A Much Better Light by Erin

A Much Better Light by Erin - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Looking back I think the one thing that I would do is encourage myself to be more positive. Not in an arrogant way of course, but negativity can be such a debilitating thing. I know that I am not alone in this, and that is why I want to share this with younger students. I’m going to use my story to explain why I would give the advice to think more positively.

I was raised in a middle class family that taught that working hard was the only reasonable way to live in this world. My parents separated when I was twelve, and I was no longer receiving much of their attention. I always dreamed of going to college, but I knew that I would have to pay for it myself which was intimidating. Soon my friends became more important than anything and I began to make poor decisions to win their approval. I lost myself into a “live for today” mentality which only proved to take my life into the wrong direction. Finally I found myself in a place where I was broken, and needed to change the way that I think in order to save my life.

I became a Christian, and purposefully surrounded myself with positive people. It was hard, but I knew that I would never create a good life for myself if everything just stayed the same. As I worked full time, I also volunteered to help at my church whenever I could. I eventually came on staff as a full time minister so that I could help other people discover more about themselves.

I’ve worked hard to turn my life completely around. Instead of choosing drugs, I decided to choose life instead. Now everything is different. I am married and we are both campus ministers. We make enough to live and not much more. That is why I desire to better myself through education so that I can lead other people into experiencing a life that is worth walking through confidently.

Ever since I was eighteen I’ve been bent towards proving that I can have a life of fullness and victory. Now that I am twenty two and going to college for the first time, my goal is to help other people believe that they can have victory to. Life can be hard sometimes, but the good news is that we can still come out on top.

Throughout my life I have had a glass half empty mentality. Thinking positively did not come naturally. However I believe that it’s one of the most powerful weapons that I use in my favor. When I simply changed the way that I think it changed the course of my life. I’ve first hand lived it and now I just want to encourage others that they can too.