Once I Developed This, Everything Changed! by Desiree

Once I Developed This, Everything Changed! by Desiree - January 2022 Scholarship Essay

Everyone has a deep, burning desire that runs deep through their blood. They have
dreams that they want to pursue, and dreams that keep them awake every single night.
Unfortunately, they also have a voice that tells them “Stop!” “Why are you doing this?” “You’re
pushing too hard!” I used to listen to this voice. Fear used to stare harshly at my trembling body. Fear used to drive my life and my vision began to drown. Fear was a weight that was crushing my shoulders. As a result, I was holding myself back from the potential energy that laid dormant
inside of me. It was waiting for a spark, but I couldn’t quite ignite it. At least not until I developed one critical skill in 2021: I learned how to control my mindset. The instant I realized this, my entire academic life changed. I began to see options. I began to see doors open right in front of me. I began to see different paths.
One day, I decided to take a moment to sit down and think about the kind of life I envisioned for myself. I imagined myself speaking up in class. I imagined myself letting my voice be heard. I imagined myself asking for help when I needed it. I imagined myself being productive. I imagined myself enjoying my college experience. I imagined myself being happy. I imagined peace. Visualizing my future allowed me to change my mindset. It reminded me that I can control the way I want my life to turn out. And I get it, life is hard. Life is not fair. There are a lot of things that I can’t control. But one thing that I can always control is my mindset. I learned that my mindset is everything. The average human is approximately 35,000 decisions a day. Imagine how different the life of an optimistic person must be compared to the life of a pessimistic person. I learned that every single decision I made, would have an impact on my future in one way or another. I still feel fear quite deeply sometimes, but now I stare at my fear and it cannot control me anymore. I hope that one day I can inspire and help other people also change their mindset so that they too can live a happier and more fulfilling life.