It’s Different
If you were to look up success in the dictionary you would find that, success is “1. the accomplishment of an aim or purpose 2. a person or thing that achieves desired aims attains prosperity.” Yet we all seem to take the definition of the word a bit differently, what might be considered successful to a six year old will vary from what it means to a 17 year old. Malcolm Gladwell, author of the book “Outliers”, defines success based on the facts of when you born, where you grew up, and what language you speak. However, I describe success differently as, work ethic, persistence, and faith.
Swimming is one of my favorite sports other than basketball, I have been swimming for almost ten years. However I have never made it to …show more content…
I was still sick, this was the first individual race i had ever swam in, and I was in the sixth lane, which is one of the worst lanes to be in. As I put on my cap and goggles I started to pray for the intersection of St. Sebastian, he is the patron saint of athletes, I don’t even know how many hail marys I said, I felt at ease once I stepped up to the line! When the announcer introduced my to the crowd I smiled and waved, and then started to get into the zone. “SWIMMERS UP! TAKE YOUR MARK! BOOM!” we were off I was swimming harder than I had all season, I counted every stroke and breath. I slipped on the wall when I did my flip turn, but I kept on swimming hard. Half way back my muscles were burning and my thoughts started to think “Michael Phelps, Michael Phelps, come on swim like Michael Phelps!” I reached and hit the wall with a time of 38 seconds! I got third which means I medaled! I took home a bronze medal that day, I had gone from sixth place to third place. I went home feeling achieved! I can relate to the poem, “ Success is counted sweetest” by Emily Dickinson. Katie Ledecky and I share one major thing in common, we both rely on our Catholic faith when we are put into stressful situations. Ledecky says that she utters a few prayers before her races (Calunod). We both had faith that God would take of us and the situation at hand. Even if you don’t go to church you can still have faith in yourself to reach your
If you were to look up success in the dictionary you would find that, success is “1. the accomplishment of an aim or purpose 2. a person or thing that achieves desired aims attains prosperity.” Yet we all seem to take the definition of the word a bit differently, what might be considered successful to a six year old will vary from what it means to a 17 year old. Malcolm Gladwell, author of the book “Outliers”, defines success based on the facts of when you born, where you grew up, and what language you speak. However, I describe success differently as, work ethic, persistence, and faith.
Swimming is one of my favorite sports other than basketball, I have been swimming for almost ten years. However I have never made it to …show more content…
I was still sick, this was the first individual race i had ever swam in, and I was in the sixth lane, which is one of the worst lanes to be in. As I put on my cap and goggles I started to pray for the intersection of St. Sebastian, he is the patron saint of athletes, I don’t even know how many hail marys I said, I felt at ease once I stepped up to the line! When the announcer introduced my to the crowd I smiled and waved, and then started to get into the zone. “SWIMMERS UP! TAKE YOUR MARK! BOOM!” we were off I was swimming harder than I had all season, I counted every stroke and breath. I slipped on the wall when I did my flip turn, but I kept on swimming hard. Half way back my muscles were burning and my thoughts started to think “Michael Phelps, Michael Phelps, come on swim like Michael Phelps!” I reached and hit the wall with a time of 38 seconds! I got third which means I medaled! I took home a bronze medal that day, I had gone from sixth place to third place. I went home feeling achieved! I can relate to the poem, “ Success is counted sweetest” by Emily Dickinson. Katie Ledecky and I share one major thing in common, we both rely on our Catholic faith when we are put into stressful situations. Ledecky says that she utters a few prayers before her races (Calunod). We both had faith that God would take of us and the situation at hand. Even if you don’t go to church you can still have faith in yourself to reach your