Success is a Decision by Laurel

Laurelof O'Neals's entry into Varsity Tutor's November 2013 scholarship contest

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Laurel of O'Neals, CA
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Success is a Decision by Laurel - November 2013 Scholarship Essay

“Success is a decision.”

This is what my father has always told me. As a man who has taught music for decades, my father has had to apply this to every lesson he has taught. The difference between first and second place, between success and failure, between life and death; it's all based on our conscious decisions.

I haven't always understood my father, but throughout my life in high school, this principle has become the most valuable lesson that I have to illustrate in my life. It's easy to blame other people for what happens to us, but in the end, a lot of our experiences can be traced back to our own decisions. Because of my father's beliefs, I have been taught to take responsibility for my own actions, and for my own life.

This has shown through especially in my time management. I can choose whether o not to work hard in my studies, when to do my studies, what to do in place of my studies. It's my choice that my parents and teachers have been trusting me to make. What I do now will greatly impact what my opportunities will be in the future. My success is based on the amount of effort I decide to put in, the amount of time I spend on substantial things, the extra mile that I decide to go. My success is based on my decisions.

It's easy to deny responsibility. Often times we questions why certain things happen to us, what did we do to deserve our predicaments. We want to know why bad things happen. With a few exceptions, we can almost always apply the rules of cause and effect; an action will have a responding result. Well, our actions have results. Our decisions have consequences. Every little move we make will cause something else to move, whether we know it or not. We are held accountable for what we do by the outcome of the situation. Whether or not we succeed is based on our decisions.

Although I have made many decision that are neutral by themselves, when compared with other possible decisions that have more decidedly positive results, they were poor decisions by default. The most valuable lesson I have learned in high school is that what I do now will effect my future options. If I decide to be grumpy, I may end up offending somebody who could have been my future employer. If I buy something I want but don't need, I may not be able to pay for an unexpected emergency later on. I need to be wise with my actions. My success is dependent on my decisions.

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