SchoolisHard

It’s hard not to pity those who squander each day waiting for their big break to fall from heaven. They often hate their jobs, have difficulty living within their means, and possess a great deal of regret. They can’t understand why they aren’t one of the lucky ones. In rare circumstances, people have literally done their best. But for the most part, it is because some people always close every window of opportunity.

It hurts to fail, but it hurts even more to have never tried it all.

I am going to share some of my own experiences about seizing as well as creating opportunities. Sometimes I thought I didn’t have a chance in hell. Sometimes I really didn’t. In any case, they were all worth it, good or bad, and they have made me who I am today. I hope you enjoy reading.

In Kindergarten, I made a few requests of my teacher. I could read pretty well at the time, so I asked her if I could hand out the mats at naptime. I expanded this further by asking if I could work instead of lying down. She obliged, and from then on I helped her file instead of pretending to sleep.

One day, for no reason in particular, I confidently told her in front of the whole class that I knew how to spell eagle. (At this point in my academic career I thought appearing intelligent was a good thing.) I proudly stood up and slowly spelled what I thought to be the correct word: “E-A-G-E-L”. This is the earliest memory of failure that I have.

In second grade, a particular girl caught my eye and I immediately decided that I had found my soulmate. I spent years trying to win her affection. I ignored the fact that she openly rejected even my kindest gestures. (Once, I brought her a cookie back from lunch and she threw it into the trash in disgust.) She didn’t even talk to me at my birthday party. I held this young lady in my heart for five years until she flatly rejected dancing with me in favor of an eventual teenage father and high school dropout at the sixth grade dance. I finally decided to move on.

This was one of my first lessons in evaluating an opportunity frequently and learning to make a decision sooner. It’s a shame we don’t always learn things the first time…

I had just gotten contacts when I started sixth grade. At registration, I was asked if I wanted to join band. I declined, fearing that the “cool kids” would no longer accept me. This was a window of opportunity I should have never closed; more on this later…

My next love interest was even better than the first. She had the looks, the grades, everything. Hell, she even talked to me and found my wisecracks funny. To keep a long story short, I made her Valentine’s Day special for two consecutive years. The second time, she gave me a hug and respectfully declined my invitation to go to the movies citing the fact that she wasn’t, I quote this directly from her note, “alowed.” I was the school spelling bee champion, but I decided to let it slide. Three weeks later I found out that she had just gone with a friend of mine. I ‘abanoned’ this particular opportunity.

My junior year was a tough one. Both of my mom’s parents died, and my own parents were on the slippery slope to their now-complete divorce. I ran away from home, spent a night in jail, stole my best friend’s girlfriend for a week, and dropped from nearly the top of my class to the middle. I was miserable, making bad decisions, and it showed.

The one glimmer of hope was the day that a friend of mine called me up and asked me to join band. I told him it “wasn’t for me”, but the thought lingered in my head. I would forget about it for a few days and then it would resurface. My mind was trying to tell me something. After all, my parents did meet at a bluegrass festival while leading their own bands, respectively…

Two months later, with no musical experience whatsoever, I took a leap of faith and walked onto the marching band field. If only I had started sooner! It is difficult to describe exactly how I felt. For years, all of my real friends had already been in band and I was welcomed with open arms. I felt like I was finally home.

This was a pivotal moment in my life. I discovered a talent I never knew I had and met people I should have been friends with all along. Even better, I got a scholarship to college. This would have never happened if I hadn’t just trusted in myself and went for it.

You might be asking yourself, “But wait, didn’t you change majors after your first semester?” I sure did. One of the scariest things about seizing opportunities is that you never know what will come of them. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and find out how cold the water is when you get there.

My sophomore year of college I auditioned for “The Importance of Being Earnest.” I never pursued theater in high school because I was too afraid to be on stage. (I was student director my freshman year.) In spite of the fear I thought I would have, I had an amazing time auditioning and wasn’t nervous at all. I got a part in the play, and realized that being on stage was actually very natural to me.

Don’t EVER be afraid!The next time you get a phone call, an instant message, or an idea, give it some thought. The decision you make could change your life.