Hi, I’m Peyton and growing up I always heard the words drive and vision in a negative tone.
“She’s too big for her own boots.”
“She’s too ambitious.”
“She’s going to get a hard reality check soon.”
As a kid, I smiled and nodded, pretending to accept those closed-minded thoughts. But over time, I began to see my “flaw” as a superpower.
My drive and vision have gotten me into every room I’ve ever been in — and it absolutely didn’t happen by accident.
When I was younger, I thought it was a bad thing that I knew exactly what train I was getting on, when I was getting off, and where it was going. I was often told, “You know it’s okay if things go off the rails or the route changes, right?”
And my answer was always the same: yeah… but that’s not going to happen. Not to me.
That drive and clarity became second nature.
I used to think every room I entered was like collecting brownie points toward a final goal. And every time I got closer, someone from a previous “stop” would call out, “It’s okay to fail. Be realistic.”
But the truth is — no one else can see where your train is going.
People jump on halfway through your journey and think they understand it, but they haven’t seen what it took to keep it moving.
My ambition has brought me opportunities, friendships, and experiences I wouldn’t trade for anything. But more importantly, it’s given me the resilience to keep pushing forward — even when the track gets steep.
I’d like to say my drive gets me into rooms because of my ridiculously strong handshake and sense of humour… but that might be a little too ambitious, even for me.
Although don’t get it twisted — the handshake is elite.
But in reality, the best way to drive your train into any room is to be yourself and believe you belong there. Because you do.
So, take the steering wheel — it’s your train.
Drive it where you want, when you want, and at your own pace. Change routes, explore different stations, and take in the journey.
Just don’t forget where you’re going — and don’t forget the rooms it took to get there.
After all, the best journeys are driven by someone who knows their destination.