"You're special from the rest of them". An unwritten law states that parents must tell this to their children. Despite itself, this trivial statement made me feel anything but special. It seemed rhetorical to me, but if everyone is "unique" then how is anyone special? It was with this mentality that I didn't bother to set myself apart from anyone else. School came easily to me, but I never fully exerted myself. In third grade, my teacher privately attempted to discipline me in algebra as I was mathematically ahead of the other students. She only gave me one lesson, and the session didn't surpass ten minutes. My teacher was quick to give up on me when I couldn't understand the material at first. Did I ask for another shot to get it right? Nope. I accepted that I was insufficient to complete the work, and I had no wish to try and just fail again. I know that I couldn't crash if I didn't pursue flight; but what was unbeknownst to me was that this ideology would cloud me for much longer than a ten minute lecture. This became apparent in fifth grade - my teacher at this time told me that I was classified as "gifted" to which I responded with a thought of "whatever". I lacked the desire to pounce on opportunities presented to me; at the time I was but a paradigm of stale, diminishing potential. I suppose all the dreams I never had would become lucid later in life.
Today, I am much more aware and appreciative of my abilities than I was in the past. I have matured and begun to realize that I want to make something of my life. I immerse myself in activities that I believe will be of benefit or interest to me. I am not afraid to make mistakes in my endeavours, and I don't mind failures so long as I learn from them and eventually complete what I've started. Often, I try to build my skills in various subjects; even if this means glaring at my laptop screen late at night, while my mother wakes up just to tell me to go to sleep. I do whatever possible to gain an edge above others; in hopes of keeping my options for the future available. An example of this is that I have attended and volunteered the university that I am most likely aiming for (in the field of engineering). However, my repertoire of extra-curricular activities extends to other areas, such as sports (boxing/rugby). In the present, I am more advantageous when it comes to developing and honing my skills; loading the ammunition to fire off in the future.
I would like to say that I hope to have a plan of what I set out to do in life by the end of high school. Unfortunately, this is merely wishful thinking, and there is a solid chance that I will not be sure of what I want to do until after my first year of university. From what I know now, I will most likely become a chemical engineer, or a stockbroker if I go down the business road, which is also a current interest of mine. Although, my career will require me to expend a large portion of myself, I will retain other facets of my life. This includes hobbies and activities, as well as a family of course. I know that I can make this vision become reality via priorities, and work ethic.
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