What matters to you, and why?
My greatest fear is looking back on my life and seeing a never ending line of risks I refused to take. A never ending line of regrets. Risks I did not take because I was afraid of getting hurt or even failing. I feel like there are too many people like this. Too many people are content to sit back in their comfortable, unassuming lives, not willing to risk a little to gain the world. They fail to realize that when you take a risk, you only gain, even if it is just knowledge. But then, knowledge is more valuable than anything else I could ever have. I used to be one of those people. But then I was thrust into a situation where I had to make a choice. I had the option of risking embarrassment or playing it safe. Playing it safe would have meant being mediocre, something that would have been so simple and so easy. I could have let myself focus on graduation, ignoring the chances that being at a new school presented. But as Greg Anderson once said, "Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." What would I gain if I spent my senior year as another face in the crowd? The only things I would learn would be what my teachers taught me. So I started to focus on the journey, taking the scenic route to graduation instead of the highway. I joined as many extracurricular activities as I had time for, and then some. And I have learned from each and every one. From choir, I learned how good it feels to play piano again. From Latin, I learned how good it feels to be looked up to. From mock trial, I learned how natural it feels to be in a court room. From my new school, I learned how hard but rewarding it is to put yourself out there despite the risk. Most importantly, I learned that I am strong enough to not need a security blanket to do what I love to do. This and all knowledge is what matters to me the most. And that knowledge is all I need to turn my dreams into my future.
***Please be critical. I appreciate your reading my essay, but it will not help if you just tell me how great it is to spare my feelings by not pointing out rejection-worthy flaws. Thank you!
My greatest fear is looking back on my life and seeing a never ending line of risks I refused to take. A never ending line of regrets. Risks I did not take because I was afraid of getting hurt or even failing. I feel like there are too many people like this. Too many people are content to sit back in their comfortable, unassuming lives, not willing to risk a little to gain the world. They fail to realize that when you take a risk, you only gain, even if it is just knowledge. But then, knowledge is more valuable than anything else I could ever have. I used to be one of those people. But then I was thrust into a situation where I had to make a choice. I had the option of risking embarrassment or playing it safe. Playing it safe would have meant being mediocre, something that would have been so simple and so easy. I could have let myself focus on graduation, ignoring the chances that being at a new school presented. But as Greg Anderson once said, "Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." What would I gain if I spent my senior year as another face in the crowd? The only things I would learn would be what my teachers taught me. So I started to focus on the journey, taking the scenic route to graduation instead of the highway. I joined as many extracurricular activities as I had time for, and then some. And I have learned from each and every one. From choir, I learned how good it feels to play piano again. From Latin, I learned how good it feels to be looked up to. From mock trial, I learned how natural it feels to be in a court room. From my new school, I learned how hard but rewarding it is to put yourself out there despite the risk. Most importantly, I learned that I am strong enough to not need a security blanket to do what I love to do. This and all knowledge is what matters to me the most. And that knowledge is all I need to turn my dreams into my future.
***Please be critical. I appreciate your reading my essay, but it will not help if you just tell me how great it is to spare my feelings by not pointing out rejection-worthy flaws. Thank you!