This I Believe Statement
As part of Gateway to Honors, I wrote a statement to articulate my personal philosophy. This statement is given below.
Yes, We Can't
by Andrew Griggs
by Andrew Griggs
Over the years, many things have come to guide my personal philosophy. I find it hard to identify just one belief that has held the most sway over me. I believe in the power of humor to heal wounds and pull people together. I believe in the power of music, indescribable yet invaluable. Both are important pillars of my life, yet perhaps not the foundation. There is one principle that I hold which governs the vast majority of my actions, and its influence over me only increases as I grow older. More than anything else, I believe in challenge.
I believe that there is no challenge that is so impossible as to warrant not trying. I believe that confronting challenge is the most important aspect of life, and that every time I face an obstacle, I am better for it whether I succeed or fail. For this reason I live life in order to take advantage of the challenges it offers, improving myself in the process. As I grow older, and as I find myself recognizing more and more the benefits of challenges, I find myself ever more willing to confront new ones. I can only hope that I continue along this path - one that I cannot predict, one that is winding and curving, and one never stays the same.
For there is one thing I strongly detest: the status quo. Why should we ever be content with our own situation in life - our experiences, our knowledge, our skills? There is always room for more. And there are always new opportunities. To the chagrin of some, opportunity usually comes masked as challenge. A young child with the potential to learn piano gives up because he finds it too difficult. A college aged student decides not to study abroad in France because she is afraid she will never be able to learn to speak the language. A middle-aged corporate employee passes off a promotion because he is worried about the responsibility and uncharted waters the new position entails.
Every day, millions of opportunities are turned away because we are afraid of what lies beyond the veil, hidden from sight. I refuse to approach life like this. What is the point of living within your comfort zone? Without challenges, we do not learn, we do not progress, and we do not truly mature as persons. For this reason I have committed myself to embracing challenge as an old friend rather than a potential adversary.
Of course, I am not perfect in following my philosophy. There are certain boundaries that I find myself staying within, certain risks I am not yet willing to take, certain opportunities that I too have let pass by. Yet this does not change my underlying belief. Every day I challenge myself to push those boundaries a little farther and take a few more risks. Some days I fail, but it is important that I realize that when I pass up a challenge, I only fail myself. An opportunity lost is one that cannot be retrieved later in life, and therefore each and every one is precious. For example, I once did not consider music as a substantial part of my life. Since then I have taken many risks and overcome many challenges in order to discover its power. One of these risks included taking off to march with a drum corps halfway through the summer. I received an offer to march, and although I could have been more cautious, I jumped right in. I didn't know what to expect, and I had never spent so much time away from home before. In the end, that month on the road with a hundred and fifty like-minded musicians was one of the best months of my life. Were it not for those and other challenges I have faced over the years, I would be a vastly different person today. And I would say that today I am a better person because of those experiences.
I would encourage all others to embrace challenge in their lives. Everyone succeeds and everyone fails, but the sum of those experiences will enrich your life. Embracing challenge is nothing more than living life to the fullest, and because our lives are finite, this should be everyone's goal. If someone were to ask me if we as humans had the ability to make the most of our lives, I would respond: Yes, we can't. For although we will never really be able to make the most of every moment, it is essential that we endeavor. For this reason I aim higher every day, all the while knowing that I will never truly reach the ultimate target. Nor will anyone else. But I believe that we should still try.
I believe that there is no challenge that is so impossible as to warrant not trying. I believe that confronting challenge is the most important aspect of life, and that every time I face an obstacle, I am better for it whether I succeed or fail. For this reason I live life in order to take advantage of the challenges it offers, improving myself in the process. As I grow older, and as I find myself recognizing more and more the benefits of challenges, I find myself ever more willing to confront new ones. I can only hope that I continue along this path - one that I cannot predict, one that is winding and curving, and one never stays the same.
For there is one thing I strongly detest: the status quo. Why should we ever be content with our own situation in life - our experiences, our knowledge, our skills? There is always room for more. And there are always new opportunities. To the chagrin of some, opportunity usually comes masked as challenge. A young child with the potential to learn piano gives up because he finds it too difficult. A college aged student decides not to study abroad in France because she is afraid she will never be able to learn to speak the language. A middle-aged corporate employee passes off a promotion because he is worried about the responsibility and uncharted waters the new position entails.
Every day, millions of opportunities are turned away because we are afraid of what lies beyond the veil, hidden from sight. I refuse to approach life like this. What is the point of living within your comfort zone? Without challenges, we do not learn, we do not progress, and we do not truly mature as persons. For this reason I have committed myself to embracing challenge as an old friend rather than a potential adversary.
Of course, I am not perfect in following my philosophy. There are certain boundaries that I find myself staying within, certain risks I am not yet willing to take, certain opportunities that I too have let pass by. Yet this does not change my underlying belief. Every day I challenge myself to push those boundaries a little farther and take a few more risks. Some days I fail, but it is important that I realize that when I pass up a challenge, I only fail myself. An opportunity lost is one that cannot be retrieved later in life, and therefore each and every one is precious. For example, I once did not consider music as a substantial part of my life. Since then I have taken many risks and overcome many challenges in order to discover its power. One of these risks included taking off to march with a drum corps halfway through the summer. I received an offer to march, and although I could have been more cautious, I jumped right in. I didn't know what to expect, and I had never spent so much time away from home before. In the end, that month on the road with a hundred and fifty like-minded musicians was one of the best months of my life. Were it not for those and other challenges I have faced over the years, I would be a vastly different person today. And I would say that today I am a better person because of those experiences.
I would encourage all others to embrace challenge in their lives. Everyone succeeds and everyone fails, but the sum of those experiences will enrich your life. Embracing challenge is nothing more than living life to the fullest, and because our lives are finite, this should be everyone's goal. If someone were to ask me if we as humans had the ability to make the most of our lives, I would respond: Yes, we can't. For although we will never really be able to make the most of every moment, it is essential that we endeavor. For this reason I aim higher every day, all the while knowing that I will never truly reach the ultimate target. Nor will anyone else. But I believe that we should still try.