Knowing What I Know Now by Omar

Knowing What I Know Now by Omar - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Knowing what I know now there are several things I would like to pass down to any younger student willing to listen. Tips I wish had been presented to me earlier that I believe can help anyone succeed and prosper in his passions, academics or athletics. The ability to comprehend and execute advice will certainly be helpful. A wise man once told me, “if you want to know what is down the road you’re walking, ask somebody walking back.”. This intertwines with some of my other tips as you must surround yourself with those who are on the same mission or road as you. So many times I have found myself surrounded by people whom I have no future with because they have far more short term secular goals than I do. People who were just a product of my environment not my choosing.
Choose people who will benefit your life, who will enhance it in a far more beneficial way than drugs or girls. People who will drive you to study longer, practice harder, and work faster. Not people who convince you to forget about the project and just come out for a “lit” night. Enjoying yourself is always a personal treat but to run a successful life you must slim down on your treats and manage your time accordingly.
There is no bigger key to success than time management in my opinion. A genius can waste his entire life believing he is stupid if he is wasting his time and talents. Organize what it is that you wish to achieve and give yourself enough time to achieve it. School, sports, social life, work, personal fitness, personal life, hobbies, and a religious affiliation. There is room for all these in your life, only if you budget your time well.
Lastly and this is what I believe truly separates those who are successful at what they do and those who come up short is, hard work. Tireless determination to achieve what is at hand. If you want to make the varsity team, practice every free moment you have. If you want a 2400 on your SATS, look up every single test strategy, surround yourself with SAT words and practice tests. If you want that new car, pick up those extra night hours. Kobe Bryant was always the first one at Lakers’ practice, and it showed in his game. He once told Laren Profit at halftime of a game he was struggling in. “Hey Prof, I work too hard. These shots HAVE to fall eventually because I’ve worked too hard, I’ve shot too many shots.” This sort of unrelenting faith only comes in when you know you’ve done the hard work to succeed, the funny thing is that only you know how much you need to work to succeed, how much of your time you need to devote to master what it is you plan on mastering.
Knowing what I know today I would do anything to turn back the clock and read this essay, I would also smack myself upside the head to make sure I read it twice so it actually resonates. Heed what you deem beneficial to you and your mission, surround yourself with those on the same mission as you, manage your time wisely, and leave it all out there. Two cents I wish someone would have thrown me a few years back, that I am handing to you today.