With junior year rapidly coming to a close and senior year looming on the horizon, the future is something that I've told myself repeatedly to start planning for. To be honest, I've only got a faint blueprint spread out for me to follow, and it's constantly being erased, redrawn, or crumpled up entirely. I'm a bit overwhelmed when all the questions of where are you going for college what are you going to major in what are you going to do with your life start flooding my brain and I end up shunting those questions to the side for awhile. But mostly, it gets hard to make choices for the future when I feel like someone else, someone better, smarter, will always be that much further ahead of me. I get discouraged. I know I'm not the only one. You get a B on a test, someone else gets an A. You think you drew a nice picture, someone else sketched a piece twice as beautiful in half the time. You thought you were going to be something, now you're not so sure. I've been there. I am there. But something I tell myself to help rekindle a bit of self-confidence is a quote that perhaps doesn't sound the most sophisticated, but still carries a meaning that resonates:
"For every Mona Lisa, there are a million crappy fruit bowls."
I can't find the exact source of this quote or where I heard it, but that's not what's important. Seriously? That's what I tell myself? Well, yes.
I try and I try and I try, try again. And there's still that person who does better than me. But the point is I tried. I did my best, I continue to do my best, and that is enough. It's not necessary to hold the number one spot - it's admirable and all, but it shouldn't be the only place to aim for. With every failure, there is precious new experience. And those experiences add up, make the next attempt easier, and they'll amount to something to feel truly proud of. It is discouraging when I don’t finish as spectacularly as I had hoped, but that feeling is only momentary. The disappointment is converted into fiery inspiration - determination - to do better next time and to not let the oh-well-you-didn’t-make-first-place experience permanently dishearten me from trying to improve. I make a lot of mistakes, but there’s a lot to be learned from them. Each one teaches me what to do differently, which weak points to fix, how to make each paint stroke surer. And so in the future, there will be fewer crappy fruit bowls and more Mona Lisas or Water Lilies or Starry Nights. And that is an encouraging thought.
I really enjoyed reading this post. True, there is always that one other person that will be better than you but that person probably is in the same situation you are in. But what I had admired and had inspired me was the fact that you kept your confidence to keep striding forward. Life is always going to be a never-ending competition with a winner that never gets decided upon because of such a continuous cycle. Everyone not only has their weak points but also their strong points that they are proud of. And those people who appreciate their own accomplishments makes them a first-place champion in my book any day.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad someone else realizes that although there may always be someone better than you, does not mean that you shouldn't try. It goes along with the fact that you should be neither intimidated nor disheartend by the talents of others, but rather, you should be inspired by them. What they can do is amazing and took a lot of hard work but it is achievable. Hopefully their achievments inspire you to work harder to improve your own talents and become even greater than you already are.
ReplyDeleteThis piece was written by a Mona Lisa. I can relate to the impending pressure to be the best, do the best and all anyone can ever do is try. There is never any guarantee in life that we are doing our best because we feel we can always do better. This piece has lit a fire inside of me that lets me know I am doing my best. The future has always been like a lurking monster to me, but now I feel as though that I should embrace it and tackle it head on. It is clear to me that I can write my own life-story and you have helped me realize this. People will strive to be number one, but the ones that acknowledge their own efforts are the ones that will make a difference and continue to shine.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the tone you use in this piece. It makes it all the more relatable, and really drew me in.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this is a great topic to write about, as it's relevant to a lot of us right now. As our peers and our counselors and our parents and teachers begin to rant and lecture us about our future, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and, well, incompetent. As "admissions are getting more difficult" and we "need to stay competitive," it's easy to get lost in all the hubbub and feel both a little helpless and a little worried.
This is a great quote because it reminds us, in simple terms, that the path to greatness isn't always readily accessible nor is it in plain view. We'll all calm down eventually; we'll figure ourselves out through trial and error.
This inferiority complex is temporary. So are the crappy fruit bowls.
Very astounding take on such a simple quote. The way you integrated your thoughts and feelings from school, to your life in the future, where you want to be, and where you really are--powerful. The statement,"I've been there. I am there." amplifies that overall meaning of your perspective. It's amusing how you state, "The disappointment is converted into fiery inspiration - determination," but right before that you had said,"It's not necessary to hold the number one spot - it's admirable and all, but it shouldn't be the only place to aim for" because it really shows your personality and how you WANT to be YOUR best, not necessarily compared to someone else, but to your own standard. And don't worry, from what I've heard of you from our peers, you are the Mona Lisa.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is remarkably inspirational. I love how you put so much emotion in your first paragraph because I know a lot of people could relate to the very same question you ask yourself. I plan and re-plan as well but I'm trying to get to that goal. Sometimes I don't think I'll every get there but you know what?! Your blog made me believe in myself again. I love all the details in it it makes me imagine what your doing while I'm reading it. Like I'm inside the head of the magnificent Cairah Lee. Bravo Cairah your blog was amazing and memorable.
ReplyDeleteWow!Cairah you extended such a short quote to something important that has been on your mind; your future. You really wrote this quite amazingly, nicely extensive and makes the reader feel like the writter themselves. this quote is true, I think everyone is wiser then me, better then me some way. But your right we have to just keep on going,not focus on everyone else,not compare onseself to everyone else. But just remember that we are our own person, we just have to try to be the best we can for OURSELVES. :)
ReplyDeleteI admire this quote. No one is perfect and no one will be the best. However there will be that one person who is better than you. Don't hate that person learn from them. We are given an opportunity to learn and through learning is how we accomplish. But don't let learning from someone change who you really are. We are all our own people.
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