A Piece of Advice to my Past Self by Malak

A Piece of Advice to my Past Self by Malak - September 2022 Scholarship Essay

If I could go back in time and give one piece of advice to my past self, it would be this: "Every single human is talented and smart and a system or number or a person cannot tell you where you stand in society." Think of it this way, as Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." We are all born equally and but with different talents and passions. However, in current society, many have used the system as a way to determine how well/smart someone is. By doing that, you create a catastrophic system and mindset that sets people apart. My young self was a victim to this. I believed that how well I preformed would determine how well I was as a person. I also believed that I was considered stupid because I failed to motivate myself. I was the person who would use the number of a grade to determine how smart I was, and would get sad if I got a 97 instead of a 99. I would be the person to believe that I cannot achieve something because it seems unachievable. This all comes back to the catastrophic system that we have. If I, a senior who is now mature and aware of where I stand, can go back and inform my past self of this, I will happily do so. What would I get out of this? I would be able to tell my past self, "Look! Look how far I got! Nothing can determine your self worth and talent other than YOURSELF." This would have been big change for me. It would have changed my interactions with people. It would have influenced my passions and goals. It would have changed me as a person. Indeed, one might not be able to go back in time, so I will use this goal as I move on in life as it would allow me to see where I stand, not where others see me.