To Try or Not to Try?

-I've always wondered about this, but even more so now than ever. Why do people give up before they even try? Why are people so easily discouraged and influenced by others who say "you can't"? It seems that everyone is giving up on their hopes and dreams much more easily now. I can't stand it!

My Spanish teacher of last year told us an interesting story. His Spanish teacher in high school told him something to the effect of he would never be able to get anywhere. He was so enraged by this that he went on to do really well in school, Spanish in particular, and is now a Spanish teacher himself. (And a really good one at that.) He told us never to let anyone tell us that we can't do something, because chances are, we can.

Yet I know people who have been told that they can't do something, and they listen and don't even try. It's saddening, because I know that if they tried really hard they could do whatever they wanted to.

Another example that I see often: Let's say that someone really wants to go to Princeton University because it is a prestigious school. They've always wanted to go there, it has what they want to study, and it's in general their dream school. Then, come second year of high school they realize how competitive college admissions are and that school's like Princeton and other Ivy Leagues are extremely selective. At that point, they decide not to even try for Princeton anymore.

The thing is, people are afraid of rejection. I am, too. I don't necessarily want to go to Princeton or Harvard, but I've got some pretty big goals in mind. There's no harm in trying to get into a university like Princeton. Even if one doesn't make it into Princeton, the hard work will show to other good colleges. If someone doesn't try their hardest to reach their goal, they're not going to make it anywhere. There's no harm in trying, especially in a situation like this. And rejection is a part of life. It makes us stronger. It teaches us a lesson.

I don't think that people who work really hard get rejected in any sense because their best wasn't good enough. It was fine, but perhaps they would just be better off with the end result. We don't have total control over what happens in life, but we can control how we end up in the future. Deciding to pursue a dream can be the difference between extreme misery and extreme success. If we don't try, we'll have to live with the question of "what if?" and the regret of lost opportunities. If we do try, we can at least say that we gave it our all.

-Clearly, the mood of this blog has changed...