The Idea of Success

The Idea of Success Have you ever passed your biology exam with a C-? Cleaned your house from top to bottom in two days? These examples don’t seem like much of a success story right? Wrong. Who determines your success and how much of a success you are is solely up to the you, not the onlookers. Let’s dive into the obstacles of these three storylines.

You have made a C- on your biology exam after studying for two weeks straight. Your mother was in the hospital and the lights were turned off due to nonpayment because of your mother’s inability to work. You had to study outside on the porch with only your neighbor’s porch light to guide your eyes through the textbook. Two weeks of this and you go in confident about your knowledge, not to mention you are failing biology and every exam score is a D or lower. You receive your exam back and you jump for joy! You’re so excited you scream out “YES! I GOT A C!” The girl sitting next to you seems deterred at your excitement over such a mediocre grade, she boasts to you about her A that she got effortlessly and waves her exam right in your face.

Let me guess, your excitement has banished. You feel embarrassed and ashamed at your C- in comparison to her effortless A. But why do you feel this way? Is it because the girl with the A controls your emotions? No. It’s because you have now moved from your lane into the lane that belongs to someone else. Sure, she did a great job, an A is more than something to brag about, however, did she overcome the obstacles you faced?

Not only were you taken out of your comfort zone by having to study in the dark outside, but you had to study with your mother’s health and well-being on your mind. All while trying to figure out how you will survive if your mother does not go back to work. Through all of this, you are able to retain enough information to receive a passing grade and give you the confidence to receive an even better grade in the future. Does the A girl know any of this? No. Does she need to know what you went through to get that C-? Of course not. But when you leave that classroom with that C- in your hand, tell yourself this, “I did it, no one forced me and I achieved my goal that I set for myself, obstacles and all.”