The Ability to Shine by Sharla

The Ability to Shine by Sharla - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

I think most important lesson that I have learned from a teacher is "to shine." The reason why the lesson “to shine", was the most important from a teacher, it is because I saw it as an affirmation for me that I needed to believe that I can make a difference in the world by being true to who I am.
The way I took my teacher's advice, it taught me a great lesson about life: it has taught me to embrace who I am. For example, I can be pessimist at times. I don't mean that I am negative, but I have the tendency to have a defensive outlook on things. For example, just like an athletic coach who is always thinking of ways to avoid bad situations in order to win a game, I tend to have mindset that causes me to think what can I do to prevent bad things from occurring whether that be when I play sports, spend my money, or even write an essay- even though everything will not be perfect. Although having a pessimistic outlook may seem unappealing to some people, I have learned to look at having that characteristic a positive view and say, “That is just how I was born- I don't have to change anything about it.” I don't have to worry about every little thing different about me, because those characteristics are unique to me, and I can put them to better use. Learning to shine has taught me that I have the ability to never conform myself to others’ or my idea of perfect.
That being said, having not to be perfect in order to shine gives me hope. When I think of fact that each person is unique and irreplaceable I realize there is no need to copy someone else when you got yourself. Though it takes time and a lot of rough patches to figure who you are, you'll get there eventually as long as you know that you are wonderfully made to be unique and loved- and that's worth celebrating! I think if everyone kept thinking that they are worth celebrating, not only would they eventually believe that, but they would also gain the courage to truly love themselves for who they are, and to do so for others as well.
Everyone has the opportunity to shine. From my own observation, the people that shined the most to me, were the ones that lived life with their hearts fully open and alive. This allowed them to use their unique gifts and talents to personally love and serve those around them more freely. Though recognize both their own imperfections and strengths, they did not let either their strengths or weaknesses outweigh the other. They shined by they allowing themselves to embrace each moment as an opportunity to be true to who they are as human beings. By being true to themselves, they noticed that the opportunity to shine is in every moment, meaning that the ability to shine is in everyone’s reach.
To take each moment as the opportunity to shine, means taking each opportunity to grow as a person. By bearing all your responsibilities and obstacles with integrity and perseverance, the opportunities to grow are contagious as they allow you to become more free to shine. Each time you grow you are allowing yourself to become one step closer to knowing more of who you are and taking advantage of every moment to become the person that you are uniquely made to be. By becoming vulnerable in sharing your journey with others, you inspire them to shine as well, hopefully creating a ripple effect of shining in order to cast light in the darkness of our world. To shine means to change, and to change means to grow, and to grow means to become more of who you truly are- a person of love.