Worry Less by Isabella

Worry Less by Isabella - September 2022 Scholarship Essay

If I could give one piece of advice to my past self it would be to worry less, and instead focus more on learning and having fun. When I was younger, I was really good at this. Without consequences, such as poor grades, I did what I enjoyed.

Back then I lived on a hill. Our house was the first and the highest house on our street. And I had a scooter. So naturally, I spent my days flying down the hill. The sidewalk cracks were my speed gauge: More bumps, more speed, more wind. This was especially nice on a hot day. And when I reached the end of our street, I’d turn around and run back up. Maybe tiring physically, but never mentally.

When I was 10, I moved to Florida. I still had my scooter, but there was no hill, and the heat was unbearable. Not only did I have to adapt to the tropical climate, but also to grades. A transformation occurred. Wanting to “do well in school” and get good grades, I studied more. But with this added pressure, I enjoyed studying less. I still scootered, but without the hill, it was always too hot, too humid, and too stressful.

So, if I could, this is when I’d jump in and tell myself “Relax, you don’t need to get an A on every test, quiz, and assignment. As long as you try, you’ll learn, and that’s what really matters. Heck, it’s the whole point of school!”

Eventually, when I entered middle school, I made some new friends, and they helped me come to that realization. And though it was hard, over the next few years I was able to change my habits. When I entered high school, I upgraded my scooter for a bike. And now when I study I do it so that I can understand and remember concepts, but not so that I’ll do well on tests. And when I do get grades back, I use them as a baseline of where I’m at, and what to study. They’re still important, but definitely not the defining factor in if I’m succeeding at school. And finally, instead of the hill, I found a bridge and a friend to bike with me. And though it’s just as hot as before, I know we’ll be okay.