Become a Rubber Band by Elisheva

Become a Rubber Band by Elisheva - September 2014 Scholarship Essay

College. Your roommate is a philosophy major. He or she routinely shakes you awake in the tender hours of the morning to earnestly seek your opinion on questions like, “If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?” Bleary eyed, you squint up into the light and pleasantly answer between gritted teeth, “Right now? At this moment? YOU.”

The dorm suddenly becomes infested with poisonous scorpions? Don’t sweat it! Just wear shoes in the dorm. Like, all the time. Especially to bed. On the bright side, maybe the roommate will get fatally bitten… Just kidding. Really.

Your literature professor just assigned you ten chapters of “War and Peace” to read and analyze – for tomorrow. Unfazed, you add it to the pile of myriad other assignments. Hey, this may someday turn out to be helpful if you’re ever a contestant on, say, Jeopardy, or perhaps Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Flexibility. That is the skill that is essential to success in college, and to existence in general. So be flexible! Go with the flow. Hold on to your dreams, and keep in mind that there will be speed bumps along your path. Sometimes when we get rocketed into the air by a particularly hair jolting one, it can seem as if our dreams are drowning. And then we wonder if we will ever get to where we want to be.

I'm here to tell you that when we resist the lure of negative thinking, magic happens. Situations that would have otherwise seemed intolerable become mere inconveniences, when you look at them as means to reach your goals. I challenge you to try it for a day, and see!

When you encounter a problem, like those in the situations described above (albeit less extreme, I hope) approach it in with a positive attitude of flexibility. You’ll find that people will respond to you much more positively, and be more eager to assist you than help the guy next door who grumbles about his leaking shower.

A positive, flexible attitude must be planted, cultivated, and maintained for it to survive and grow. With the right outlook, we can go far beyond even our wildest dreams. Even so, we’re all human, and we all feel overwhelmed at times. At those times, keep your goals in mind, and you will achieve all that is within your grasp.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” - Dr. Seuss.