Henry Ford once said: "Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right." "Believe in yourself" was the best advice I have ever received. I believe that the different thoughts are what make everyone in this world unique. However, if one fails to recognize and place trust in one's own perceptions, it would be no difference from not having them in the first place.
I used to consider myself to be, by nature, a shy person. Occasionally in my life I would come up with some ideas or thoughts that I considered worthy to be mentioned, but the fear of rejection by others and the doubt of my own knowledge halted me from expressing them to the outside world. In my junior year of high school, I participated in the Panther Number Crunch Competition with four other people. During the competition, as my team was hurriedly trying to find the solutions in time, I ended up with a different answer from my teammate's result. However, I decide not express my thoughts on the problem because I believed that my teammates are all brilliant people in mathematics, and if none of them see any errors in the solution then I had probably made a miscalculation somewhere. After the solutions were evaluated, the results of the competition were revealed. My teammates and I were shocked and disappointed to find that we placed lower than what was expected. As my team was scanning the solution sheet to find what went wrong, I felt a sudden sensation of guilt when I found a huge X placed right on top of the question that I had suspected of being wrong. If I had only addressed my thought during the competition, my team would have scored much better and possibly place higher than originally expected, but instead I let my doubt took over and did nothing to help the situation.
After the competition, I realized that the past cannot be amended but I can change the future. I decided that if I wish to stop the regretful scenario in the competition from happening again, I must give my thoughts the credit they deserve. By following this advice, those ideas that were once trapped in the corner of my mind were finally able to be set free and have a chance to become a solid part of the world. This advice has become one of my most important turning points in my life and was definitely the best advice I have received.
Please review my essay and feel free to comment on any spelling and gramar misusage or any contents or ideas that could be improved. Any suggestion will be highly appreciated!
Thank You
At the end, you write:
By following this advice, those ideas that were...
And it makes me think, "What advice?"
Are you talking about Ford's advice?
If so, specify:
By following Henry Ford's advice, those ideas that were...
Refer back to the quote here in the conclusion to bring it all together.
Good advice here. Nicholas and Mark, I hope you'll join the ranks of contributors.
