Blog 12/Tomorrow

 

Earl Nightingale: You become what you think about.

  

Mark Victor Hansen: You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands - your own. 

Douglas Everett: There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other. 

Oscar Wilde: One's real life is often the life that one does not lead. 

Consider the above quotes. Many of you are about to embark on your life after high school and choose a path in life.To what degree is the path you choose your own? Explain. (150 words or so) If you fail on this path, who will help you? How will you make it? (150 words or so)

Comments

[Amy]

To a certain extent the path I intend to take is my own. I say “intend” because we all know that once you start down one path you sometimes find out it’s the completely wrong one for you, thus you need to find a new one. I’m graduating early, which not many people have the opportunity to do or choose to do, so that is my own path. I’m planning on getting a PhD in psychology and either a bachelors or minor in business in hopes of one day having my own marriage-counseling practice. That career path is also my own, and both my intended career and graduating plans are decisions I’ve made by myself, for myself, so they are 100% my own path. As for my college decision, that is partially my parent’s decision. Although I would love more than anything to go out of state, I was told that if I get into UGA I will be going there. Although I completely understand why my parents want me to stay in state (college is expensive—especially if I do end up going all the way through a PhD) but I’m still irritated. My sister was allowed to go to the out of state school of her choice, and due to her spending my dad’s money and his stubbornness to go through that again, I have gotten the short end of the stick. Naturally seeing my sister at her dream school, and the thought of me being forced to go to one of my lower-pick schools just pisses me off.

If I fail on my path, I will be there to help myself. I have always been instilled with a strong work ethic and a sense of self responsibility. If I fail out of college or get fired from work or what not, I only have me to blame, so why would anyone else help me get back into the grove of things? I understand going to others for help on small things, but if you completely go off your path of life, you are the one who needs to realize your mistakes and bring yourself back. I think that if you have screwed yourself over so much that someone else has to bring you back to reality and fix all the mistakes you have made, then you will never learn. This will only turn into an evil cycle that won’t break until you take responsibility for yourself. I know that is stubborn and harsh sometimes, but I am my own worst critic.

[Caitlin]

What I hope to do in my future is mostly my own path. Once I graduate from high school, I will attend college. Although, my parents have some restrictions on which college I go to (it must be a Georgia school, and one of some merit and one that they approve of), I agree with and have the same restrictions as they do. I don’t want to go out of state for college, and I really only want to go to Georgia Tech for school. No one in my family has attended Georgia Tech, but my dad has hoped for all of us to go there. I was looking at Georgia State because they have the exact major that I want (music management), but that is one my parent’s won’t allow. While in college, I will major in business/management. I might minor in music, depending on what classes need to be taken in order to achieve this. If I don’t end up doing that, then I will just take music classes. Once out of college, I want to begin managing bands. After doing this for a few years and I have some history behind my name, I hope to start my own record label hopefully bringing over the bands that I managed with me. My parents have in no way had any part in this decision of my dream career. The most they have done is supported my love for music, by occasionally buying cds for me and driving me to concerts a few times. This choice is my own, and I plan on keeping it my own.

By achieving this dream, I’ll receive some help by my parents along the way, by them paying for school, but I plan on achieving these goals myself. I have my support system through my family and friends, but that is what they are there for: a support system. Not in any way will they do anything for me or take up the slack when I am behind. Obviously, they will always be there for when I need them and when I need help. But if I fail, it will be my failure and will be on my shoulders. It will be my mistake and I will fix it. Maybe with some guidance, of course, but never will I push my troubles onto other people who did not make this failing mistake. I will take credit for my own actions and I will do my very best to fix them. If not, then I will have crushed my own dreams and I will start over. I won’t blame anyone and I won’t rely on anyone to fix that.

[DisplayName22]

This is a complicated question. We all like to believe that the path in which we choose to embark is solely based on our own actions, dreams, and achievements. We like to think that if we work hard and follow our hearts to reach the goal we have set for ourselves that we can reach it. Parents put this idea in our heads at a very young age, saying "you can be what ever you want to be." Granted, there are actually limitations to this. Everyone around us affects our future in a positive or a negative way. When we were children, if adults thought we had great potential they put us in "advanced" classes. This can create a self-fulfilling prophecy (good or bad). Also emotions affect the way we learn, so our friends and family life can have a huge impact on how successful we are in the classroom. To sum up, we can never really set out a path for ourselves to travel because we do not know what is coming ahead. On the road to our destination we are extremely near-sighted, but we always have a picture of our final goal to look at along the way. All the people we encounter in our lives shape our future, but as long as the impact is not catastrophic I like to think that we are ultimately still in charge of our own destiny.

Fail is a relative term. You should always look for the best in every situation. If you try your hardest and still do not make the cut, do not get down on yourself-- everyone has their limitations. Les Brown once said "[s]hoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." It is all about your mind-set. All this talk is about helping yourself when you feel you have failed because you know for sure that you will be there even if no one else will. Always do what makes you feel happy; it is the shallower motives that put us in a bad place. Hopefully, if this so called "failure" does make an appearance, friends and family will have your back. They can help you get back on your feet and ready for success once more! We all have the strength in us to rebound and prove that failure wrong. Les Brown also said "[t]he greatest revenge is massive success." Work hard and do it for yourself because we all deserve it.

[LaurelD]

I have never in my life thought about choosing the same career as my parents. Business has never appealed to me and teaching has just become one of the most insane professions. I like to think that I have chosen my own pat in life, but I’m sure all of my choices have had some degree of influence. My first dream was to become a singer. I was determined to do anything I could just to sing, but unfortunately life changes and things happen. Long story short, I gave someone else the power to put me down. So now, I don’t think I am in anyway good enough to do what I wanted, so I moved on to a new dream. I think my newest dream had some influence from my parents. My mom used to always say to my brother that he should be a doctor, which was funny because that was something that I always wanted to do. So anyway, I wouldn’t be surprised if all of those years of them saying, “you need to be in a profession that makes money” have lead me to my decision. Lucky for me, I like science.
Well, I visited the school I am hoping to attend yesterday, and after that visit I have realized the likelihood of failure I will be facing. According to the school, they are willing to help me no matter what, but I know that even if I fail, my family will be there. I am pretty sure that most everyone will probably say the same thing when it comes to who will help them. I think actually that my brother would be the most supportive of me. He would do anything to help me. I’m sure if I asked he would even do part of my homework. The question of how will I make it is just as simple. I will have to work very hard. Too bad saying it is easier than doing it. If I end up being unable to do this career, I will have a back up plan, so to be honest I am not that worried. I have my family and I have planned well, so I figure I just need to have a positive attitude at this point and go into college willing to work hard.

[DisplayName22]

Amy and Caitlin- I love how both of you wrote specifically about 'your' paths--I read the prompt completely different and found it more generalized (ha I think thats cool). I also agree 100% about your opinions on helping yourself when you fail and not shoving your problems over on other people especially when it is not their fault.

[salsaboy]

No matter what others say or think, the path of my life is my own choice. I want to become a physician or physician’s assistant no matter what I have to do or where I have to go to accomplish this. As of now, Mercer University is my top choice, but I’m not sure if my parents realize that it is the perfect type of school for me, small, personal, and filled to the brim with opportunity. We really need some scholarship money for me to be able to go anywhere and I need to get on that. I want where I go to school to be my choice and not be affected by my family’s financial situation. I want to take the pressure off of my parents and do something worthwhile. Becoming a doctor has been a dream and passion of mine since... well since I was in elementary school. And then, a new show on Fox started getting quite the buzz from critics and peers. This show, House M.D., gave me a new perspective on what my life could be (the career, not the jerkiness). My parent’s have always wanted for me to do something in a field of science and be happy with what I choose, so that has affected my choice slightly, but I know in my heart that I want to become a doctor.
If I for some reason cannot become a doctor, there’s in fact a backup plan, but I will try so extremely hard to become a doctor that if I don’t make it the first time, I will try until I become one. Med-school is so incredibly difficult to get into and I know that less than fifty percent of med-school applicant across the nation get accepted, but I feel that if I stay on the right path and I try hard enough with my studies that I can achieve anything that I set my mind to. I know that I have a supportive family that will do whatever it takes for me to achieve my goal or find happiness in whatever I choose, and they will always have my back. They may not be able to help in a way that I might need, but they will try their hardest to help me see my goals through and through. I love them so much and I want them to see what will give me the best opportunities to succeed in what I desire.

[LaurelD]

Katie,
I really liked how you didn't specifically talk about your own path. I think you looked at the question in an interesting way by making it a collective and generalized response. I liked your insight. It was very interesting and true!

[AlexW]

I think that the path I have chosen, or will choose, is entirely my own. I have been very fortunate to have parents that trust in me completely and from that trust comes respect for the decisions I make. They have put no restrictions on my college choices and have only been supportive in the application process, 'the more the merrier' type thing. I intend to go to UGA because it's where I've always dreamed of going. My father went there and buys season tickets to the football games every year. He has all these fantastical boyhood memories of how much fun he had and what a great city Athens is so it's only fueled my interest. Recently, I have to admit, I had a rather large crisis of faith and couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to go there because its where I belong or because it's all I know. But after much self-introspection, I've decided it's where I should be. After that, I've left things wide open for me. There is no family business for me to take over and no one has carved out a path that I need to follow so at least for the foreseeable future, it's all my own.

Failure is something that I try to avoid thinking about because I try not to dwell on negative situations. But, I've experienced it before and have to accept the fact that I will most likely experience it again. I know that the support from my family helps; I never feel like they're not proud of me. And knowing that God has a plan for me that maybe I just don't see yet is always comforting in times of rejection. But what I think helps most and how I get through tough times is humor. I've found that I have to be able to laugh at myself and not expect perfection; it's the only way. If I fail, I hope that I can gain some perspective and realize that it can be as insignificant in my life as I want it to be. And then I can laugh it off and try harder next time.

[EmilyL]

The path that I plan to take in life, I like to believe, is my own. One change that has occurred in me in the past year or so it that I have decided to truly be my own person, putting to the side others thoughts about me and not caring what others think, being myself. I think that I have applied this to my life. When some hear what I plan to do after high school and college, (hopefully attend UGA, get married and have a family and hopefully work in something that involves working with children) they may say that it is ordinary and unoriginal, but it IS my own, what I feel I am supposed to be doing. For a plan to be someone’s own, I do not think that it has to be original, but instead it must be what he truly feels is right for him and what he has a passion for.
If I fail on this path that I intend to follow, I will have the comfort of always knowing that if I failed at one thing then it in fact was not what I was supposed to be doing. I know that God has a plan for my life and that He always knows what is going to be best for me, no matter what I think is. Also, I know that my family will always be standing behind me supporting me in everything that I choose to do and if I was having trouble, I know that they would willingly help me in a heartbeat. I also have some of the best friends I could ask for and I know that they would help me in any time of need. I am so thankful that I have these people in my life to support me and I know that I would be able to make it through first with my faith in God and then through my family and friends.

[Kellis]

I have to admit that my parents have had a very large influence on my path into college. Both my mother and father graduated from Georgia Tech, and considering that my father played football at Tech, they have always been hardcore yellow jacket fans. Growing up in this environment, naturally I have “inherited” the love for GT and have always planned on going there for college. My parents have never told me that Tech is where they want or expect me to go; they are actually very open about the topic of college and supportive of me applying to other schools. Nevertheless, they are thrilled that I plan to follow in their footsteps. However, I have become very concerned lately about my plans for college. If I do not get accepted into Georgia Tech, I have no real back up plan. (This is not because I am confident that I will get into Tech; reality is quite the opposite.) There are no other schools in state that really interest me. I would consider a few out-of-state colleges, but the expenses of going to an out-of-state school are impractical. I have strayed from the question at hand, but overall, I would say that, even with the heavy influences from my family, my path is my fully own and my responsibility.

The thought of failure already makes my stomach turn, as I know how large of a possibility there is that we will meet in the near future and frequently thereafter. This may seem pessimistic but I would rather call it being realistic. We all go through failures, both big and small, to reach success. Knowing this does not make it any easier, but it helps to think back on all of my numerous failures and hardships in the past. I have made it through those either by myself or through the love of my family and friends. I have no doubt that I will experience failure on my path to success, but I have faith that I can make it through by committing myself and working hard. It always helps to know that my family and friends will always be behind me to encourage my dreams and support me through hard times.

[prickly]

The path I choose is my own because of the choices I make. If I make the decision with negative consequences then my path will be in the wrong direction. However, if the decisions I make have a positive outcome then the path I choose will led me in the direction that will help me succeed. I agree with Hansen on the matter that I control my future. Who else would? I am the only one living my life therefore it is up to be to make it the way I want it to be. This reminds me of the Switchfoot lyrics for the song This is Your Life: “This is your life, are you who you want to be? This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?” I make my life either a failure or a success so at the end of the day can I say that I have achieved what I wanted? My path is my own. I determine where it will lead me.

If I fail on the path that I have set before myself then I will learn for the mistake and help myself in learning how to succeed. I always like to take responsibility for the actions I have done, therefore I like to be the one who picks up the mess I have made to learn from it and move on. Sometimes I get frustrated at myself for making the same mistake multiple times but in the end it’s all about learning. That is how I will make it on my path but learning from my mistakes and knowing what the right thing to do for the next time. I didn’t know how to explain this any further without repeating what I have previously stated therefore I am explaining why I have not make it to 150 words yet. Sorry that it was not a total of 150 words about the topic that was discussed on the blog, but now it is 150 words because I explained to you why it was not.

[5HopeG]

The path that I choose will certainly be a decision that I make on my own. After high school, I plan on attending a college. Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of chaos with choosing the right college. My parents want me to go to a school in Georgia and yesterday they said that if I am accepted into UGA, I will go there. They do not understand that I want to go to Birmingham Southern for dance. My whole life I have wanted to be a professional dancer and then eventually become a dance teacher, but my parents are against that idea. They do not think that it would be a good profession because it doesn’t have the highest paying salary, but I believe that in the future happiness will be more important than a well paying job. I also think that if money is so important, I can always marry someone wealthy.

Hopefully I will not fail on this path, but there is a possibility that I could. There is so much competition in dance and it is definitely a difficult profession. If this happens, my parents would be there to help me even if they didn’t agree with me dancing professionally in the first place. I would have to choose a different career and start from there. I know that it would be hard, but all work is hard. I’ll have a backup plan. I do not know what that will be right now because I honestly do not want to think about me failing in dance. But if dancing does not work out, my parents will help me make another decision and will support me in anything that I do. I love them very much and I know that they only want what is best for me, but sometimes I wish that they would be behind me in my decision to be a dancer instead of trying to talk me into a different career path.

[5KatiePe]

The person that I am now learned, for a while, to avoid thinking about the future or regretting the past and live in the present. Wondering about my future, although something that I cannot always avoid, is something that I've never really chosen to stress about. And now, turning eighteen in two months and filling out college and job applications has caused me to realize that the future has become a necessary aspect of my consciousness. This year is the year that I chose where the rest of my life begins. And sometimes that's terrifying, as much as I avoid the thought. From here on out, I am my own person, completely responsible for my own actions and decisions without anyone to lean back on as an excuse or a crutch. Independence. Wow.
And concerning the rest of my life, I have control over more than I give myself credit for. My dream college is and will be Sarah Lawrence in the great state of New York, a thought slightly daunting to my parents but entirely thrilling to me. College applications absorb my time: UGA, GCSU, Sarah Lawrence, Virginia Tech (to appease my parents, both of whom are Tech alumni), etc. First comes the work of applying, and then getting accepted. And where I go is really of much less consequence than my parents think, as long as I'm somewhere far enough away to start over. My plans for college change about every day, so there's no telling what I'll major in, but hopefully it'll be something English related. My ambition is compeletely my own, a product of my past and my few talents and my person. Though others might claim something like it, or claim that they somehow influenced it, my plans, my future, belong to me and are entirely dependent on myself. That is something that I truly believe in. I have the ability, and I use this ability, to shape my own future, and whether or not I gain support or endorsement from others is their own business. My parents and my friends will be there to love and support me, and in the end, I am simply searching for what most people are: happiness. Fulfillment. Whatever that might mean to me.

Failure is something that I expect on my path. It's something that I'm sure will happen. But it's also not something that will damage or ruin me. As a writer, I require failure to teach me how to become stronger, more effective. As a person, I require fallouts to cause me to grow when I can't find a way to do so myself. Failure is entirely essential to success; one would not exist without the other, an antithesis to make both worthwhile. And if I fail, I can assure you, I'll need people. I'll need friends to make sure that I keep going, and I'll need family, and especially my cousin Stephanie, to give me a reality check and remind me that the world keeps moving. If I fail I'll have people. And I'm thankful for that. Responsibility, I'll take, but support will be essential because of the person I am. And I know I'll have people to support me, outside of the unconditional love of my parents. :)

[Ca$hD]

The path I think I will follow in life is partially my own, but not wholly. Actually, if I got to choose my path on my own then it would probably be completely different, but the path I will tentatively embark on is a compromise between my parents and me. I have been helping in the kitchen since I was about three years old. My aunt always let me mix crazy concoctions in the kitchen and help her decorate cakes. I have loved cooking since I was very little and I always thought it would be an amazing job to be a professional chef. My parents, however, know that the chances of becoming a very successful chef with a high income are pretty slim. My dad wants me to go to regular college instead of culinary school, which I completely understand, but he wants me to be a doctor or a lawyer or something of that nature. It is my goal to attend UGA, and it has been ever since I can remember, so going to a regular college is not an issue. The compromise is that I cannot be a chef, so I think I want to be a forensic psychologist. I would have never thought of this career if my parents had not steered me from my other path, so I would say this path is not completely my own, but rather a combination of mine and my parent's path they want me to follow.

If I fail on this path, I think I would be held responsible for my actions. My parents have helped me already by encouraging/forcing me to try my hardest in middle school. Because they pushed me then, I was never satisfied with a grade in high school that was not a representative of my full potential. I think them teaching me good morals and a good work ethic has helped me know what I need to do to be successful. Since my parents have taught me this, it is now my responsibility to implement what I have learned. If I choose not to do so, then that is my problem. I understand that if someone’s parents face all of their troubles for them, then they will not know what to do when they are on their own. This being said, if I were caught in a tough situation, I think my parents would still be willing to help me. If they were able to, I think they would do everything they could to help me out just because they love me.

[lllleeexxxx]

My path consists of being someone who can change the world in the sense that I can save the lives of many from sickness. As a child, my curious nature forced me to want to know the answers to every question that crossed my mind. However, there were many open-ended questions which no one could answer, only sadly shrug. These questions plagued my mind for years and I’ve found a way to answer them but it will just take time: I will research autoimmune diseases and find ways possible to cure such diseases. My path sounds tedious, difficult, and impossible however I feel that from the experiences in my life that I will be more than determined to do such a thing. My path is of my own needs, desires, and intrigues. It demands my fullest potential because I hope that it will create someone else’s potential to live one day. It is of a reality yet I believe it will become true.

In my life, there have been many moments of failure nevertheless I have learned to get back up and try again regardless if I fail all over again. I do not fear failure because in order to understand and realize what is right or wrong, I must make mistakes. Otherwise I would live a life unaware to the possibility of failure – I would live a life of skewed values. My family and friends have always been there for me but the greatest push for me to succeed in life is my own self-fulfillment. My self-fulfillment includes the happiness of others, the well-being of several, and the ability to have traveled the world living with many people of different cultures. Honestly, I strive to make life better for others so that they don’t have to go through a life of hardship much like mine. My persistence will outweigh the power of failure and thus I will succeed as long as I believe in myself.

[KatiePh]

It is really hard to believe that it is my senior year, and I have to make all of these life changing decisions right now. It almost hasn’t hit me yet even though I have been doing applications and looking into scholarships for a while now. The path that I am choosing to embark is my own, because “You control your future, your destiny.” It is what I want to do with my life. I wouldn’t want to live the dream of someone else. But the people in my life and the things that I have experienced have helped in my decision in my future career. In the end, the people in my life have not changed what I want to do, but rather changed some small ways of how I will achieve it. For instance: the school I will attend next year. Some schools that I would love to go to that are really good for my major are out of state. Something my parents would rather not pay for. I will still get a great education in Georgia, but that is one way that my path is altered. I will still go on the same career path, just in Georgia.

Failure is something that I have to face. It happens to everyone. If I fail on this path, the first person that I will turn to is myself. I will try not to go directly to my friends, because I know that they will all be in the same boat as me. They will have their own troubles that they face in college and I would not try to put my own problems onto their shoulders on top of the load that they have for themselves. Instead, I will probably turn to my parents and family. I know that they will always take me in and help me through whatever the situation is. I will go into college knowing that I will fail at least one thing. But I’m also going into it almost looking forward to the failures in a weird way. If I don’t fail, then I have nothing to learn from, no great learning experiences to gain. And you’re supposed to do a lot of learning in college, right?

[Account Deleted]

I like to think that the path I choose is 100% my own; however, I know that there are always obstacles and limitations pulling me back—deterring me and therefore guiding me slightly off my exact chosen path. Like I have said time and time again, I love music and am planning on majoring in music education. I like to think that this path I have been set on since the seventh grade is completely my own, with no influence from my parents other than overwhelming support. I chose on my own to join chorus as an upcoming sixth grader, I chose on my own to follow my musical career into high school, I chose on my own to become increasingly involved in chorus, and I am choosing now to become a music major. I am not following the path my parents took and major in business or finance, but they have never once tried to push me down that path. They openly support anything I choose to do. Yet, there are those evil obstacles that seemingly hold me back… like money. If I had all the money in the world, I would go to a prestigious music college like Berklee College of Music or Belmont University, but I know that will not happen. I also know that becoming a teacher will cause me to struggle with money for a long time (especially if I want to get my PhD), but I am okay with that as long as I am doing what I love.

“If you fail on this path”… that is an extremely scary thought. One music teacher told me that by the time he graduated, more than half of the music majors switched their majors or dropped out because of the difficulty. Disturbed by this fact, I asked my friend (who is a music major) about music education in college and she told me music education majors are basically double majoring. They learn about teaching as well as music production, theory, and so on. This is still not a happy thought for me… and I do not have a back-up plan, but I am positive that I will be the half that stays with it. I will not completely fail, no matter what the odds. I am a strong willed person, and if I fall, I will pick myself up and strive to do even better. I also know that my amazing family and friends who support me in everything I do would do the same.

[Account Deleted]

Amy I understand your frustration with not being able to go to your dream college because of your parents… and your siblings. I want to go out of state as well; however, I have found a college I love in state but it is a private college and of course it is somewhat pricey. The situation would be different if we did not have four kids in my family to send through college. I too feel like I am getting the short end of the stick… and that it might impede on my chances of becoming the best I can truly be. All I can do is hope for the best.

[Kellis]

"I also think that if money is so important, I can always marry someone wealthy." Hahaha, ohhhh Hope. I guess you've got everything figured out, huh?

[StephB]

Our future seems to be a menacing thing as a senior in highschool. I feel as if I have already run out of time to decide my life and my path, even though I know this is in reality a silly belief. However I sometimes feel as if there is a large amount of pressure on us to make choices that will in turn affect us for the rest of our lives, and these choices have to be made soon. It's a little bit frightening that while we are choosing our path we have no idea who we might be in five years, ten years, twenty years from now. Yet our choices will forever affect us and determine what chances we are ever given. Our path is one we choose, yet I think our path is something we happen on by chance most of the time and that we rely on others to further. I personally have chosen a path different from other people but I am no stranger to leaning on people other than myself to reach the goals I have laid out. I think however, there is something powerful about writing down and setting a concrete goal. It helps you, yourself, find the path you need to follow to get there. You might choose your path through the woods, but someone else might hack branches from your feet.

Failure is my biggest fear, and I know that I am not alone in that. My failure results in the ruining of not only my own ambitions and course but that of many other people around me, not exclusively but most importantly the animal that holds my life in his hands. There are many ways to fail, but in the end you possess nothing but shattered hopes and heavy burdens to bare. There is one way to crush me - and that is to tell me that I have failed. This, however, is where relying on others to help you walk down your rocky path is crucial. My own dependence on the people around me is monumental. I rely on them to stear me away from pot-holes and dead-ends; I require of them to look out for not only their best interests but for mine as well. Those you keep around you are the way you choose your path as much as making a decision on which road to embark upon. And a good support team it is then your job to believe in yourself, even when no one else can and to find a way to make it work even when you can barely find the will to persevere. It is about commitment to whatever it is that you do no matter how many times you might stumble getting there. And it is about being thankful every day for what you have, even when what you have doesn't seem like a lot. That is how you make it.

[Diesel]

The path I choose is completely my own. College is obviously the next step of my life and I can choose to go anywhere I get accepted to, in state or out of state. Money is an issue but it is just a hurdle in the path, not something impossible to get around. In order to attend the pricy out of state colleges, I have to get a lot of scholarship money. I choose to fill out the applications for the scholarships, I choose to fill them out to the best of my ability to receive the scholarships, and I chose to work hard enough in high school to make myself eligible to receive these scholarships. Most situations in life are like this. Hard work allows one to choose their own paths more than those who are not willing to make the sacrifice. When I was a kid, I remember hearing that you can achieve anything that you can dream of. Now that I am older, I see that this is a very true statement, but it does not come easy. If you choose that you want to achieve a goal, working harder than anyone else will usually get you there. Sometimes freak things happen that prevent us from choosing our future, but for the most part we are in control of our lives.
Failure happens to everyone, it is a part of life. How people respond to failure can make or break their lives. There are many people in my life that will help me if I ever do fail. I know that my family will always be there for me. This does not mean that I will slack off and not care about failing and then use my family like a crutch. If things do not work out like I intended them to I know I can turn to my family to turn me in the right direction. My parents will do everything in their power to help me succeed. Sometimes this means they take care of me and look after me closely. Other times this means they leave me to experience the real world for myself so that I can learn from my failures and overcome them. I also can rely on my grandparents. They have been around a long time and have experienced both the good times and the bad times. Advice from them will help me recovery from failure. When failure comes my way, I know that I won’t have to come up with all the answers to overcome it alone.

[5AvrielG]

The path I choose is my own. I want to go to college, however the colleges I get into are up to the decisions of people I do not know. Although the path I choose is mine I put my path in the hands of others. In other words, everyone has put their life into the hands of persons unknown and they make decisions that direct you on your path. I would like to say that I have complete control over my life but the reality is is that I don't. At some point I realize that my decisions control my path but my path is made by others who don't know me. So my preferred path is desired - I don't know if it's the one I'll have in reality.

If I fail (which is a bad choice of words) - so if my path is redirected, then my mother will be there to help. My mom has always tried to give me the best opportunities and that's why she went to grad school. My father may be able to help but I know that if I need a pep talk I can go to him or my step mom. If I need a dose of reality or financial advice I can always go to my mom. I know that they'll always support me but I also know that whatever whole I get myself into they help me as they see fit. So if I get into a huge hole they'll toss me a rope but they won't pull me out - I'll have to climb.

[Ms.T]

Closed

[Demosthenes]

I think it unlikely that one would become what one pensively ponders; however, one is likely to contemplate corollary thoughts akin to what or who they are. Correlation is not causation, in this instance, I believe. Certainly, if one never thinks about a thing, it is unlikely to come about except by chance. If one is to consider that which he or she wishes to accomplish or become, to put serious thought into his or her future, one might find that the path becomes clear, or at least that it becomes more clear. Others, however, are apt to place one foot in front of the other in a most haphazard fashion, choosing to go wherever life takes them. Few go anywhere of note in this way. One of man’s only true abilities is the ability to choose. True, there are always unforeseen circumstances and events that intrude upon our lives, but most all of such events can be attributed to the choices made by others, to some extent. Almost any obstacle or hindrance can be bested with enough effort and force of will. One’s path is entirely one’s own. If we stray from the path we set out for ourselves, the repercussions vary widely, largely based on our social networks. Here in the United States of America, the greatest country on earth ever to exist, our increasingly feeble and socialistic society has a number of safety nets in place to catch those who fall too far in the world. Those fortunate enough to find themselves with caring families and friends can often turn to these people for most any kind of support. But it is important to note that assistance must be sought out or asked for in order for assistance to be rendered; one does not get what one does not request. The world is made up of a myriad of different people, places, and things and there is a cornucopia of paths to plod down. What we do once we set down a path and where we will eventually find ourselves is entirely dependent on the choices we make at all of the various points in our lives.