In life, we seek shortcuts over all, but like shortcuts, we are cut short. Life’s a race, and maybe sometimes it’s just a lot less tiring to jump off the course and maybe sneak your way through the bushes. The older I’ve gotten, the more I have realized that taking the easy way out of things does nothing but lessen what you get out of life’s biggest feats. I’m not saying to eliminate the ctrl+v feature on our keyboards. But unlike highlighted text on the internet, the steps that we take toward all the successes cannot be copied and pasted. Each and every step builds upon the last. Without the proper foundation, you might trip.
Great success stories come from even greater stories of perseverance and many reruns. No sense of pride from a success is greater than one that was worked for and earned. Maybe I’ve got a touch of Augustus Waters, who yearns to have the story of his short life one worth attention.
The desire to leave a mark on the world in every way I possibly can is way too compelling to me. While the majority of us can say that we will never discover the cure for cancer, become the first female president, end world hunger, establish world peace, or (insert impossible life goal here), we can certainly be the best versions of ourselves in all of the things that we do from time to time.
The next time we attend sports practice, we should think differently. We are running in circles around a track. We are shooting the same free throw for hours. We are swinging at balls that come at us over and over again. It seems repetitive and endless. Progress seems like it’s not getting any closer. Don’t let the voice in your mind tell you to give up or not attend practice. The second you stop giving it your all is the second you decide that’s all you’ll get. I would like for you to experiment with this thought. Every single time your feet took another step and your arms bend for another throw, you are never exactly the same athlete that you were before (+1 throw, run, etc ).
Set yourself a goal. Be the best daughter or son to your parents that you could possibly be. A teenager that is always respectful and considerate of their parents? Like I said, an ordinary kind of extraordinary. You know what this reminds me of? Brownies. They’re an ordinary kind of extraordinary. But when you’re baking brownies can you cut the baking time or emit the egg yolk all together? Of course not. Unless you want some funky results. Cook yourself up a lifestyle in which you will never let shortcuts cut you short.
Yours Truly,
Michelle
Yours Truly 