Selfish to Selfless by MaKenzie

Selfish to Selfless by MaKenzie - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

If I were given the opportunity to deliver a speech to a school-wide audience, I would love to talk about the importance of making a difference. When I say make a difference, I do not just mean feeding starving children in third world countries. While that is a wonderful way to make a difference, it is not the only way. The world has created this scale to measure the importance of an act according to the impact it has when in reality, even the small things have utmost importance. You will never know what is going on in people’s lives outside of work or school, and it is so easy for some people to hide those things as if life is going perfectly for them. With that being said, be careful with the words you use towards people. Words should be encouraging and uplifting, not negative and slandering. When someone needs a shoulder to cry on or just someone to listen, be that person. You might be the only person they have. It is important to transform our minds to think about those things. We have to get out of the selfish mindset and start trying to put others first.
On June 10, 2015, my life was changed forever. I was at church camp when I received news that one of my best friends had been killed in a car crash. This story is not about me though. Yes, I was crushed, but this is not a pity party for myself. After his death, so many people made comments like “I did not really know him….” I live in an incredibly small community, so for people to not really know him is really sad. I learned a lot from my best friend’s death. I learned that I do not want people to say that they did not know me. Maybe they would not know me personally, but I want them to know ways that I have impacted lives, which is so important. So, basically what I am trying to get across is if you were to die today, how would you like to be remembered? I hope that you would want to be remembered by the good things you have done in life. Maybe you do not do something incredible on the “secular scale”, but maybe people would say that you were always dependable. Being dependable is such a great quality to have and especially to be remembered by. For people to know that you will always be there when they need someone is amazing. Maybe they would say that you are giving, loyal, kind. There are so many qualities to be remembered by that show that you are an impactful person.
We were not put on Earth to live life alone. We need people, and other people need us. Think about a time when you were not strong enough to fight life’s battles alone. Think about the people who helped you through those hard times, who picked up a sword and shield and fought for you when you could not even stand on your own two feet. What are those people like, how would you describe them? Got it? Now be that person. Strive to be someone who will fight life’s battles for someone else. Be selfless. You never realize the impact you have on people’s lives. Even the small things make a difference. Pick up the pencil your neighbor next to you dropped in class. Round your bill up to a whole number to donate to the organization that the company is sponsoring. Help pick up the papers that just fell out of someone’s locker in the hallway that everyone else is just stepping on. Be that person that will make a difference. You never know what others are going through, so do everything you can to help make the lives of people around you easier. Do not wait until tomorrow to start making a difference. Start today, start right now. Life can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye. When life is taken, what impact do you want to have made throughout your life?