PSA

My Accomplishments

I have very few accomplishments in my life so far.  I am only a sophomore in high school and most of my accomplishments are yet to come.  So far in life, I have only finished a few things in my life that I would consider goals.  My first goal that I have accomplished is being able to play on a travel soccer team, and eventually be one of the star players on my JV school team.  I am pictured in the middle of the second row.  I play center defense and defensive midfield for my team.  I do not score goals for my team but I provide assists and defensive help for the team.  Another goal that I have accomplished my MYP personal project.  My project was to collect and donate the uniforms shown in the photo above.  It was a huge success and I sent out thirty-four uniforms to those who were in need of them.  Other accomplishments that I have made are less significant.  Things like achieving a 3.6 GPA in my Sophomore year of high school, which my not be very impressive to some, but was a large accomplishment for myself so I am proud of doing what I did and being able to see it through to the end.

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch was a professor of Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University.  When Randy was diagnosed with a fatal pancreatic cancer in August of 2006, he knew that he had to make the rest of his time on Earth count.  Pausch was still in peak physical condition for the time he had left.  He decided to deliver speeches to those who would listen.  He wrote a book called The Last Lecture, this recounted his entire life, the goals he accomplished, and what he had to do to accomplish those goals.  "When you screw up, and nobody yells at you, that means they gave up on you." Pausch says this in the meaning that you must try as hard as you can in life, and if you mess up somebody will be there to help you.  My lecture is much simpler than Randy's, as I haven't had nearly as much time as he had in life.  I was born into a well-off family in the late 1990's.  My life has always been pretty easy and straightforward.  At this point in my life, I am more making my goals than trying to achieve them.  The goals I have made so far are; I want to go to a good college, I want to be an engineer of some kind, and I want to make enough money to get by, but not too much as where I don't have time for myself.  As of right now I can not accomplish any of these goals I have set because they are all set in the future, which is out of my reach.  I do not know if these goals will be the same goals that I'm going to have in a few years.  Goals change, as do people, over time.  I plan to accomplish all of my goals and to do whatever I can to to see them through.  My goals are very important to me, I want to be successful in life and I am going to be successful in life.  Things or people may try to stop me but it will not work because I have a goal and I'm going to achieve it.

Personal Journey

                            "...I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way."-Carl Sandburg
I feel like this quote directly reflects my journey into life so far.  I may not be too far into my journey yet, but I know it is taking me somewhere.  I have no idea where I will end up in life.  I do not know my future job, house, wife, family, or even height.  But what I do know is I will get to a point in my life where I will have all of the things I mentioned.  Most of my conscious life so far has been school.  I have spent years preparing for the future without even thinking about what I will be doing five years from now.  I would like to consider myself well educated up to this point in my life.  I get good grades, A's and B's, and I participate in multiple sports and clubs.  I believe that these alone should get me far in life.  I know that my journey is going to be difficult because a journey is never easy.  I am ready for any roadblocks that I may encounter on my journey.  I wish I knew what my destiny is but I will never truly know what it is until I fulfill it.  Obstacles that I could encounter can come from anywhere at any time.  They could come in thirty years or they could come tomorrow.  I must always be ready to take on these obstacles and overcome them because my most important goal is to see my journey through to the end.

Other Sources

Although every person has their own destiny, very few choose to follow it.  In Fahrenheit 451, Montag is a simple man that follows the social norm and has never thought anything different.  But one day, he meets a young girl who is on her personal journey towards her destiny.  This changes Montag in a way and it makes him think about his own life and where he is headed.  Montag changes his life dramatically and decides to follow what he believes his destiny.  However, he encounters many roadblocks along the way.  Many men do not understand Montag's destiny and most of them do not even understand their own.  This creates mass confusion that leads to violence and anger.  But Montag knows that he must do everything in his power to fulfill his destiny.  During his journey he becomes an outcast, a thief, and a murderer.  But he did it all in search of his destiny.  In the end of the story, Montag witnesses the end of his civilization; everything he ever knew was blown to bits in a matter of seconds.  He would also have experienced this fate if he had not left his civilization in pursuit of his destiny.  He was never meant to die in that explosion, someone or something had a greater plan in mind for Montag.  In the end, this person or thing saved Montag's life.  In The Tiger by William Blake, there is a questioning of who created the tiger and where it came from.  In one rhyming couplet, Blake writes "Did he smile His work to see?/Did he who made the lamb make thee?".  This makes be think that God is the one who William is writing about.  And although the text may be talking about a tiger and it's power, Blake is making the statement that something more powerful must have created the tiger, and I believe that this something is God.  I believe that God was also the one to save Montag from death during his journey, there were many instances where Montag felt trapped but he always seemed to be given a way to safety.  The tiger also has a destiny given to it by God.  It may be less complicated than man's but it is just as important.  The tiger may not even know of it's destiny, much like the citizens in Fahrenheit 451, but it will still have a journey through it's life that can either end in a happy, fulfilling time on earth, or a fiery death.

The Alchemist

Every person has their own destiny.  But hardly anyone knows where their destiny will take them.  I have no idea where I will be going in life.  I hope that one day I will become an engineer like my father and be able to have enough money to pursue my own personal dreams.  In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago must follow his own personal destiny to wherever it may take him.  Now this was Santiago's choice to do so, he could have settled down or walked away from his journey all together.  But he knew the secret to living a fulfilling life.  This secret is that whoever one is and wherever one goes, they must do everything they can to make their personal destiny become realized.  Like Santiago, I am also on a journey through life, and I also have very little knowledge of where I am headed.  But I know that as long as I continue on my way and do what I think is right, my journey will end in success.  Success is a broad term; it can be used in a variety of ways and never has the exact same meaning.  For me, success is when one achieves their goals and reaches the point in life where they feel satisfied.  I have not reached this point or even come near any of my goals, so I know that my destiny still has a lot in store for me.  I am doing the best I can to stay on the path towards success but it can be hard at times.  There are many obstacles that stand in the way between a person and his or her destiny.  When Santiago was on his journey, he experienced many roadblocks that set him back days, weeks, and even years.  I have also dealt with a few setbacks while pursuing my destiny.  One of my largest setbacks in life has been my issues with organization.  I find it very hard to keep myself in order and it is very difficult to get back into order once I become disorganized.  But I know that I must do anything I can to reach success and this includes organizing and adapting to my surroundings in the hope that one day I will achieve my destiny.