Success and Dreams

Everyone has dreams, aspirations, things they want to do, things they want to see, places they want to go. Dreams are good. They drive us to be better and do greater things. But what do you do when you achieve your dream? When the thing you have been working towards for years is finally yours? The thing that was always at the back of your mind, waiting for a gap in your thoughts to explode through into your brain. The thing you have spent countless hours researching, thinking about, freaking out about, and hoping for. What do you do when you realize that your dreams have become your reality? This is a question I now face. Last week, I received my Appointment to the United States Naval Academy. This one paper was the end result of years of work and focus. Now that I'm in, I feel a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, as cliched as that is. Although this sense of relief and safety is comforting, it also reminds me that for me to continue to better myself, I need to develop new dreams. These could be as big as becoming a SEAL or graduating the Academy, or as small as being able to top 100 push ups in the PRT, or running a half marathon in a competitive time. I think people will always need dreams, because as soon as we stop dreaming, we stop pushing ourselves. And if you aren't pushing yourself to be the best "you" you can be, when you've become perfectly content with yourself, that is when you stop really living. 

Failure[?]

Failure: "omission of occurrence or performance; specifically: a failing to perform a duty or expected action" (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). I know failure. Specifically, I know the consequences related with failure. Failure to do well as a team in football means you lose the game. Failure to study adequately for a test means you don't do as well as you could have. Failure to turn your applications in on time means you aren't eligible for whatever you applied to. Failure to do what is expected of you means people's view of you changes. I think I am driven many times not by the want to succeed, but by the fear of failing myself and the people around me. I have yet to figure out whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. 

You may be wondering why I chose to blog about this or how this thought came to mind. When I was driving home today, it occurred to me that there was only a little over a month until the Naval Academy's admission decision deadline. I turned my application in last September, and it has been five long months of waiting to hear back. Although I am still confident that I will get an appointment (because if I didn't believe that there would not have been any reason to apply,) I wondered what I would think and feel if I did not get in. I immediately thought of a quotation that said (roughly) "the only real failure is not learning from your mistakes." I believe this, but I found it hard to apply to this situation. What exactly could I learn from not being accepted to the Naval Academy? Before I though about it too much and freaked myself out, I switched thoughts. Now, however, the question is hanging in the back of my mind. I hope it is one I don't have to find the answer to.

Lessons Learned Pushing Buttons

Last week, I heard the last buzzer of my high school basketball scorekeeper career. It came at the heels of a short, two year stint working for the Marshall School Athletic Department. During these years I learned many things about sports, friends, and life.

1: Basketball is a pretty fast paced game. If you don't pay attention for the whole game, you can easily miss calls or points. 

2: Pierce R is a great guy. As my coworker, we spent countless nights and endless hours together, and this strengthened our friendship. There are people in my class who I really want to keep in touch with after high school, and Pierce is definitely on that list.

3: My multitasking skills are much better now than before I started the job. Pierce and I got very good (too good, maybe?) at talking while working (or I should say snide remarks...) 

4: Getting flustered after a mistake does no one any good. I occasionally would mess up a score or foul count which usually resulted in a coach or assistant coach not-so-nicely telling me to change it. This seemed to always be while I was watching a referee to get a number for a foul. At first, I would struggle to not get flustered but would end up doing it anyway. After several instances of this, I realized that everything would go smoother if I just blocked out everything except what I was trying to do. This made fixing mistakes much easier and less embarrassing. 

5: This job was one of my first steady sources of income, and as such it was a learning opportunity. I had to learn how to save my money and deposit checks (which I now do all on my phone: very convenient.) This money also helped me afford gas, which is a necessity for one who lives 25 miles from school.

Reflecting on this job, I would do it all over again if I had the chance. Working a couple nights a week worked perfectly into my schedule, and it allowed me to watch all of my sister's home basketball games, which was really cool. Being the button pusher turned out to be an important part of my life during the late fall and early winter.