to read or listen. Ranging from topics like personal experiences and the lessons I have learned from them to neuroscience-backed productivity habits and anything in between, I really want this to be a place where not only myself, but anyone can share their perspective on what is meaningful in their life. With that being said, I think it is safe to call here a good spot to end it. If you made it this far, I’d like for you to imagine me handing you a gold star with the words “Good Job!” written on it. In all seriousness though, I am beyond excited to see where this takes me and I hope you are too. I hope you have an amazing day.