This I Believe Essay: I Am on The Right Track in Life
I have always been someone who overthinks a lot, it can get to a point where I feel like I am not on the right track with everything that I do. I always think that something bad is going to happen to me, because things have been going so good in life. I would think “I have been doing so good, something bad has to occur”. As this first semester of college is ending, I realize how much I have grown, I can say that I am someone that believes in themselves. I realize that things are going well because I am on the right track, I am right where I want to be in life. I shouldn’t have the thought process that something bad will happen, and it does that in life in general. Everyone is going to have ups and downs in life.
I have always been someone who would consider themselves to be a perfectionist. Everything has to go a certain way, or else it will not work out. I believe I have grown out of the phase this semester and I am accepting things as they will come.
This first semester I took classes that I was really interested in,
Deviance and Crime and Forensic Eyewitness Interviews. Both of these classes have made me realize that I am learning things that I will take with me when I eventually become a police officer. I am learning how to properly interview someone, which will be very beneficial for me in a few years. I know that I am learning the tools needed for my future career. This is making me excited and a little nervous, but everything will work out.
I have to also realize the amount of work I put in to get where I am right now. I took 10 college classes in high school to get ahead, and I have to always be proud of myself for doing that. I was the one that put in all of that extra work, nobody else completed those classes for me. I have to always be proud of myself for completing those courses, I need to be proud of myself for working hard for my future career while I was still in high school. No one can take that education that I gained away from me.
To conclude, I can finally say that I believe that I am where I should be in life. I should stop thinking that I need to be in a father state of life, or should be doing more. Being in college is a big success, and I have to stop thinking that I need to be in a different stage of life. I can confidently say that I am where I should be. I am on the right path to where I want to go in life, and I need to enjoy this stage of my life while I can.
I believe that being kind is punk rock, and I think of Superman as the best possible example, not as a symbol of hope, but as a lonely figure hovering above a world he cannot fix. Beneath the suit and emblem is someone who trusts everyone and thinks everyone is beautiful. We will never fully know what others are carrying, the exhaustion or stress weighing on them. But we can choose to pause and to show up even when it is hard or inconvenient. These acts do not erase the world’s burdens, yet they are quiet rebellions, fragile, fleeting, and full of meaning. They remind us, and those we reach toward, that even in the midst of chaos, human connection still exists.
I am incredibly lucky to have my very own Superman to look up to: my dad. He is the walking definition of kindness, strong in a way that isn’t loud or flashy. His strength is quiet, patient, and unyielding. He shows me every day that courage is not about invincibility or grand gestures, it is about staying soft-handed in a world that would rather you harden, choosing to give when it costs you the most, and refusing to turn away from the suffering of others.
This year, my dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease that attacks the protective layer around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Thinking back on all our years in church, he was always the first to hold the door and greet new members, offer help in Sunday school, or step in when someone needed support. He has always been the model of who I hope to be, someone who gives without expectation and leads with quiet kindness. Even now, as he faces this diagnosis, he remains just as open and generous as before. When the world gives him every reason to turn hard, he chooses compassion. He still welcomes anyone in need, offering what he can, even on days when he has so little left for himself.
And that’s when I think of Superman again, not the invincible figure in the sky, but the man who keeps falling back to earth because someone needs him. My dad is that kind of hero. Not because he’s unbreakable, but because he keeps choosing to show up. His softness is the last thing he protects. His kindness is the last thing he’ll ever let go of.
Maybe when you give without expectation, you’ll never regret kindness. True courage is staying soft in a world that wants revenge, choosing love when the easiest thing is to look away, offering yourself even when there is almost nothing left to give. That is punk rock. That is heartbreak. That is carrying a heart that could shatter under the weight of the world, and still opening it, again and again, because someone, somewhere, needs it.
This I Believe Essay Peer Draft
I believe in protecting your own peace and wellbeing above everyone else. There is only one way to ensure your peace; do what makes you happy, not what makes others happy. Though it seems challenging in the moment, setting boundaries and making your intentions clear is not selfish, it is thoughtful and necessary.
Throughout elementary school, I was surrounded by a very large friend group, each of us with very diverse personalities. This broad range of identities and beliefs did not flow smoothly, leading to constant visits with the guidance counselor following arguments that ranged from someone being left out, to someone going down the slide first at recess. This experience morphed me into being a ‘people pleaser’, struggling to distinguish the difference between what I wanted and what they wanted.
As we moved throughout the years, the group began to become narrower as some of them moved away and personalities shifted within us. There was a time in middle school and into high school where my standards changed. I realized that by staying with this group, I was only hurting myself. Eventually, I was left with a much smaller, closely knit group of friends who I could trust. Some of them were from the original group while others I had newly acquired. This new group girls showed me what true friendship felt like and knew that boundaries were important in keeping peace.
I spent most of my childhood worrying about how others felt or how much they liked me. After becoming distant from this once very large group of girls, I learned how to become more at peace with myself. Through this experience, and still today, I feel the stress easing away as I focus on filling my own cup first. Even though those girls once meant so much to me, I still truly believe it was the right choice. It is important for you to become your own priority. At the end of the day, having fewer, closer friends is much more valuable than having many distant unreliable ones.
In order to reach this point of peace, it is important to learn more about yourself to understand what works best in your own life for your own wellbeing. Put yourself in situations that will not cause unreversible damage to your metal health in the long run. Always be mindful of who you choose to surround yourself with. Life is short, so choose peace.
Coming to college has made me realize that you will find your people. My entire life, I have lived in an extremely small town where everyone knows everyone. Growing up in this environment has its benefits and its drawbacks. For example, I went to school with the same kids all throughout elementary, middle school, and high school. This either means you create a life long bond with these people, or you come out hating each other. The latter of the two was the result. This of course resulted in it being extremely difficult to make lasting friendships. Everyone in my class was so sick of each other that we couldn’t be around each other. As a result, I would have friends but they were never very meaningful and most of them ended with an argument. I didn’t feel like I was being treated like I should be so I dropped those people. After years of doing this I began to think that this is how friendships are. That was until I finally moved away to college and met 7 amazing people who showed me what true friendship really is. This is why I believe that everyone will find true friendship even if it takes a while.
Throughout my life, I have not had the best luck with friendship. I may have always had friends but they never lasted because I felt like I cared way more than they ever did. When I care about someone, I put a lot of effort into my relationship with that person, and when I didn’t receive that back I was often hurt. Coming to college, I was so scared that the same thing would happen. However, I couldn’t be more wrong. Almost immediately I connected with my roommates and then with more people I met along the way. Now all seven of us are so close I cannot imagine my life without them. When I finally found friends that returned the same amount of effort that I put in, I was so happy. The friends I have met at college truly feel like a second family to me. I am at my happiest when I am with my friends. Being around them is my favorite thing, whether it’s going out shopping together, or just sitting in each other’s presence while studying, I enjoy every single moment. This feeling is reciprocated throughout the entire group. This feeling has been foreign to me because I grew up around people who always seemed to have a problem with someone else. Here, we are all just so happy to be around each other to the point that we could spend every second of the day together and not be sick of each other.
In conclusion, I believe that everyone will find true friendship no matter how long it takes. At times in my life, I felt like I was never going to experience a friendship where they felt the same way I feel about them. If you ever get the opportunity to get out of that small town full of the same faces, and same buildings and experience new things and meet new people, take it. Even if you are as scared as I was, do it anyway. You never know if you will meet someone who will mean the world to you.
What we choose to listen to matters. It could be a favorite song. Or, paying attention in class for an upcoming exam. For many people, it’s about the weather- Will it rain later today? Do I need to wear my jacket? A lot has to do with hearing the recent news, for better or most times, for worse. We choose to listen to all of these things because, for one reason or another, they are important to us. But I believe there’s a bit more to it than that. If eyes are the window to the soul, then I think ears can be a good indicator of the heart. I believe in listening as a way of love, and I believe in applying it with people too.
Growing up, it wasn’t far from exaggeration to say that my grandfather was my entire world. He wasn’t the type of grandfather who would read you a story; instead, he always took on the role of listener. After school, my sister and I would get off the bus at my grandparents’ house, and he would start, as he always did, by asking both of us how our days went. I was always more than happy to tell him about mine. But now, I can see that his question might have held more meaning behind it.
When I was 12 years old, my grandfather was diagnosed with dementia. He became forgetful, confused, but with it, there came something else too. We weren’t given a name for it then, but now, I know it is called aphasia- a condition that affects the brain’s process and production of speech. He had all the words, but when he tried to speak, they came out jumbled, mixed up like letters in an alphabet soup. In just a few years, his condition left him unable to communicate. On good days, I could make sense of a sentence or two. On the bad days, he became upset, agitated, frustrated, and it was clear to see why- He wasn’t being understood. That’s when everything switched, when I took on a new role: The role of listener. He would talk to me, in his way, with words that I could never fully make out, but I listened all the same. I listened because I wanted him to know that I cared. I wanted him to know that I loved him.
Listening isn’t just about hearing the words themselves. I think that the true value lies in seeing the person behind them. This world, I like to imagine, is a library full of stories; of people, places, and experiences that are waiting to be shared. But even thinking this, I can get so caught up with my life, so focused on writing my own story that I fail to look up from its pages; I can forget that others have a story too. But in listening, I stop to notice the people around me more. Through listening, I am able to connect, to learn, to grow, and, most importantly, I believe I am also able to love.
The thought of what I might do after college with my degree or even in college never crossed my mind until after a few weeks I arrived at college. I knew I wanted to study Exercise Science, but I never set myself any goals with this. While we can all hope and dream, not everyone can attain those hopes and dreams. And I’m not talking about hoping for good grades, I mean the success and opportunities that will come from those grades. I want to put myself out there and meet new people and build strong connections with people that can help me find my success.
Here at UNE, we have access to all of these great resources and opportunities that can lead us to success not only academically but also personally. I need to start taking advantage of these opportunities, especially now that I have more time to myself. I’ve started to explore different internship opportunities that the AES program could help set up with me. This is very important to me because this is how I could get a job in my degree of work. Building connections with not only my current AES professor, but also the professors I will have over the next 3-4 years. They are the ones that have those connections and if I continue to make a good impression upon myself they will have great things to say during my internship application process.
Overall, I have realized a lot about my own wants and desires as a college student over this past semester. Talking to professors, friends, and even my parents opened my eyes to a lot of different paths I could take to reach my goals and the “success” that I want to achieve. However, talking to upperclassmen in the AES program left a significant impact on me and what I want to gain from the experiences this university offers. I recently had to do a project with an upperclassman in my AES class. I interviewed him about his experience here at UNE and in the AES program. We also talked about his internship, which caught my attention. He interns at Skofield and does exactly what I am looking to do. I hope that soon I can be in his position doing training clients and working in the strength and conditioning field. However, for right now I am focused on learning and growing as a person so that I can soon be able to experience these things as well. Looking forward, I will continue to make great use of my resources surrounding me because this will only help my path of attaining both my degree and a job in the near future.
I believe in spending quality time with the people you love. One of my love languages is quality time, and I believe that going out of your way to spend quality time with loved ones creates deep, meaningful connections that will last a lifetime.
My grandfather, Poppop, owns a 1968 Chevrolet Camero. A beautifully shiny, black classic car with two thick white strips down the middle. A car that not only sparked my grandfather’s interest but also sparked my father’s interest and my own. When my grandfather was working, he would come home every day and spend time perfecting his already perfect Camero. When my dad was young, he spent every second he could out in the garage helping my grandfather get the car ready for the next big car show. With the Camero being the winner of almost every car show, it became a passion of both my dad and Poppop to attend as many car shows together as possible.
When my dad graduated high school, he went right into trade and started working as an auto technician. Poppop was the reason my dad loved cars, so he decided to spend the next 37 years (as of 2025) underneath and in the hoods of cars trying to fix them.
On take your child to work day I would always beg to go with my dad. I thought that tearing things apart just to put them back together was fascinating. I would sit on my dad’s work bench handing him tools and writing everything he said down in my blue sparkly notebook. He sparked my passion in cars, and now the three of us bond over that same 1968 Chevrolet Camero that my grandfather still takes to every car show. That car has been the talk of my town for almost 50 years, and it will continue to see the street instead of sitting in a garage thanks to the quality time that my grandfather, my dad, and I all spend together. Seeing the physical trophies on the shelf in Poppop’s garage reminds me of the hours that we spend together talking about the same car. Some things never get old.
Truly getting to know someone comes with spending quality time with them. Not only do you get to know your loved ones better, but you create common interests and similarities. Building deep connections builds your character, which is why part of my character shares a common interest with the characters of my dad and my grandfather. Take the time out of your day to do something you love with the people you love, it will change your life forever.
When I think about the happiest times in my life, I think about what it took for me to get there. I ponder the choices I made, the people I met, and the risks I took. I’ve noticed a pattern within this: I’ve found that I experience my best moments when I’m outside of my comfort zone. When I step outside of that box of comfortability, I find new friends, experiences, confidence, and I make my most joyous memories.
Growing up, I was told by my mother, “Good thing you’re so tough.” She would use this to empower me during hard moments. I found it somewhat invalidating at the time, but as I matured, I found a sense of strength in it. I realized what she meant by it, the depth she was conveying in her words. When I encountered difficult times, I thought of this saying, and I persevered. With this new found strength, I felt comfortable stepping outside of my comfort zone. I felt safe within the unknown of life, fearless of the inevitable ebb and flow. I pursued opportunities, even if I had to work hard to get them. I found a sense of reward and fulfillment once I tackled difficult experiences. And best of all, I felt confident in myself even in the most unstable times.
I was also told, this time by my father, that “Fear is in the future.” By this, he meant that what you fear isn’t happening in the moment that you have that fear. It’s something you worry about happening. If it isn’t happening now, and it’s likely not to happen, why worry about it? Fear, and especially anxiety, can be deceptive. They can deter you from new experiences, and cloud your judgement. They are a huge reason why people tend to stay in their comfort zone. New things can be scary! It’s understandable. But, learning to embrace that fear, and even become friends with it, can be so freeing.
The beauty of life is found outside of your comfort zone. It might sound daunting to climb a mountain, but if you find joy in the climb, if you let go of your fear and negativity, you will be free of the confines of your comfort zone. And, when you reach the summit, the sense of satisfaction you feel within yourself will be paramount to any other feeling. There’s a lot to learn from pushing your boundaries. What I’ve learned is that you will find your happiest, most confident self. You will make many memories to look back on, and smile.
My chalked-up fingers held onto the plastic rock as I tried to find footing while not looking down at the 50ft drop beyond my feet. My arms were already tired even though this was my first assent this high up the gray face of the wall. My forearms were burning from the pressure I had to exert on them to keep myself from slipping off the wall. I knew the height would get to me if I saw the floor drifting far beneath me because I had been in this place so many times. There was one thing that would get me to the top, and that was self-discipline. The hard part was enacting it and getting myself to look beyond my fear of the height, and push myself through the fatigue in my arms and legs.
I ended up finishing that climb, and many other endeavors thanks to self-discipline. Yet before that, there were many times that I signaled for the person holding me up to drop me back to the ground. Self-discipline is something that must be continuously practiced and implemented throughout your life to get it right.
If you practice self-discipline on a day-to-day basis with the activities you do, you will be able to do more and have more free time. This would mean you have more time to rest, relax, or more time to do more things in general, which will lead to more accomplishments. It can range from focusing on work to eating heather, and in the end, it makes anyone a well-rounded person.
When you push yourself to greater heights, that is self-discipline. Getting yourself out of your comfort zone by doing something scary takes self-discipline to accomplish, and that lets you grow as a person. When you regularly push yourself again and again to achieve one thing or reach a goal, the better you become at it. This will help you achieve the goals that get you to where you want to be in life and build this important skill along the way.
A person who is organized, productive, healthy, and happy has the ability to help others who need it. Helping others is an important part of what I value, so practicing self-discipline, which helps me, is part of how I can then help those who need it.
The belief of self-discipline can be applied to any aspect of your life; you can then be a better person in every aspect of your life because of it. From waking up to starting your day in the morning, to going to bed at a time that is right, you can practice self-discipline to make yourself, and others, better people.
Most people go through life waiting for the next thing to happen and always looking ahead to the future. I get to go home this weekend, I have these plans for this day, and the list goes on. I am just as guilty of this as anyone else, I look ahead, wait for the next thing, ect. While this is not always a bad thing we don’t always realize that while we are looking ahead we are missing the things happening right in front of us. We try to move through our days so fast, often forgetting to just enjoy some of the little things that actually do happen throughout the day. Oftentimes we end up looking back and regretting not living in the moment and realize how fast time really has gone by.
I have always thought this way yet I struggle just as much as others to actually live in the present. When I started working as a cna at 17 in an assisted living facility, my perspective on life and time was definitely changed and deepened. Working to help others and hear residents’ stories from when they were my age, or even really just life, has definitely changed the way I think about certain things. It was incredibly humbling starting this job as young as I did and seeing first hand the various ways people age and how they cope with it. I will go into residents’ rooms and help them with things that at this point in my life, I just could not imagine not being able to do myself and realize that I will likely be in their place one day and that is when I think my mindset really started to change. I think of it as one day you are young and making so many new memories, and the next you are so limited on certain things and you are just going to have to look back on old memories rather than being able to make many new ones. Residents love talking about and sharing stories from throughout their lives and I always love when they show me pictures from when they were younger as well and it really puts into perspective how fast time really does go by.
In conclusion, I think that we should try to live more in the moment. This does not mean forgetting the future or avoiding making plans, it is still important to have a sense of what direction our life is going but I believe it is equally important that we enjoy the present and not to take for granted the little things that are happening in our day to day life.
I remember being 12, and feeling like the world wasn’t meant for me. I felt like living wasn’t meant for me. It was hard to muster up even an ounce of feeling when everything exhausted me. I slept so much and not enough, and wanted to simply bury myself in the cold earth and never wake up. When I was 12, I was extremely depressed and passively suicidal. To me, there was no point in anything because I wanted to die and probably would soon. This led to an interesting mentality. If nothing mattered, why not do what I wanted? If I was going to die soon anyways, why not live how I wanted first? It was almost like seeing Death near you, scythe and all, and saying five more minutes.
So, I started doing whatever I wanted. I was always a goody two shoes, and probably always will be, so I didn’t start committing crimes, but I did start to hang out with friends more. I went to parties, and social events, and even hung out with my family more. I did some stupid stuff, like poking at my little brother more because I could, but for the most part, I started to live how I wanted.
As I got older, and I relied more on the people around me, I realized that I didn’t want to die anymore. I wanted to keep living, and keep experiencing all that I could. Life was so precious now; I had so many more good memories of living that the need for death felt further and further away. This revitalized will to live has brought with it new challenges. I now have a fear of death. What was once my companion and close friend is now my greatest fear. I have seen and felt what life can offer, and I do not want to lose it. How strange it is, to go from Death hanging near, to wanting to outrun the natural balance to life. I feel perhaps like a vampire, or an ancient emperor of old. I have come close to dying, felt my body and soul prepare for it, and was brought back. Now I feel desperate to keep this cherished life I lead. I almost want to start searching for some immortality gimmick, and see if I can live forever.
My life is so cherished now, and I do not want to lose it. But, I must come to accept that Death will eventually come for me. It will not be soon (I hope), but it will come for me in the future, and when it does, I do not want to greet my old friend with fear. I wish to welcome him with open arms, as at that point, I hope that I will have lived a wonderful life.
I believe that your best doesn’t have to be good; it’s the effort you put in that matters. It took a lot of years to build this concept of how to move forward while living with depression. Some mornings, even simple things like getting out of bed, getting dressed, or just starting the day feel heavier than they should. And on those days, my “best” doesn’t look productive or impressive. It’s about that quiet, unseen choice to keep going anyway. I’ve learned to see that choice as a real form of strength.
Starting college made this belief even more important. Leaving home meant finding oneself in a space where everything was new: routines, friendships, responsibilities, and expectations. While working through independence, I was also searching for something more significant-a purpose. I want my life to mean more than grades or completed assignments. I want to discover who I can become and what kind of impact I might have. But I’m beginning to see that purpose isn’t a single moment of clarity. It’s something you uncover slowly, through the daily effort of trying, learning, failing, and trying again.
Sometimes, it feels like higher education has a way of convincing me that everyone else has it all figured out—they know what they want to do and exactly how to get there. Comparing myself to them is pretty easy to do and puts me behind before even starting. But my belief reminds me that purpose doesn’t come from perfection; it grows from honesty and persistence. It shows up on days when I push through even when I feel low on energy, in moments when I ask for help, and in times I choose progress over giving up. Every small effort is a step toward the life I want, even if I don’t yet know exactly what that life looks like.
I also believe this is true for others: for friends, classmates, and any person overwhelmed by expectations—yours or someone else’s. I know how comforting it can be to hear that your effort is enough, especially if you feel like you’re falling short. I hope that through living this belief, I can help create spaces where people feel safe to struggle, learn, and grow without pretending they’re doing fine. In a world that rewards visible achievement and polished success, I choose to value effort, even when it’s quiet or imperfect. I believe in the courage it takes to keep going, especially when life feels heavy. And I believe that every small effort-no matter how simple-moves me closer to finding my purpose.
This piece is going to be about personal growth and how at the right time and with the right people it can be a magical thing for someone. This can be something that is very important to some more than others. Remember in high school, when the teacher makes everyone write something down that they want to improve on or work on. There is always that one person who says they want to grow as a person and try to improve themselves, but a lot of times it isn’t just that one person. Personal growth or growing in general is a good thing that happens. The current adults in the world had to have gone through personal growth at some point, maybe they are still going through it or just starting to.
When I was in middle school my best friend decided that we weren’t friends anymore. That moment made me think back and look at everything, and for me that is when some of my personal growth started. I realized that not everyone I was friends with actually liked me and it was bringing me down. I dropped these people and it was like some sort of weight was lifted. I found people that liked me for me. They understood my humor and we created new memories. I found these people freshman year of high school and we have been friends ever since. They helped me figure out who I am and feel good about who I am. If you don’t surround yourself with people who will help you grow and become who you want to be, they shouldn’t be worth your time. Sometimes to get personal growth you might need to step out of your comfort zone, try new things, meet new people, or have a change of scenery. No one ever stops growing, they just might not know that it is happening.
When freshman orientation got around for college I wasn’t too excited because I was going to this new place with new people and I didn’t know anyone. I met a girl in my orientation group and we almost immediately clicked. It was like we had known eachother for years. We had similar humor and some of the same high school hobbies. I felt like I had found my person. We got closer over time and are inseparable. She helped me realize that good friends are the ones that let you be you and will always be there, even if they sometimes embrace the bad ideas.
For a while now I’ve bounced the idea around in my head that the future is as fixed as the past. When I say I think the future is fixed and unchangeable, I’m not referring to fateism, which is the theological belief that god is the arbiter of the future. My beliefs align more with the deterministic school of thought, the idea that the future is determined by preceding events in a never-ending butterfly effect. Following this school of thought, every decision we make is already determined by preceding events, which does make sense to me as the human brain at its core functions as a computer. The brain consciously and unconsciously computes information that it’s given and makes a decision. There is no randomness in how we process information, therefore all of our decisions are based purely on preceding events. These preceding events can vary from someone punching you in the gut to the tiniest movements of chemicals in the brain, and these events themselves are dictated by preceding events.
One of the reasons why this idea weighs so heavily on my mind is because it can’t be proven or disproven. The theory states that there’s only one decision you’ll take in any given circumstance due to cause and effect, but that’s impossible to prove or disprove, because in the end you will take a single decision, which could be the only possible decision you could’ve made, or it could’ve been one of millions. This theory also goes against chaos theory, which states that all natural systems are inherently unpredictable due to the amount of variables present in natural systems, but then again fractals, a commonly used example of chaos theory, are famous for following patterns. The main reason this theory weighs heavily on my mind is the idea that it invalidates the idea of self-determinism. After stewing over this for a long time, I came to the conclusion that determinism doesn’t invalidate self-determinism because we still make decisions ourselves, these decisions are just the only decisions we would ever have made due to cause and effect. By determinism, I was always destined to forget my keys in my dorm room when I went to tennis practice that one day, but it was also my fault for forgetting them like a dope as well.
The theory of determinism no longer brings me a feeling of dread, as I’ve reconciled my beliefs in regard to the theory. Determinism says that there’s only one outcome based on all preceding events, but it doesn’t mean free will doesn’t exist. Determinism doesn’t mean you have no control over your actions because they’re predetermined, it means that the action you take in a situation is the only action you would’ve taken. After reconciling my beliefs, I’ve come to believe that the future is dictated by determinism, and it’s just as unchangeable as the past.
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This I Believe Essay: I Am on The Right Track in Life
I have always been someone who overthinks a lot, it can get to a point where I feel like I am not on the right track with everything that I do. I always think that something bad is going to happen to me, because things have been going so good in life. I would think “I have been doing so good, something bad has to occur”. As this first semester of college is ending, I realize how much I have grown, I can say that I am someone that believes in themselves. I realize that things are going well because I am on the right track, I am right where I want to be in life. I shouldn’t have the thought process that something bad will happen, and it does that in life in general. Everyone is going to have ups and downs in life.
I have always been someone who would consider themselves to be a perfectionist. Everything has to go a certain way, or else it will not work out. I believe I have grown out of the phase this semester and I am accepting things as they will come.
This first semester I took classes that I was really interested in,
Deviance and Crime and Forensic Eyewitness Interviews. Both of these classes have made me realize that I am learning things that I will take with me when I eventually become a police officer. I am learning how to properly interview someone, which will be very beneficial for me in a few years. I know that I am learning the tools needed for my future career. This is making me excited and a little nervous, but everything will work out.
I have to also realize the amount of work I put in to get where I am right now. I took 10 college classes in high school to get ahead, and I have to always be proud of myself for doing that. I was the one that put in all of that extra work, nobody else completed those classes for me. I have to always be proud of myself for completing those courses, I need to be proud of myself for working hard for my future career while I was still in high school. No one can take that education that I gained away from me.
To conclude, I can finally say that I believe that I am where I should be in life. I should stop thinking that I need to be in a father state of life, or should be doing more. Being in college is a big success, and I have to stop thinking that I need to be in a different stage of life. I can confidently say that I am where I should be. I am on the right path to where I want to go in life, and I need to enjoy this stage of my life while I can.
I believe that being kind is punk rock, and I think of Superman as the best possible example, not as a symbol of hope, but as a lonely figure hovering above a world he cannot fix. Beneath the suit and emblem is someone who trusts everyone and thinks everyone is beautiful. We will never fully know what others are carrying, the exhaustion or stress weighing on them. But we can choose to pause and to show up even when it is hard or inconvenient. These acts do not erase the world’s burdens, yet they are quiet rebellions, fragile, fleeting, and full of meaning. They remind us, and those we reach toward, that even in the midst of chaos, human connection still exists.
I am incredibly lucky to have my very own Superman to look up to: my dad. He is the walking definition of kindness, strong in a way that isn’t loud or flashy. His strength is quiet, patient, and unyielding. He shows me every day that courage is not about invincibility or grand gestures, it is about staying soft-handed in a world that would rather you harden, choosing to give when it costs you the most, and refusing to turn away from the suffering of others.
This year, my dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease that attacks the protective layer around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. Thinking back on all our years in church, he was always the first to hold the door and greet new members, offer help in Sunday school, or step in when someone needed support. He has always been the model of who I hope to be, someone who gives without expectation and leads with quiet kindness. Even now, as he faces this diagnosis, he remains just as open and generous as before. When the world gives him every reason to turn hard, he chooses compassion. He still welcomes anyone in need, offering what he can, even on days when he has so little left for himself.
And that’s when I think of Superman again, not the invincible figure in the sky, but the man who keeps falling back to earth because someone needs him. My dad is that kind of hero. Not because he’s unbreakable, but because he keeps choosing to show up. His softness is the last thing he protects. His kindness is the last thing he’ll ever let go of.
Maybe when you give without expectation, you’ll never regret kindness. True courage is staying soft in a world that wants revenge, choosing love when the easiest thing is to look away, offering yourself even when there is almost nothing left to give. That is punk rock. That is heartbreak. That is carrying a heart that could shatter under the weight of the world, and still opening it, again and again, because someone, somewhere, needs it.
This I Believe Essay Peer Draft
I believe in protecting your own peace and wellbeing above everyone else. There is only one way to ensure your peace; do what makes you happy, not what makes others happy. Though it seems challenging in the moment, setting boundaries and making your intentions clear is not selfish, it is thoughtful and necessary.
Throughout elementary school, I was surrounded by a very large friend group, each of us with very diverse personalities. This broad range of identities and beliefs did not flow smoothly, leading to constant visits with the guidance counselor following arguments that ranged from someone being left out, to someone going down the slide first at recess. This experience morphed me into being a ‘people pleaser’, struggling to distinguish the difference between what I wanted and what they wanted.
As we moved throughout the years, the group began to become narrower as some of them moved away and personalities shifted within us. There was a time in middle school and into high school where my standards changed. I realized that by staying with this group, I was only hurting myself. Eventually, I was left with a much smaller, closely knit group of friends who I could trust. Some of them were from the original group while others I had newly acquired. This new group girls showed me what true friendship felt like and knew that boundaries were important in keeping peace.
I spent most of my childhood worrying about how others felt or how much they liked me. After becoming distant from this once very large group of girls, I learned how to become more at peace with myself. Through this experience, and still today, I feel the stress easing away as I focus on filling my own cup first. Even though those girls once meant so much to me, I still truly believe it was the right choice. It is important for you to become your own priority. At the end of the day, having fewer, closer friends is much more valuable than having many distant unreliable ones.
In order to reach this point of peace, it is important to learn more about yourself to understand what works best in your own life for your own wellbeing. Put yourself in situations that will not cause unreversible damage to your metal health in the long run. Always be mindful of who you choose to surround yourself with. Life is short, so choose peace.
Coming to college has made me realize that you will find your people. My entire life, I have lived in an extremely small town where everyone knows everyone. Growing up in this environment has its benefits and its drawbacks. For example, I went to school with the same kids all throughout elementary, middle school, and high school. This either means you create a life long bond with these people, or you come out hating each other. The latter of the two was the result. This of course resulted in it being extremely difficult to make lasting friendships. Everyone in my class was so sick of each other that we couldn’t be around each other. As a result, I would have friends but they were never very meaningful and most of them ended with an argument. I didn’t feel like I was being treated like I should be so I dropped those people. After years of doing this I began to think that this is how friendships are. That was until I finally moved away to college and met 7 amazing people who showed me what true friendship really is. This is why I believe that everyone will find true friendship even if it takes a while.
Throughout my life, I have not had the best luck with friendship. I may have always had friends but they never lasted because I felt like I cared way more than they ever did. When I care about someone, I put a lot of effort into my relationship with that person, and when I didn’t receive that back I was often hurt. Coming to college, I was so scared that the same thing would happen. However, I couldn’t be more wrong. Almost immediately I connected with my roommates and then with more people I met along the way. Now all seven of us are so close I cannot imagine my life without them. When I finally found friends that returned the same amount of effort that I put in, I was so happy. The friends I have met at college truly feel like a second family to me. I am at my happiest when I am with my friends. Being around them is my favorite thing, whether it’s going out shopping together, or just sitting in each other’s presence while studying, I enjoy every single moment. This feeling is reciprocated throughout the entire group. This feeling has been foreign to me because I grew up around people who always seemed to have a problem with someone else. Here, we are all just so happy to be around each other to the point that we could spend every second of the day together and not be sick of each other.
In conclusion, I believe that everyone will find true friendship no matter how long it takes. At times in my life, I felt like I was never going to experience a friendship where they felt the same way I feel about them. If you ever get the opportunity to get out of that small town full of the same faces, and same buildings and experience new things and meet new people, take it. Even if you are as scared as I was, do it anyway. You never know if you will meet someone who will mean the world to you.
What we choose to listen to matters. It could be a favorite song. Or, paying attention in class for an upcoming exam. For many people, it’s about the weather- Will it rain later today? Do I need to wear my jacket? A lot has to do with hearing the recent news, for better or most times, for worse. We choose to listen to all of these things because, for one reason or another, they are important to us. But I believe there’s a bit more to it than that. If eyes are the window to the soul, then I think ears can be a good indicator of the heart. I believe in listening as a way of love, and I believe in applying it with people too.
Growing up, it wasn’t far from exaggeration to say that my grandfather was my entire world. He wasn’t the type of grandfather who would read you a story; instead, he always took on the role of listener. After school, my sister and I would get off the bus at my grandparents’ house, and he would start, as he always did, by asking both of us how our days went. I was always more than happy to tell him about mine. But now, I can see that his question might have held more meaning behind it.
When I was 12 years old, my grandfather was diagnosed with dementia. He became forgetful, confused, but with it, there came something else too. We weren’t given a name for it then, but now, I know it is called aphasia- a condition that affects the brain’s process and production of speech. He had all the words, but when he tried to speak, they came out jumbled, mixed up like letters in an alphabet soup. In just a few years, his condition left him unable to communicate. On good days, I could make sense of a sentence or two. On the bad days, he became upset, agitated, frustrated, and it was clear to see why- He wasn’t being understood. That’s when everything switched, when I took on a new role: The role of listener. He would talk to me, in his way, with words that I could never fully make out, but I listened all the same. I listened because I wanted him to know that I cared. I wanted him to know that I loved him.
Listening isn’t just about hearing the words themselves. I think that the true value lies in seeing the person behind them. This world, I like to imagine, is a library full of stories; of people, places, and experiences that are waiting to be shared. But even thinking this, I can get so caught up with my life, so focused on writing my own story that I fail to look up from its pages; I can forget that others have a story too. But in listening, I stop to notice the people around me more. Through listening, I am able to connect, to learn, to grow, and, most importantly, I believe I am also able to love.
The thought of what I might do after college with my degree or even in college never crossed my mind until after a few weeks I arrived at college. I knew I wanted to study Exercise Science, but I never set myself any goals with this. While we can all hope and dream, not everyone can attain those hopes and dreams. And I’m not talking about hoping for good grades, I mean the success and opportunities that will come from those grades. I want to put myself out there and meet new people and build strong connections with people that can help me find my success.
Here at UNE, we have access to all of these great resources and opportunities that can lead us to success not only academically but also personally. I need to start taking advantage of these opportunities, especially now that I have more time to myself. I’ve started to explore different internship opportunities that the AES program could help set up with me. This is very important to me because this is how I could get a job in my degree of work. Building connections with not only my current AES professor, but also the professors I will have over the next 3-4 years. They are the ones that have those connections and if I continue to make a good impression upon myself they will have great things to say during my internship application process.
Overall, I have realized a lot about my own wants and desires as a college student over this past semester. Talking to professors, friends, and even my parents opened my eyes to a lot of different paths I could take to reach my goals and the “success” that I want to achieve. However, talking to upperclassmen in the AES program left a significant impact on me and what I want to gain from the experiences this university offers. I recently had to do a project with an upperclassman in my AES class. I interviewed him about his experience here at UNE and in the AES program. We also talked about his internship, which caught my attention. He interns at Skofield and does exactly what I am looking to do. I hope that soon I can be in his position doing training clients and working in the strength and conditioning field. However, for right now I am focused on learning and growing as a person so that I can soon be able to experience these things as well. Looking forward, I will continue to make great use of my resources surrounding me because this will only help my path of attaining both my degree and a job in the near future.
I believe in spending quality time with the people you love. One of my love languages is quality time, and I believe that going out of your way to spend quality time with loved ones creates deep, meaningful connections that will last a lifetime.
My grandfather, Poppop, owns a 1968 Chevrolet Camero. A beautifully shiny, black classic car with two thick white strips down the middle. A car that not only sparked my grandfather’s interest but also sparked my father’s interest and my own. When my grandfather was working, he would come home every day and spend time perfecting his already perfect Camero. When my dad was young, he spent every second he could out in the garage helping my grandfather get the car ready for the next big car show. With the Camero being the winner of almost every car show, it became a passion of both my dad and Poppop to attend as many car shows together as possible.
When my dad graduated high school, he went right into trade and started working as an auto technician. Poppop was the reason my dad loved cars, so he decided to spend the next 37 years (as of 2025) underneath and in the hoods of cars trying to fix them.
On take your child to work day I would always beg to go with my dad. I thought that tearing things apart just to put them back together was fascinating. I would sit on my dad’s work bench handing him tools and writing everything he said down in my blue sparkly notebook. He sparked my passion in cars, and now the three of us bond over that same 1968 Chevrolet Camero that my grandfather still takes to every car show. That car has been the talk of my town for almost 50 years, and it will continue to see the street instead of sitting in a garage thanks to the quality time that my grandfather, my dad, and I all spend together. Seeing the physical trophies on the shelf in Poppop’s garage reminds me of the hours that we spend together talking about the same car. Some things never get old.
Truly getting to know someone comes with spending quality time with them. Not only do you get to know your loved ones better, but you create common interests and similarities. Building deep connections builds your character, which is why part of my character shares a common interest with the characters of my dad and my grandfather. Take the time out of your day to do something you love with the people you love, it will change your life forever.
When I think about the happiest times in my life, I think about what it took for me to get there. I ponder the choices I made, the people I met, and the risks I took. I’ve noticed a pattern within this: I’ve found that I experience my best moments when I’m outside of my comfort zone. When I step outside of that box of comfortability, I find new friends, experiences, confidence, and I make my most joyous memories.
Growing up, I was told by my mother, “Good thing you’re so tough.” She would use this to empower me during hard moments. I found it somewhat invalidating at the time, but as I matured, I found a sense of strength in it. I realized what she meant by it, the depth she was conveying in her words. When I encountered difficult times, I thought of this saying, and I persevered. With this new found strength, I felt comfortable stepping outside of my comfort zone. I felt safe within the unknown of life, fearless of the inevitable ebb and flow. I pursued opportunities, even if I had to work hard to get them. I found a sense of reward and fulfillment once I tackled difficult experiences. And best of all, I felt confident in myself even in the most unstable times.
I was also told, this time by my father, that “Fear is in the future.” By this, he meant that what you fear isn’t happening in the moment that you have that fear. It’s something you worry about happening. If it isn’t happening now, and it’s likely not to happen, why worry about it? Fear, and especially anxiety, can be deceptive. They can deter you from new experiences, and cloud your judgement. They are a huge reason why people tend to stay in their comfort zone. New things can be scary! It’s understandable. But, learning to embrace that fear, and even become friends with it, can be so freeing.
The beauty of life is found outside of your comfort zone. It might sound daunting to climb a mountain, but if you find joy in the climb, if you let go of your fear and negativity, you will be free of the confines of your comfort zone. And, when you reach the summit, the sense of satisfaction you feel within yourself will be paramount to any other feeling. There’s a lot to learn from pushing your boundaries. What I’ve learned is that you will find your happiest, most confident self. You will make many memories to look back on, and smile.
My chalked-up fingers held onto the plastic rock as I tried to find footing while not looking down at the 50ft drop beyond my feet. My arms were already tired even though this was my first assent this high up the gray face of the wall. My forearms were burning from the pressure I had to exert on them to keep myself from slipping off the wall. I knew the height would get to me if I saw the floor drifting far beneath me because I had been in this place so many times. There was one thing that would get me to the top, and that was self-discipline. The hard part was enacting it and getting myself to look beyond my fear of the height, and push myself through the fatigue in my arms and legs.
I ended up finishing that climb, and many other endeavors thanks to self-discipline. Yet before that, there were many times that I signaled for the person holding me up to drop me back to the ground. Self-discipline is something that must be continuously practiced and implemented throughout your life to get it right.
If you practice self-discipline on a day-to-day basis with the activities you do, you will be able to do more and have more free time. This would mean you have more time to rest, relax, or more time to do more things in general, which will lead to more accomplishments. It can range from focusing on work to eating heather, and in the end, it makes anyone a well-rounded person.
When you push yourself to greater heights, that is self-discipline. Getting yourself out of your comfort zone by doing something scary takes self-discipline to accomplish, and that lets you grow as a person. When you regularly push yourself again and again to achieve one thing or reach a goal, the better you become at it. This will help you achieve the goals that get you to where you want to be in life and build this important skill along the way.
A person who is organized, productive, healthy, and happy has the ability to help others who need it. Helping others is an important part of what I value, so practicing self-discipline, which helps me, is part of how I can then help those who need it.
The belief of self-discipline can be applied to any aspect of your life; you can then be a better person in every aspect of your life because of it. From waking up to starting your day in the morning, to going to bed at a time that is right, you can practice self-discipline to make yourself, and others, better people.
Most people go through life waiting for the next thing to happen and always looking ahead to the future. I get to go home this weekend, I have these plans for this day, and the list goes on. I am just as guilty of this as anyone else, I look ahead, wait for the next thing, ect. While this is not always a bad thing we don’t always realize that while we are looking ahead we are missing the things happening right in front of us. We try to move through our days so fast, often forgetting to just enjoy some of the little things that actually do happen throughout the day. Oftentimes we end up looking back and regretting not living in the moment and realize how fast time really has gone by.
I have always thought this way yet I struggle just as much as others to actually live in the present. When I started working as a cna at 17 in an assisted living facility, my perspective on life and time was definitely changed and deepened. Working to help others and hear residents’ stories from when they were my age, or even really just life, has definitely changed the way I think about certain things. It was incredibly humbling starting this job as young as I did and seeing first hand the various ways people age and how they cope with it. I will go into residents’ rooms and help them with things that at this point in my life, I just could not imagine not being able to do myself and realize that I will likely be in their place one day and that is when I think my mindset really started to change. I think of it as one day you are young and making so many new memories, and the next you are so limited on certain things and you are just going to have to look back on old memories rather than being able to make many new ones. Residents love talking about and sharing stories from throughout their lives and I always love when they show me pictures from when they were younger as well and it really puts into perspective how fast time really does go by.
In conclusion, I think that we should try to live more in the moment. This does not mean forgetting the future or avoiding making plans, it is still important to have a sense of what direction our life is going but I believe it is equally important that we enjoy the present and not to take for granted the little things that are happening in our day to day life.
I remember being 12, and feeling like the world wasn’t meant for me. I felt like living wasn’t meant for me. It was hard to muster up even an ounce of feeling when everything exhausted me. I slept so much and not enough, and wanted to simply bury myself in the cold earth and never wake up. When I was 12, I was extremely depressed and passively suicidal. To me, there was no point in anything because I wanted to die and probably would soon. This led to an interesting mentality. If nothing mattered, why not do what I wanted? If I was going to die soon anyways, why not live how I wanted first? It was almost like seeing Death near you, scythe and all, and saying five more minutes.
So, I started doing whatever I wanted. I was always a goody two shoes, and probably always will be, so I didn’t start committing crimes, but I did start to hang out with friends more. I went to parties, and social events, and even hung out with my family more. I did some stupid stuff, like poking at my little brother more because I could, but for the most part, I started to live how I wanted.
As I got older, and I relied more on the people around me, I realized that I didn’t want to die anymore. I wanted to keep living, and keep experiencing all that I could. Life was so precious now; I had so many more good memories of living that the need for death felt further and further away. This revitalized will to live has brought with it new challenges. I now have a fear of death. What was once my companion and close friend is now my greatest fear. I have seen and felt what life can offer, and I do not want to lose it. How strange it is, to go from Death hanging near, to wanting to outrun the natural balance to life. I feel perhaps like a vampire, or an ancient emperor of old. I have come close to dying, felt my body and soul prepare for it, and was brought back. Now I feel desperate to keep this cherished life I lead. I almost want to start searching for some immortality gimmick, and see if I can live forever.
My life is so cherished now, and I do not want to lose it. But, I must come to accept that Death will eventually come for me. It will not be soon (I hope), but it will come for me in the future, and when it does, I do not want to greet my old friend with fear. I wish to welcome him with open arms, as at that point, I hope that I will have lived a wonderful life.
I believe that your best doesn’t have to be good; it’s the effort you put in that matters. It took a lot of years to build this concept of how to move forward while living with depression. Some mornings, even simple things like getting out of bed, getting dressed, or just starting the day feel heavier than they should. And on those days, my “best” doesn’t look productive or impressive. It’s about that quiet, unseen choice to keep going anyway. I’ve learned to see that choice as a real form of strength.
Starting college made this belief even more important. Leaving home meant finding oneself in a space where everything was new: routines, friendships, responsibilities, and expectations. While working through independence, I was also searching for something more significant-a purpose. I want my life to mean more than grades or completed assignments. I want to discover who I can become and what kind of impact I might have. But I’m beginning to see that purpose isn’t a single moment of clarity. It’s something you uncover slowly, through the daily effort of trying, learning, failing, and trying again.
Sometimes, it feels like higher education has a way of convincing me that everyone else has it all figured out—they know what they want to do and exactly how to get there. Comparing myself to them is pretty easy to do and puts me behind before even starting. But my belief reminds me that purpose doesn’t come from perfection; it grows from honesty and persistence. It shows up on days when I push through even when I feel low on energy, in moments when I ask for help, and in times I choose progress over giving up. Every small effort is a step toward the life I want, even if I don’t yet know exactly what that life looks like.
I also believe this is true for others: for friends, classmates, and any person overwhelmed by expectations—yours or someone else’s. I know how comforting it can be to hear that your effort is enough, especially if you feel like you’re falling short. I hope that through living this belief, I can help create spaces where people feel safe to struggle, learn, and grow without pretending they’re doing fine. In a world that rewards visible achievement and polished success, I choose to value effort, even when it’s quiet or imperfect. I believe in the courage it takes to keep going, especially when life feels heavy. And I believe that every small effort-no matter how simple-moves me closer to finding my purpose.
This piece is going to be about personal growth and how at the right time and with the right people it can be a magical thing for someone. This can be something that is very important to some more than others. Remember in high school, when the teacher makes everyone write something down that they want to improve on or work on. There is always that one person who says they want to grow as a person and try to improve themselves, but a lot of times it isn’t just that one person. Personal growth or growing in general is a good thing that happens. The current adults in the world had to have gone through personal growth at some point, maybe they are still going through it or just starting to.
When I was in middle school my best friend decided that we weren’t friends anymore. That moment made me think back and look at everything, and for me that is when some of my personal growth started. I realized that not everyone I was friends with actually liked me and it was bringing me down. I dropped these people and it was like some sort of weight was lifted. I found people that liked me for me. They understood my humor and we created new memories. I found these people freshman year of high school and we have been friends ever since. They helped me figure out who I am and feel good about who I am. If you don’t surround yourself with people who will help you grow and become who you want to be, they shouldn’t be worth your time. Sometimes to get personal growth you might need to step out of your comfort zone, try new things, meet new people, or have a change of scenery. No one ever stops growing, they just might not know that it is happening.
When freshman orientation got around for college I wasn’t too excited because I was going to this new place with new people and I didn’t know anyone. I met a girl in my orientation group and we almost immediately clicked. It was like we had known eachother for years. We had similar humor and some of the same high school hobbies. I felt like I had found my person. We got closer over time and are inseparable. She helped me realize that good friends are the ones that let you be you and will always be there, even if they sometimes embrace the bad ideas.
For a while now I’ve bounced the idea around in my head that the future is as fixed as the past. When I say I think the future is fixed and unchangeable, I’m not referring to fateism, which is the theological belief that god is the arbiter of the future. My beliefs align more with the deterministic school of thought, the idea that the future is determined by preceding events in a never-ending butterfly effect. Following this school of thought, every decision we make is already determined by preceding events, which does make sense to me as the human brain at its core functions as a computer. The brain consciously and unconsciously computes information that it’s given and makes a decision. There is no randomness in how we process information, therefore all of our decisions are based purely on preceding events. These preceding events can vary from someone punching you in the gut to the tiniest movements of chemicals in the brain, and these events themselves are dictated by preceding events.
One of the reasons why this idea weighs so heavily on my mind is because it can’t be proven or disproven. The theory states that there’s only one decision you’ll take in any given circumstance due to cause and effect, but that’s impossible to prove or disprove, because in the end you will take a single decision, which could be the only possible decision you could’ve made, or it could’ve been one of millions. This theory also goes against chaos theory, which states that all natural systems are inherently unpredictable due to the amount of variables present in natural systems, but then again fractals, a commonly used example of chaos theory, are famous for following patterns. The main reason this theory weighs heavily on my mind is the idea that it invalidates the idea of self-determinism. After stewing over this for a long time, I came to the conclusion that determinism doesn’t invalidate self-determinism because we still make decisions ourselves, these decisions are just the only decisions we would ever have made due to cause and effect. By determinism, I was always destined to forget my keys in my dorm room when I went to tennis practice that one day, but it was also my fault for forgetting them like a dope as well.
The theory of determinism no longer brings me a feeling of dread, as I’ve reconciled my beliefs in regard to the theory. Determinism says that there’s only one outcome based on all preceding events, but it doesn’t mean free will doesn’t exist. Determinism doesn’t mean you have no control over your actions because they’re predetermined, it means that the action you take in a situation is the only action you would’ve taken. After reconciling my beliefs, I’ve come to believe that the future is dictated by determinism, and it’s just as unchangeable as the past.