my teammates, my Chelsea boys, Google Docs - the feeling that surges through me every time I approach a blank document is priceless - and probably most recently important, my friends. Online personality quizzes have gone from classifying me as an INFJ-T introvert to an ENFJ-A extrovert in the span of three years. I think that’s crazy. The meaning of my life, I must clarify, is not the universal meaning of life. I believe that happiness is the key to living, but perhaps it is not for other people. My philosophical friend asked me if committing murders makes someone happy, then should they pursue their desires to achieve their perception of the meaning of life? Obviously no, so he proved that the meaning of life is all up to the eye of the beholder. Then should I really overthink this whole turn-of-the-decade business? I have not accomplished much in life so far, but in the end, does it really matter? If my passions are enough to allow me to change the world, then I will pursue the alteration of the universe, but until then, what should I do? I suppose I should continue to all-around improve myself, and most importantly, remain happy. 2020 may be the decade in which A LOT of things happen. Most people tell me that these years will be the best time of my life. It’s such an exciting decade, and when I look back at this passage in ten years, I know I’ll laugh. I wonder what will happen. But I think my number one New Year’s Resolution is to just be happy, and everything else will follow.
Opportunity – Andrew Pasco During my ten years as a competitive swimmer, though especially once I reached high school, I never understood why my teammates seemed to consistently improve while I often stagnated. One meet per year I performed to my expectations, but during many more meets throughout the year I emerged from the pool disappointed. I do, however, have the ability to control my own fate. My coaches always encouraged me to keep working hard, and I took their motivation to heart. I was by all measures one of the hardest workers in the pool. I knew that if I let the failures negatively affect my work ethic or discourage me, I will never reach my true potential. However, after yet another poor championship competition at the end of my sophomore year, I had to question myself a little. What needed to change? Was it time to leave the pool? I did not realize it yet, but my situation would have to get worse before getting better. The diagnosis came in November, after four different blood tests to “make sure” and an upper and lower ‘scope to “really make sure.” Sure enough, I had Crohn’s disease, and although some would become disheartened by this, I finally had an explanation for my fatigue and inconsistent swimming performance. I wasn’t going to sit around and feel sorry for myself but instead used it as motivation for the future. While this was certainly not a failure for me in a traditional sense, my lackluster performance in the pool finally made sense and this diagnosis actually gave me hope. These recent set-backs would not stop me from reaching new goals, especially with a properly-targeted improvement plan. I didn’t give up when I was at my weakest physical state and this persistence will pay dividends in the future. Living through my failures before I understood the root cause taught me that perseverance is an essential component of eventual success in all areas of my life. I have now been given a gift of a new opportunity to succeed and reach new goals I never could have before. In a way, my diagnosis was a blessing, because I know myself better now, and I know how to push this true version of myself to its potential.
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