My Not-So-Little Voice by Abigail

My Not-So-Little Voice by Abigail - April 2024 Scholarship Essay

My Not-So-Little Voice

Reigning state diving champion, community Rose Queen, current class valedictorian, state track qualifier, all-star cheer squad member, elementary school mentor, national qualifier in three separate sports–all of these accomplishments and titles belong to me. Each one of them has been hard-earned through hours and hours of hard work, determination, passion, and, of course, motivation and focus. Being motivated and staying focused are second nature to me, but describing what motivates me, and how I stay focused are both things that I have never consciously considered, nor put into words.
I believe my motivation to succeed simply comes from that little voice inside my head; the voice that we all have deep within us. That little voice inside of me is actually not little at all. That voice inside of my head is loud, demanding, critical, and extremely outcome-driven. The voice inside of me challenges me, supports me, and sometimes even yells at me. Throughout my life I have learned to listen to that voice as I push myself outside of my comfort zone to become the very best that I can be. Though that little voice inside of me rarely lets me rest, I can attribute my high level of motivation to the persistent way it pushes me to succeed. My internal drive is spurred on by my not-so-little voice.

As a future Division 1 diver, being highly motivated is a must. That drive to succeed has helped me to overcome my fears, my failures, and my exhaustion on a daily basis. My rigorous athletic training leaves no time for rest. My internal motivation gets me out of bed at 6:00 a.m. for weightlifting in the morning. It reminds me to push myself one step closer to perfection, while simultaneously yelling at me to be fearless when attempting new dives. It pushes me when I am exhausted from diving practice, but must also captain our cheer squad at the football game that night. It applauds me when I make it through a hard day, and fall into bed, exhausted, only to have to wake up and do it all again the next.

That not-so-little voice also motivates me in the classroom. Despite my busy extra-curricular schedule, academics is at the forefront of my motivation. I have always strived to be an exemplary student. I have maintained a perfect, unweighted 4.0 GPA and am currently ranked first in my graduating class. I am on track to be my class’s valedictorian. I will also graduate from high school with well over 50 college credits. I realize that the key to my future success is doing my best in the present. My not-so-little voice reminds me that balancing my athletic and academic journeys will take a level of drive and motivation that most people simply do not have.
In addition to motivation, focus is also found within. To me, the definition of focus is being able to ignore distractions while attending to the things that matter. Just like my motivation, my ability to focus also comes somewhere inside of me. My not-so-little voice has also taught me that success only happens when the ability to focus exists. In today’s world the number of distractions is astronomical. As a successful student and athlete, I have learned to choose where my energy goes. My focus lies solely on my goals and objectives, and doing all I can to achieve them.
If I have learned one thing throughout my high school career, it is to listen to that not-so-little voice inside of me. It is a motivator, a cheerleader, a reality-checker, and a point of focus for me. I will continue to live my life by listening to my inner-self, and believing in my ability to do as it says in order to reach my loftiest goals.