Persistence
This was written for a university introductory class. Slight adaptations have been made from the original.
One term has been repeated many times in my lifetime. This term, uttered by so many, was persistence. My teachers would rave about how important it was. My mother would tell me to never lose it. The poster in my high school would highlight it in big, bold yellow letters with a cheesy photo above it. All of it meant nothing to me at the time. Sure, I had my smaller challenges to overcome, but I never actually felt as if I would be in a better place if I quit. Then, college hit. Seventeen credit hours hit me like a car going ninety-five on the freeway. For the first time, I actually wanted to quit.
My first few weeks were challenging. I actually questioned whether or not I had made the right choice in going to college. I confided in a certain close friend everyday. “I want to drop out.” Her response was always, “No you don’t.” Those three words kept me on track.
I hit an all time low the other week. I started to look at dropping classes and maybe taking a skip year. I slept on it. The next morning, I woke up with vigor. I destroyed my classes that day. For the first time in college, I was winning. I called my parents and went home for the weekend. We discussed the fact that I was struggling. That conversation wasn’t especially meaningful, but when my friendship took a turn for the worst, I decided it was time to get my fucking life together.
I made an appointment with my academic advisor. I went into office hours. I got help with homework. I did my homework a week before it was due. I started to study. I’m on track to going to graduate school. I got a membership to a local maker-space. I took on more work as a leader in my organization. I was back on track, and best of all, I saved my friendship.
The moral of the story is that persistence is more than some big, bold yellow letters. While I didn’t work very hard in high school, that wasn’t going to cut it in college. It may have taken me awhile to figure this out, but things are changing for the better. I’m spending time focusing on my grades but still managing to socialize. I’m no longer stressed, and I never feel like quitting.
If you ever feel like quitting, just take a break. If you start to miss something, you should probably keep doing it. If your life gets a million times better, this may not be the thing for you. This goes along with the words of wisdom handed down from Brandon Stanton.
“Humans of New York’ did not result from a flash of inspiration. It grew from five years of experimenting, tinkering, and messing up.”
“There are so many people that use ‘following your dreams’ as an excuse to not work. When in reality, following your dreams, successfully, is nothing but work.”
“Don’t wait for perfect. Don’t wait for something to be fully formed in your head to start on it. Just start, and then work it out as you go.”
You may run into some roadblocks along the way, but keep your head up and your eyes open, and soon, you’ll see the light.
