Growing Up

I have gone through a lot of things growing up, not saying that my life has always been a rough battle. I am saying it has been more difficult then other I have talked, to that are my age. Because these obstacles in my life I have always felt responsible for myself and that relying on others was in no way an option. Even in elementary school I saw the need to work extra hard on projects. I would spend hours late at night drawing detailed illustrations for a simple task of "Things that start with H". I would skip school days because papers were not written correctly or presentations were not up to my liking. At that age I understood that what I did and how I did it was to show others that I was responsible enough to carry my weight and more, for that matter. Other children up until college would still have their parents help them or copy off of other children. Not me, I got offend by this, why could children not do something for themselves? We could they not take the responsibility of the homework they were given and just finish it? I was not going to let someone copy off of me because I knew my homework was too good and that the teacher would be able to tell I let someone copy. Yes, this might sound very arrogant, but this is how I thought.
As I arrived at high school I under this same condition. Which landed me the title "Teachers Pet" in the year book. At this same time a lot of my peers would criticize my work ethic. They would ask me why I spent hours writing a paper or why projects take me weeks. I would tell them because it is my responsibility as a student to try my hardest. They would laugh and tell me its just high school and know one cares about how you do in high school. Honestly, at some points I did give into this pressure, especially my senior year. Although is never left me, this responsibility to do the best I could on my own. Now, in this present day, although I was constantly made fun of, I would go through it again.
If I was not always as persistent to up holding this responsibility I would not be here, in college, had jobs, working in a fashion week, applying to art school, etc. I would never give my best or even strive to give my best everyday.
To frequently do I see old classmates on Facebook with their statuses saying how they need a job or how school sucks or how family life sucks. I must say yes this occasionally occurs to me as well, but I am talking about the people who have a crisis every five minutes. They are not trying anything, they are not hold themselves to any responsibilities. Yeah school may suck, but if your not giving it your all how do you expect it to get better? You applied to twenty different jobs and you haven't heard back from any of them. Okay well what have you done for them? Have you given them your best, this including a resume, a cover letter, or even a call to them? What does your resume look like? Is it the best you can give them? Does it show them you are responsible? So, now you are having family issues and you want to run off. Did you talk to them? Have you sought out help? Have you done anything for yourself to help the situation? In the end, are you being responsible for the best you can do?
So now when I look back at the classmates, children, I laugh. I laugh because they are the ones who said not to take high school seriously when a person should take every moment of life seriously and make themselves responsible. I do not want to impregnate the idea of fun only work. I am saying people need to be responsible.
It pays off quite well, I promise. Through my responsibility I have opened new doors to all sorts of possibilities. First off, I got into a great college and got instate tuition. Grades to matter in high school no matter how easy or hard it might be. Second, I was able to join a sorority. Some sororities only will think about a girl if they have a high enough grade point average. Through the events of transferring to another school, I have dropped my sorority. Third, I took Chinese in high school and now I do not have to take language in college. Also, people have a higher standard of me because I took it upon myself to further my education. Fourth, I will always have a job at the museum at home. I always held my self responsible to work my hardest at my job at the museum and now the main supervisor loves me. Fifth, I now work in the field I have always wanted to work in, fashion. I was given this opportunity through my sorority, but if it was not for my grades and holding my self responsible I would have never gotten in the sorority and never found out about this job. The events that have unfolded in front of me seem endless.
I just do live in the idea that people "get rich fast" or the idea of a "lottery". One way or another a person has worked there way up to a point. It is that person's responsibility to move up or stay there. There are stories of rock stars getting "discovered", but really they mean, someone is finally paying them to do what they have been striving for their entire life. Up to that point they haven't been sitting in a basement on Facebook complaining they have been practicing and practicing and killing themselves to get the final solo just right. People are lead astray when they hear "instant star".
In my last words before I leave to English class, I say this: it is only personal responsibility that defines your life.