Prompt: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later
success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it
affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Growing up, I wasn't as studious and interested in academics considering my parents
were often busy working to support our family, so whenever my uncle had time, he would call
out for me every night to study whether it was solving math equations, reading arabic, or reading
a book. Reading was my least favorite, but really in general I dreaded every time I was asked to
do my homework because often times I would be found either hid in a closet or in my younger
uncle's room, spamming his keyboard while playing pac-man attempting to escape.
Progressively over time my interest in education had gotten worse when I began to
understand what mental health was and how it affects me with school and family. I had begun to
worsen until seventh grade where I had made a few friends who took their academics quite
seriously. This has influenced me to begin trying in school However it begun with thoughts
like,“My friends are so much smarter than me.” “My parents will be so much prouder if I had
straight A’s” really questioning my level of intelligence because I had doubted myself in every
decision I would make and answer a question indifferently than others. I began studying and
spending so much time on getting better at school to the point I would stay up and work on
assignments for hours which only needed a few minutes to be completed. I slowly picked up on
becoming a perfectionist along side developing a negative mindset where I would constantly
compare myself with others. I would sit there poisoning my heart and mind with these obsessive
and negative thoughts. I would think that to be “smart” or to have an acceptable answer it would
have to be similar to the person’s answer I've heard in class or pick up on topics quickly or just
already know immediate facts about the things I would freshly learn at school. Trying to copy
and paste someone else's knowledge into my brain, thinking that if I was “smart” like them, I
would be satisfied with myself and wouldn’t doubt myself so much. I doubted my potential so
much that I began overworking myself in trying to be as smart as my friends or other classmates.
When quarantine had disrupted our lives and extended into my freshman year of
highschool with the online learning at home, I began having deep insightful and mind changing
conversations with friends and family that had me left dealing with my frist few existsential life
crisies and a differnt perspective on mental health and my family issues. My optimism and
resilience has flourished from that point on.. It was like I had an awakening. I began to work on
my mindset more than over by consuming myself in books and holy books like the Quran whic
contains a profound amount of life teachings that I could apply on my own life. I had taken
quarntine as a reset in my life rather than looking at it as a disappointing waste of time in my life.
I took those two years to stop dwelling, discipline myself, and ybderstanbd others for so I could
understand why people do the things they do in order to prevent ill feelings. My study habits
became spectacular when I had took threse intiivatives. I had picked up on being more religious
and my mindset was growing and changing day by day, in attempt to help myself. When I had
begun seeing more optimism and hope in the issues that came across my way, I didn’t view them
as problems but rather already have a steady game plan to resolve the matter. I had met a friend
who taught me so much about how I should advocate for myself because no one else will, he had
taught me so much to the point I had wrote down everything he would advise me to do. I aslo
became so much more closer with my cousins which had enabled me to have these deep
conversations which had led me to understanding our family a bit better which really had helped
with easing some of the mental illnesses I had dealt with. Those two years of my lif in aurtine
and during online learning changed my perspective on people whether they have been good to
me or bad to me. I begunviwweiong people as teachers where I would learn something from
them to take with me for the future.
I am now able to look at myself and see all the potential I withhold in me and see that I
am full of ideas that can potnetially change the world one day instead of thinking that I have
potential through bycopying and pasting myself as the smart kids in my class. I have come a long
way and have grown so much that sometimes Through the battles I have to destroy my
perfectionist and self comparative mindset. I have developed this desire share my personal
advice with others that I have picked on when I worked on myself in hopes of sprinking my
optimism to others to help them and teach them that their is not always one solution and outlook
to a problem in life. The hardships we face in our lives I have always seen them as something to
tackle with some honor because in return it would make me a stronger and wiser person who
became eager to help those who went through similar situations as me. One of my favorite
quotes is, “The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”
`Prompt: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to
later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it
affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
From elementary school to middle school I didn’t see anything special about myself. I
had struggled in academics and being interested in it as I struggled with mental health was
difficult as well. My parents were often busy working to support our family and I didn’t have a
close relationship with them as a child. So whenever my uncle had time, he would call out for me
every night to study whether it was solving math equations, reading arabic, or reading a book. I
dreaded it every single time I was asked and I couldn’t refuse to because education is
significantly valued in my household. But I struggled as my ill relationships with my parents
interfered with my interest in education and mental health.
In seventh grade, I had made a few friends who took their academics quite seriously. This
caused me to question my level of intelligence because I didn't take education seriously during
my childhood years. I doubted myself in every decision, idea, and conversation. I felt that what I
had to say wasn’t as valuable and important as someone else “smarter” than me. I began
comparing myself with others and doubting myself. I would sit there poisoning my heart and
mind with these obsessive and negative thoughts. I would think that to be “smart” I would have
to copy and paste myself as someone that I thought was more knowledgeable than me. Then I
would be satisfied with myself if I were like them.
When quarantine disrupted our lives and extended into my freshman year of highschool
with online learning at home, it was like a reset. So I took advantage of it and didn't view it as a
waste of two years of my life but rather a chance to turn my life around. I started to work
towards discipline in my life and I began understanding family complications that had affected
my mental health through deep and insightful conversations with my cousin. Those discussions
are so meaningful to me because it helped me reflect on myself, my parents, and begin working
on flaws of me being a perfectionist and comparing myself to others. It was the first step to
turning my life around, opening up.
It led me to the next step where I consumed myself in books like Robert Greene’s “48
Laws of Power”and similar books that were focused on self help, as well as applying the
teachings from the Quran into my life. I took those two years to stop dwelling on the past, work
on disciplining myself, and stop comparing my potential with others. It has further helped me
with building strong studying habits through practicing patience. My mindset was growing and
changing day by day, in an attempt to help myself. I didn’t view difficult situations as difficult
but already had a steady game plan to resolve the matter. I have learned to advocate for myself
because no one else will. I was able to heal in a way and work on building closer relationships
with my parents and friends.
I am now able to look at myself and see the vast unique potential I withhold in me and
see that I am full of ideas that can potentially change the world one day instead of comparing my
ideas with others peoples ideas. I reminisce and notice how I have come a long way and have
shaped myself sometimes. Through the battles I have come across with my mental and health
understanding family to destroy my perfectionist and self comparative mindset, I have developed
this desire to advise others and help them with the lessons that I have taught myself when I
worked on myself.
I see opportunity in every difficulty to learn from it as I work towards a solution to
improve myself and grow from it. I am not afraid to initiate conversations with other adults to
learn about how their lives have been shaped and to listen to them. People have been teachers to
me in life whether they were good or bad people and I will continue to work on myself to help
me further succeed in my life and future goals.
I believe the hardships and obstacles we face in life, we should look at it from an
honorary perspective. The fact that you're in a difficult situation but you have the willpower and
resilience within yourself to overcome it and not give up, and when you do defeat it you learn
something from it which not only helps us attack future obstacles, your mindset grows and you
become resilient and wise further allowing you to influence others with what you have learned
from challenges to influencing them and their lives. There is a saying that God gives his hardest
battles to his strongest soldiers. And from struggling with my mental health, lack of interest in
school, and not being able to believe in myself and see the unique potential I withhold as an
individual. I have picked up on being patient and resilient with any given situation in life to learn
that I love giving advice to people.