Practice Makes Positivity by Kyla

Practice Makes Positivity by Kyla - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

In a society where we are constantly seeking perfection, I have aspired to achieve positivity. Throughout my high school career, I have learned to give up the goal of perfection to practice positivity in many aspects of my life through schooling and hobbies to achieve a total feeling of contentment. Therefore, my senior quote would be, “Practice might not make perfect, but it will make positivity.”
Today, it is a common misconception that constant practice leads to perfection, but perfection does not exist. Up until the beginning of my junior year in high school, I used to believe in this concept and often saw myself as a perfectionist; however, I started to realize that no matter what I did, I was not happy with the outcome. I always believed that I could be scoring higher on tests and performing better in sports. Although it is essential to be motivated, I was pushing myself too hard. Unfortunately, I was never satisfied with what I accomplished. I was striving to achieve perfection, but I was oblivious to the fact that it did not exist.
In the beginning of my junior year of high school, I began taking harder classes and dual-enrollment courses that would shine on my transcript for college applications to universities that I envied. I became extremely stressed from all the work, and my perfectionist attitude made matters worse. I always felt that I could be doing better, no matter how well I did on an assignment. To cope with the stress, I decided to start taking yoga classes after hearing about the numerous physical and mental benefits it provides.
The first day of class was intimidating. I was not a master at yoga like some of the other students in the class, but the instructor’s philosophy of always staying positive resonated with me. The class provided a feeling of positive energy that made me feel satisfied with myself after each practice as I continually improved in yoga. I started to apply this philosophy to other aspects of my life and found that I became much more content with the outcomes. I began to realize that with whatever I practiced, I would never be perfect, but my skills would improve in a positive way that would make me feel accomplished.
Therefore, I feel that my senior quote highlights a commonly stated philosophy of always staying positive and shows my change in thought from wanting to be perfect, to wanting to be happy with myself. I have realized that happiness is much more attainable than perfection, and perfection might not even guarantee happiness. What my quote says about me is that no matter what I practice in my life, I will never be perfect, but I will be satisfied with my improvements. My senior quote emphasizes that I have grown to understand that I will never be perfect. Instead, I have learned that I should be proud of myself and what I improve on. Most of all, my senior quote shows that I have learned to be happy with myself through all my hard work.