I’m not who I was or used to be. In ninth grade I struggled with finding myself and learning how to grow. A great deal of circumstances happened that derailed me, took me off my path and I wasn’t sure who exactly I was. I now know who I am. Three years later, I know that I’m stronger. Three years later, I am me. Three years later, I know that I was a member of the Pride of Broken Arrow. I treasured every bit of knowledge I was honored to receive and cherished all the tears and smiles shared. I learned several qualities about myself, others, the organization itself even!
I learned to never give up. Before I joined I gave up at the slightest bit of a struggle. Mostly growing up school and activities came easy, so if they presented any difficulty I pushed it aside. Pride was definitely the hardest thing I did up-to-date in sophomore year. I wasn’t used to doing actions out of my comfort zone since I was used to giving up easily. I quickly learned that giving up wasn’t the standard for Broken Arrow so I needed to either put on my adult girl pants or be left in the dust. I also learned that excellence is not something that’s earned, but rather something you do work to achieve. Excellence comes second to none for the Pride. During Destiny I learned that you either go all the way or you don’t, you either commit or you don’t and you certainly don’t give up. I learned that not everyone is going to like what you say or do, especially in a leadership position (which trust me is a hard lesson to learn.)
I’m not going to sit here and lie: being raised as a teacher’s daughter, academics or anything period comes with competition. Everyone wants to be the best; they all want to number one. I used to be the type that got upset with others did bett...
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...rogram. Scott told us it wasn’t the fact our show was perfect, in fact it was the way we presented ourselves that made the impression. In fact the quote itself is: “Perfection impresses, but magic inspires.” That whole year of Destiny Leaves You No Choice was dedicated to being the best we can be and building bonds of friendship that lasts. I learned that sometimes doing things alone isn’t always what’s best because everyone can make a difference. When you’re a member of the Pride and without you Pride would not be the same. I learned that with that dedication, with locked arms as one, and hard work we were able to bring that eagle home proudly. The lesson I gained from Scott Lang was that no matter what it is you do, marching band or your career later in life, is that you belong somewhere and you are important to making a difference in other’s lives for the better.
As a freshman, I was timid and had little to no confidence. When I went to my first drill practice, I felt like I was in my element. Everyone there wanted to be there, they all joined NJROTC because they wanted to. After attending many drill practices, and NJROTC events, I started to come out of my shell. Instead of staying quiet in class, I voiced my opinions more often and sometimes cracked a joke here and there. Then came our first drill competition, where I was the freshman drill squad’s squad leader. At the end of the day we won first place. This taste of victory showed me how a little self confidence can go a long way. Sophomore year went even better. My friend group expanded, as I met more people through NJROTC. Every drill practice became so much more enjoyable, because I found out that I was actually enjoying what I was doing, because the people around me were as well. I became so confident with myself, and more and more people started to look up to me and admire me for how much I had grown. At the end of my sophomore year, I went to Area Four Leadership Academy/Sail Training for two weeks, which was a life changing experience for me. I met cadets from all over my area, and spent every waking moment with the same 35 other cadets who shared the same pas...
The most meaningful and challenging experiences in my life have been through sports and the 4-H club. They have instilled the values of perseverance, confidence, and teamwork within me. I feel that my peers and others could learn valuable life lessons through participating in these organizations. They are not just clubs, but a guiding light for life. For example in sports I have had the opportunity to play on both losing and winning teams. This has given me a different perspective of looking at things. I now realize that even if you fail or lose that is no reason to give up, you still have to get right back up. Just realize your mistakes and errors. Then come back the next time, mentally and physically, ready to meet the challenge. To often in life youth and adults alike fail at something and automatically think that they cannot do it, and give up. Instead of just pushing themselves to run another lap, lift another set, study for another hour, or learn another theorem. Imagine a world if the early American settlers had given in to the British, if the North had given in to the South after the first loss of the civil war, or if Michael Jordan had given up after being cut from the team in high school. People just need to learn to have perseverance and believe in themselves. 4-H has been a series of stepping-stones for me. When I first started out at age four I was shy and afraid to do things that I had not done before, but now I have blossomed into a confident and outgoing young man. I no longer fear getting up in front of large groups and speaking because of the experiences I've had in public speaking events. In addition, 4-H has given me the chance to develop myself as a leader. Over the years I have held various leadership positions on the club, county, and district levels. Also, 4-H has given me the chance to go into the community and help people by leading youth in workshops, assisting the handicap and elderly, and also learn from what others have to teach. In both of these organizations I learned the need for teamwork. For example last year my football team went 0-11 and the main reason because of that was we were not a team.
Many times whenever you set a standard and that standard had been met, you still aim for a better one to somehow surpass the previous one. In some cases this is healthy but when you start to get obsessed by this, you will find yourself caught in your own bait. I know we are human and we are not perfect that is why we strive for more, we want more, and will never be contented with what we have especially when we are in the middle of a competition.
The “push to be perfect” (Thomas) is at an all-time high. Pressure for perfection from peers, parents, teachers and coaches is so unreasonably high that many students don’t think that they will ever be able to achieve it. A student feels that it is impossible to get good grades, be athletic, in multiple organizations, and most of all appear to be happy. Students have turned to cheating, drug/ alcohol abuse, and even suicide to try and cope. They are competing with friends for top spots, and believe that if they don’t beat them, they are a failure. Not only other students, but parents play a big roll, too. Their own parents and the parents of their peers will compare kids. New Trier High School’s Jim Conroy said that the biggest problem about pressure comes from the parents who compare (Robbins). With all...
Not knowing who I was for many years led to a series of bad decisions and choices. However I began to notice that I had a gift, a talent of making others feel good and found myself wanting to be an emboldening model for others. Often my friends and family looked to me for advice and answers. I later realized that it was not about giving advice but helping them find the answer that are locked away in their subconscious mind. Helping them discover who they were; the irony I discovered who I was, my life purpose, my calling.
Within my fifteen and a half years of living, I have experienced many heart wrenching moments that have changed who I am, so many that I stopped trying to keep count long ago. Like most teenagers, the past couple of years have been some of the most confusing, hectic years of my life. I'm at that age I'm trying to figure out who I am, as well as who I want to become. As indecisive as I am, I will more than likely change my mind a time or two, but right now at this very moment, I've finally come to terms with who I really am, and what I would like to do for the rest of my life.
There is one main life lesson that I use all the time. And it is, to never be a quitter, because being a quitter is worse than losing. Being a quitter is even worse than being a loser. Cause, who would want to be called a quitter their whole life. I would rather spend extra time trying to get it down and done, then be a quitter. Cause if you quit at one thing, most will quit every time a roadblock is in their way.
Competition even in school can help drive the mediocre to good and the good to great when it comes to trying to be the best. Whether it is to become valedictorian or even pass math class we each strive using competition to push people in America to want to become someone important. Competition drives people to want to become innovators in their field of work;for example, Henry Ford used competition to drive his company forward and develop things like the assembly line. Given these points competition is the sole driving force behind innovators and America’s ability to learn
Nothing has changed my life more since the realization that I had to make who I was something that I chose, and not something that just happened. Since this revelation nothing seemed the same anymore, as though I could see the world through new eyes. It changed everything from my taste in music, literature, and movies. Things of a dark and pessimistic nature used to hold a strong allure for me, and yet I found much of things I once enjoyed didn't seem to entertain me anymore. I remembered the mental state that I once held and now seeing how I have changed, know that I can never return to the prison I came from.
Although grades are important, one’s personal character will last them a lifetime. Just as many mentors have told me, when you are older, a teacher will not remember the grades you got but they will remember your character in his or her class. With that, I always work to not only work diligently in work but assiduously in the person I am becoming. I will always strive to become the “Most Contentious” because I know I will always be successful no matter the college I attend, a job I accept later in life, or service project I participate in. Because my positive attitude and contentious spirit will carry me further in life than any qualifications I have and will
Healthy competition can drive people forward. Allowing a kid to doing what they want because they enjoy it can open them up socially by allowing them to reach out and teach others that don’t have that same niche. If we force a child to be overly competitive, this decreases the child’s ability to grow in other areas in life because they are too focused on being the best. If they don’t live up their standards of being the best, this will cause the child to be insecure about their abilities and they will constantly seek approval. Unhealthy competition can detrimental later on in life when trying to get into a great school, find a partner or in getting a job.
By letting go of my old identity, I have found a new purpose in life and I am no longer focusing on my fears from the past. Once I learned who I am as a person and became aware of my new identity, I realized that I was in the midst of my transition. Bridges explain “the problem is that before we can find a new something, we must deal with a time of nothing” (Bridges, 2014, p. 13). Furthermore, while I have come to terms with my past experiences, I have finally made a personal transition from childhood into adulthood, and now my new beginnings depend on my endings. The disorientation that happened in the past has allowed me to redefine myself as someone who is motivated and excited for my new journey at Saint Mary's College. I have realized that I had to abolish my past experiences in order for me to transition into my new
...etition makes it difficult to regard others as potential friends or collaborators; even if one is not a rival today, one could be tomorrow. The first step to achieving of being happy and healthy is recognizing the value of competition is built on myths. Just because forcing children to try to outdo one another is counterproductive doesn't mean they can't keep track of how they're doing. There's no problem with comparing their achievements to an objective standard or to how they did yesterday or last year. But if the people value their children's intellectual development, they need to realize that turning learning into a race simply doesn't work. By definition, not everyone can win a contest. If one child wins, another cannot. This means that each child comes to regard others as obstacles to his or her own success and this is why competition is not good for people.
“Survival of the fittest” is a notion that I firmly advocate. Competition brings out the best in people, and I am a very competitive person. Competitiveness whether with one's self, or with others arouses the desire to succeed. My mother has taught me that competing with yourself is even better than competing with others because you struggle to become the best person you can be, without settling for exceeding the limitations of others.
Studies reveal that there is always competition among students. As a result, not all students are happy with the efforts that their classmates ma...