hi @aksapphires,
Thanks for taking part in my little contest. I read your post and upvoted it. I totally agree with you: Taking responsibility for your own life is the first step to be a happy person. You cannot delegate your life and your dreams to others.

A little tip:
There is a website where you can get tons of free pictures that are published under CC0 license. Meaning you are free to use them for whatever purpose.