I have two essays for this one, but I'm not too sure which one to use...
Here's one:
Ever since I was growing up, my family taught me my moral and ethical foundations. Whether it be from slapping my little sister or from fighting over my toys, my mother, father, and older sister would physically and orally explain to me the consequences of my actions and how a proper gentleman should act. However, though I frequently listened to their advice, often through blind obedience, there was one particular act that struck me, and even now I still refrain from committing it under any circumstance.
When I was in preschool, the teacher implemented a stamp reward system: if you obtained three stamps in one day, you get a prize (a sticker). Born and raised in a competitive house, I tried to obtain all three stamps every day; however, one day, I only got two. The reason? According to the teacher, I uttered a "naughty" word. I was distraught; even though the prize was a simple sticker, it resembled accomplishment and my good conduct. After I shamefully explained to my parents my circumstance, they calmly told me I should not ever use "bad" words. That instant, I became against the act of cursing, and I vowed never to curse in my entire life.
This promise survived through the harsh years of middle school and high school, and it still stands today. Bombarded with derogatory speech in middle school, I slowly saw my friends start to adopt the way of cursing, severely disappointing me. My best friends in elementary and middle school started drifting away after assimilating themselves into the "cool" group of kids: hormone-driven students that rashly act on impulse rather than reason. For this reason, I was sometimes made fun of for being too innocent or "clean", and the number of friends that I had dwindled.
In high school, there was plenty of profanity around as well, but the atmosphere around me was different. Rather than making fun of me for not joining the cursing bandwagon, most of my classmates respected my decision, and some even shared the same view as I did. As I matured, my church and family taught me the importance of love as a Christian and how cursing achieves nothing but deceit and hatred. I wanted to be a helpful person and still adhere to my morals.
In response to the amount of profanity that occurred at my school, I began to come up with my own clean vernacular designed for humor. Despite the initial confused looks, my friends eventually enjoyed it, and many of them started to replace their profanity with my vocabulary. People began to notice my creativity and my influence on others, and they respected me for my strongly-held ideals and morals. One of my friends even wrote about me as the most influential person in his common app essay, emphasizing that I create my own social norms and don't conform to society.
And here's another:
"I won't wash my right hand ever again!" Sadly, I was wrong. The next day, I accidentally took a shower: the saddest shower in the world. His high-five, his skin cells, washed clean off my body. I felt disconnected; now, he was just a memory.
But it wasn't all bad, I got to see the most influential symbol of E-sports (Competitive video-gaming, not very exciting to many). His name: Sean Plott. Gamer Tag: Day[9]. He had just finished casting an exciting Starcraft game between Washington University of St. Louis and Carnegie Mellon, when he ran out to the crowd for high-fives. His high-five was probably one of the most exciting moments of my life.
However, I'm not one of those hardcore fanboys; there's a justification to this enthusiasm. Sean Plott was always happy. I mean, really happy. He loved his job, his life, his surroundings; he loved everything. His relentless optimism was enviable, and his unconditional joy was what made me so fascinated in him.
I always watched his videos. Typically, Sean uploads analytical videos (he's a game caster, of course), but occasionally he throws in others that get my attention. He has compared videogame design to baseball creation, relate emotions to kittens and ninja stars,and even relate himself to the great Poseidon. But most importantly, despite his busy schedule (He spends 45 hours a week on these videos), he always presents himself with a smile on his face.
Once, a particular video caught my eye. "Being Relentlessly Positive", it was titled. I clicked on it, hoping to gain some insight. He began with his usual hilarity, cracking jokes left and right, but then introduced an influential key point: "Everything can be framed positively". To explain, he depicted an apology given by the average individual, and the contrasted that with an optimistic response. In his example, the average individual would apologize like so: "I'm so sorry that I had to get off the phone, I really didn't mean to leave so abruptly", but Sean's response is what astounded me: "Thank you so much for being so understanding. I know that you understand my circumstances, and I really appreciate how you don't hold any of these against me."
When I thought about those two responses, I noticed something. Sean's response invokes this sense of satisfaction to his target individual. As Sean puts it, "It actually makes me feel good when someone hangs up on me". Not an emotion one would expect after an abrupt hang-up. But it really opened my mind to how an optimistic view can make someone much happier.
Now, I practice this framing. People recognize me as one of the kindest guys in my senior class, and they applaud me for my endless patience. Sure, I experience hardships like any other, but now I understand how to reframe my emotions to lessen the hurt and to maximize the joy. With this new viewpoint, I can now enjoy the life I live, despite any circumstance that comes my way.
Is there anything I can improve? Which essay should I use?
Thank you!
John Li
Here's one:
Ever since I was growing up, my family taught me my moral and ethical foundations. Whether it be from slapping my little sister or from fighting over my toys, my mother, father, and older sister would physically and orally explain to me the consequences of my actions and how a proper gentleman should act. However, though I frequently listened to their advice, often through blind obedience, there was one particular act that struck me, and even now I still refrain from committing it under any circumstance.
When I was in preschool, the teacher implemented a stamp reward system: if you obtained three stamps in one day, you get a prize (a sticker). Born and raised in a competitive house, I tried to obtain all three stamps every day; however, one day, I only got two. The reason? According to the teacher, I uttered a "naughty" word. I was distraught; even though the prize was a simple sticker, it resembled accomplishment and my good conduct. After I shamefully explained to my parents my circumstance, they calmly told me I should not ever use "bad" words. That instant, I became against the act of cursing, and I vowed never to curse in my entire life.
This promise survived through the harsh years of middle school and high school, and it still stands today. Bombarded with derogatory speech in middle school, I slowly saw my friends start to adopt the way of cursing, severely disappointing me. My best friends in elementary and middle school started drifting away after assimilating themselves into the "cool" group of kids: hormone-driven students that rashly act on impulse rather than reason. For this reason, I was sometimes made fun of for being too innocent or "clean", and the number of friends that I had dwindled.
In high school, there was plenty of profanity around as well, but the atmosphere around me was different. Rather than making fun of me for not joining the cursing bandwagon, most of my classmates respected my decision, and some even shared the same view as I did. As I matured, my church and family taught me the importance of love as a Christian and how cursing achieves nothing but deceit and hatred. I wanted to be a helpful person and still adhere to my morals.
In response to the amount of profanity that occurred at my school, I began to come up with my own clean vernacular designed for humor. Despite the initial confused looks, my friends eventually enjoyed it, and many of them started to replace their profanity with my vocabulary. People began to notice my creativity and my influence on others, and they respected me for my strongly-held ideals and morals. One of my friends even wrote about me as the most influential person in his common app essay, emphasizing that I create my own social norms and don't conform to society.
And here's another:
"I won't wash my right hand ever again!" Sadly, I was wrong. The next day, I accidentally took a shower: the saddest shower in the world. His high-five, his skin cells, washed clean off my body. I felt disconnected; now, he was just a memory.
But it wasn't all bad, I got to see the most influential symbol of E-sports (Competitive video-gaming, not very exciting to many). His name: Sean Plott. Gamer Tag: Day[9]. He had just finished casting an exciting Starcraft game between Washington University of St. Louis and Carnegie Mellon, when he ran out to the crowd for high-fives. His high-five was probably one of the most exciting moments of my life.
However, I'm not one of those hardcore fanboys; there's a justification to this enthusiasm. Sean Plott was always happy. I mean, really happy. He loved his job, his life, his surroundings; he loved everything. His relentless optimism was enviable, and his unconditional joy was what made me so fascinated in him.
I always watched his videos. Typically, Sean uploads analytical videos (he's a game caster, of course), but occasionally he throws in others that get my attention. He has compared videogame design to baseball creation, relate emotions to kittens and ninja stars,and even relate himself to the great Poseidon. But most importantly, despite his busy schedule (He spends 45 hours a week on these videos), he always presents himself with a smile on his face.
Once, a particular video caught my eye. "Being Relentlessly Positive", it was titled. I clicked on it, hoping to gain some insight. He began with his usual hilarity, cracking jokes left and right, but then introduced an influential key point: "Everything can be framed positively". To explain, he depicted an apology given by the average individual, and the contrasted that with an optimistic response. In his example, the average individual would apologize like so: "I'm so sorry that I had to get off the phone, I really didn't mean to leave so abruptly", but Sean's response is what astounded me: "Thank you so much for being so understanding. I know that you understand my circumstances, and I really appreciate how you don't hold any of these against me."
When I thought about those two responses, I noticed something. Sean's response invokes this sense of satisfaction to his target individual. As Sean puts it, "It actually makes me feel good when someone hangs up on me". Not an emotion one would expect after an abrupt hang-up. But it really opened my mind to how an optimistic view can make someone much happier.
Now, I practice this framing. People recognize me as one of the kindest guys in my senior class, and they applaud me for my endless patience. Sure, I experience hardships like any other, but now I understand how to reframe my emotions to lessen the hurt and to maximize the joy. With this new viewpoint, I can now enjoy the life I live, despite any circumstance that comes my way.
Is there anything I can improve? Which essay should I use?
Thank you!
John Li
