<p>Hello. Perhaps you have seen a few of my other topics, where I have lamented my (relatively) low SAT scores/grades. This forum has made me believe (whether realistically or unrealistically) that I will not get into a top tier college. The notion that I would not get into the college I have wanted to go to since childhood once made me quite sad, angry and depressed. Sadly, I, like so many of the other incredibly bright students in this forum, have wrongly attributed my self-worth to the college(s) that accept me.</p>
<p>No more. The realization of the real possibility of not getting into my top choices for college had the salutatory effect of forcing me to re-examine my priorities. In order to do this, I had to first discover simply why I wanted to attend a top tier college in the first place. I arrived at the conclusion that I wanted to do so for security(economic and social), wealth, prestige and power. Curiously, this list of 4 traits I wished to have did not contain the trait that many arguably consider as our reason of existence: happiness. I, as well as many others, have wrongly assumed that any combination of these 4 traits definitively leads to the all important happiness. </p>
<p>Wrong. Happiness eludes some, and seems to follow others wherever they go. Oddly enough(or obviously, to me), the happiest people do not always have the most amount of monetary wealth. Once a person meets his or her basic needs, little distinguishes the immutable characteristics of the average man and the extremely wealthy man; we view both of them as humans with no recognizable defects. We place higher value on the wealthy man because he has earned ownership of more material goods than the average man has. But yet, no one truly knows which one has the greater ability to do good because both have the same opportunity to address and correct problems in the world. And so, both have the same potential, and only have to pay heed to the natural limits on life: ie, old age, sickness, etc.</p>
<p>We, as (mostly) teenagers, have many years more to live than the average man or the extremely rich man, and subsequently have much more potential that we can fulfill. I find it foolish that we waste our team comparing our achievements, as if they (or standardized tests) can truly predict our potential. You see, therein lies the beauty of potential. Potential depends solely on mindset. We should not focus on what we cannot change(our past), but rather what we can change: our future. We do not have to play anyone's 'game' in order to achieve happiness; rather, we simply have to start searching for things that make us happy.</p>
<p>So, nowadays, I pass by this forum both to refresh myself on where I stand as far as qualitative achievements go(simply out of curiosity), and also to see people needlessly worrying. I do not take enjoyment directly from their worrying, but rather from how their worrying further reinforces my goals right now, which all involve happiness. I attempt to write music, even if I cannot do so very well. I will definitely play lacrosse this spring, even if I cannot make varsity. I will continue to play the viola, though I will have no awards to show for it. I will take CC courses not to pad my resume, but simply to expand my knowledge. And most importantly, I will not let school get in the way of my learning. Hopefully, at least some of you feel the same.</p>