Dear Younger Me by Lillie

Dear Younger Me by Lillie - April 2021 Scholarship Essay

As life goes on, there are many things that I wish I my younger self would have known. From school to sports to family to relationships. One specific thing I wish I would have known before going into high school is that I am smarter and more capable than I think I am. I never thought it was even possible for me to accomplish what I have so far or rank as high in my graduating class as I do currently. If I could go back and talk to eighth grade me- who was registering for classes at my high school- I would have told myself to believe in myself and go the extra mile to take every honors class and honors credit. Although I did take all the honors classes I was able to, I did not apply for honors credit in band. I did not think that I would be able to handle all of my honors classes plus the extra honors credit project, so I did not do it until the following year.
Now, ranked fourth in my graduating class, I regret not having applied for the honors credit for band during my freshman year. If I would have done that, I would be number one in my class. Because of my lack of confidence, I unknowingly took myself out of that position all because I did not think that I could do it. Although being in the top one percent is still an amazing accomplishment, I took myself out of an even greater accomplishment and opportunity all because of self doubt. I doubted my ability to handle the course load. If I could go back and talk to the younger me, I would tell myself that I am much more capable and smarter than I believe. This doesn’t just apply to this one circumstance, though.
I have doubted my abilities academically, athletically and musically throughout my high school career and it has cost me greater opportunities many times. This advice would have helped me tremendously; confidence is the key to achieving many things. Instilling greater confidence in myself at a younger age would have allowed me to flourish and achieve far greater things than I thought possible. I have since then proved to myself that I can do much more than my mind leads me to believe. Knowing this sooner would have been an immense help. I would have given up less, worked harder, and become a stronger person than I am currently. Though I can not go back, I can use this lesson for my future. I now know that self doubt does not control me and self confidence allows far greater things to become.