Consider your talents and strengths, academic and otherwise. What is one thing you do really well?
"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." It's strange but my understanding of life has come from the Indian Classical Dance of Bharatnatyam. It has totally changed my attitude towards everything. The impact of other activities that I have participated in have also played a very significant role in the molding of my personality but this one has won me over.
Dancing is not just about moving to the rhythm, it is much more than that. It has taught me that it doesn't matter how many times we fail, what matters is that we keep on trying.
I recall one particular event that I participated in, the All-State bharatnatyam dance competition. I remember wondering if I'll ever win it considering I had never even made it to the final round even though I had participated in this competition for the last 5 years. As my name was called and I walked on to the stage, I realized that it didn't matter whether I won or lost. This was my passion and I was doing it for the love and satisfaction. I gave it my best effort, knowing that if I did what I enjoyed and gave it my best, the rest would be taken care off itself. Before I knew it, the competition was over and I had won! Whether it was my perseverance and experience I will never know, but that was my first lesson in life.
Over the years, dancing and its experiences have helped me in other situations as well. Like during my freshman year in college, when I was new to everything, I let me GPA suffer. Looking at my grades, I felt like giving up. But I stayed committed and was determined to make things right and eventually my hard work paid off.
I owe a lot to this dance, as every competition I win or lose; it taught me that it did not pay to lose heart. It is vital to do one's best irrespective of the end result. Being involved in this dance has encouraged me to tackle all my difficulties in life with courage and determination looking at them like a dance competition, you move to one beat at a time.
