This I Believe

I wrote this as part of my English class senior year of high school. It was part of the This I Believe campaign, stated on their website, which was started by "an international organization to engage people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives." So the goal was to write down what we morals we believed ran our lives on a day to day basis. This was mine.

            Living as a teenager in this hardcore and uptight world can amount to some serious issues. Every day I must make a decision which will influence my life for years to come; from deciding whether or not to have proper hygiene to setting up goals for my future lifestyle. It wasn't until a special day when I realized how much choices truly impacted my sense of self.

             The special day came into fruition when I learned my parents were no longer married and I had a major choice to make. I had to put all the facts on a plate and tally out what would be best for me and my interests. When the day came, my decision was thoroughly thoughtful and true. I laid out all the pros and cons until the pros outweighed the cons. In turn, the decision I made led to the fantastic life in which I am currently living. Still, even to this very moment I never stop wondering what my life would be if I made the other choice. However, it helped me realize that everything I run into will be the same. Every decision I make will either grant me many rewards and benefits; or grant me suffering, regret and doubt.

            In other words I believe that every decision, either if it's me or another person making it, should be executed with absolute confidence after careful planning. Witnessing the turmoil of my parent's separation opened my eyes to this brand new perspective. It granted me the understanding that whenever I make a choice, I must lay out the pros and cons and come up with a strong conclusion which will benefit me for years to come.

            Sure, sometimes the choices I make will influence other people's lives and I won't notice until after; but I still understand the choice I made and I know that they will move on as should I. I am human and the decisions I make will not always be perfect. Nevertheless, I believe that the choices I have made benefited me incredibly over the years and I appreciate everything aspect of my individual being and what I gained from that special day because I believed in the confidence of my decision.