Chasing the Impossible by Tinais

Chasing the Impossible by Tinais - August 2022 Scholarship Essay

There’s a quote by Harry Gray that says, “No one ever achieved greatness by playing it safe.”
When you think about successful people in the past and present, they all have one thing in common. They were not afraid to take a risk, to try something new, or to fail. They all have a similar attitude when taking risks; you ultimately miss all the chances you don’t take. About a couple of weeks ago, I was scrolling on my linked-in app and saw someone I had known in elementary school. It inspired me to see all the organizations he was involved in and all the opportunities he had seized. So, on that note, when it comes to my academic life, one goal I have is not to play it safe this year, especially concerning seizing opportunities to get involved on campus and figuring out where I want to go in my life.

Not playing it safe can help you figure out what you want. In this case, it helped me decide on an area of study. In the past, I haven’t been self-aware and loved to stick to the safe side of things. This mindset is why I pursued biological sciences to be a doctor. It was a promising career path; however, I wasn’t passionate about any classes I took. After I realized that fact, I spent my winter break taking career assessments and analyzing my strengths. It took everything in me to march into my counselor’s office to change my major to business since I had already invested a year and a half in biology. But I decided not to play it safe, and my situation improved. I enjoyed learning the material in my classes, raising my hand in class and getting the answers right, and taking charge in group projects due to my confidence in the material. Switching to business helped me become a proactive student in my classes.

One of the things I’ve noticed about not playing it safe is that it takes a lot of effort, at least on my end. As an introvert, it can be hard to raise your hand in class to answer when everyone else is silent, and it takes a lot of effort to be the one people look to for answers or to initiate change. To not play it safe this year, I will push myself to do things that most people are not doing. I will introduce myself to the teacher on the first day of class, participate when everyone else is silent, and find ways to influence my community by getting involved in the business leadership society and the woman’s business association.

I’ve also noticed that you can find your path by not playing it safe. For example, recently, I was working at a technical support job for Microsoft, which is a job most people would consider as safe. I loved interacting with the customers but disliked the technical part of my job. Initially, I would have stayed due to the “safeness” of the Microsoft job. However, by getting out, I’ve now been able to use this time to pursue my loan officer certification, where I’m learning about topics I like. So, by not playing it safe, I can continue chasing opportunities that interest me and find out more about myself.

Ultimately, I’ve been afraid to take chances for most of my life, and I would’ve never dared to go forward and do things no one has ever done. However, in business, you are surrounded by stories of people who have accomplished or are accomplishing incredible feats. They may have failed in the past, but in the end, it doesn’t matter how much you fall, but if you can get up again. My goal this year is to carry that attitude and chase the impossible.