Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Everyone experiences self-doubt or dissatisfaction at different times. One period in my life particularly stands out. During my freshman year in high school (Grade 9 in Indian standard curriculum), I flunked Math big time: my grades in the year were 33%, 34% and finally made 35% in the final (Just made it:)). Up to that point, I'd never looked at myself as a loser, but my confidence started to wane dramatically during this time. I doubted my skills and ability to succeed in academics especially Math, and I became so depressed that I questioned whether life was even worth living. My whole destiny was tied in how I succeed in academics.

The summer after that horrible freshman year, I decided to turn things around by practicing, working hard on the fundamentals of Math, and looking ahead to the upcoming year. As a result, I pulled myself out of my slump. I realized that I couldn't do anything about my past, but I could make a difference in the future. By taking the necessary steps to improve my math skills, I was able to rebuild my self-esteem. It was just a matter of doing my part to boost myself back up- and realizing that nobody else could do it for me.

Sometimes, I have noticed that lot of people confuse self-esteem with arrogance. Arrogance is an over-evaluation of your worth while self-esteem is a healthy opinion of yourself- it's valuing yourself to the point that you don't allow other people or negative situations and circumstance to influence the way you feel about yourself. Unless you value yourself, you won't value anything, and other people won't value you either. After all, the your relationship with yourself is the most important one you'll ever have.

When you're filled with self-doubt, give yourself a little pep talk. I learned this from our mentors. Repeat aloud the following , "A 21 second commercial to Me":

" [YOUR NAME], you are great! You are a unique individual, a new kind of person the world have never known. You were born to do well. You were born to succeed. You were born to bless the lives of others. You were born to be great, and you have what it takes to be great. You are enthusiastic, optimistic and a change-embracer. You are a giver than a taker. You are organized. You are a hard worker. You are happy. You are a master over yourself; you are a leader. You are a big thinker. As blessed you are with all these talents, there isn't one thing in the world you can't do. [Your NAME], go out and make a difference."

By making this profession everyday, you'll experience an awesome self-esteem boost!..Just remember you are priceless- your past is history and your future is now.