Growing up, I never received money easily. I watched my parents work two full-time jobs, yet there was still never enough money for wants, only needs.
I still remember the struggles they faced with the bills, the constant arguing over money and the once-happy home slowly yet surely disappearing.
When I was tucked into bed, instead of hearing fairy tales or thinking about what we were doing at school the next day, I dreamt about succeeding in life and making my parents proud. I wanted to be able to let them live luxurious lives, better than anything they had ever experienced.
That’s why failure is not an option for me. Success. Success. Success.
This is the only word that has run through my mind for years, and it’s a word I guarantee runs through thousands of others’ minds.
You can succeed in life if you put in the effort. No bank can decline hard work.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, renowned football (American soccer) player Cristiano Ronaldo shared his story of growing up in poverty.
“It was very hard living far from our families, and we didn’t have any money,” Ronaldo said. “Around 10 p.m., we were always hungry. We lived close to a McDonald’s, so we used to ask a woman named Edna and two other young women to buy us hamburgers.”
Despite struggling to feed himself growing up, Ronaldo persevered and became one of the most famous athletes in the world.
With passion and motivation, anything can be done.
I am certain that most did not see potential in Ronaldo. In fact, many probably viewed him as childish for believing he could ever become something big due to his background.
Look where he is now.
To become successful, one must comprehend what success requires. You do not need money, you do not need fame and you do not need a support system. All you need is yourself, dedication and passion.
Everybody has a different definition of success. To most, it means being rich with money. To some, it means being rich with love. To others, it is a multitude of many factors.
“I define success for a student when I see that they are able to make decisions for themselves,” guidance counselor Anne Kuntz said. “In a way that is supportive of their identity and their dreams. So that sounds simple, but they need to know how to think about a problem and find solutions.”
Students and teenagers who experience troubling childhoods often make the excuse that their past holds them back from reaching their full potential. While that feeling is understandable, there are plenty of opportunities and resources available at no cost.
Another important factor is mindset. I truly believe that if you want something to the point where it consumes your mind, you can achieve it through hard work.
If given time and effort, any goal can be reached. Hard work beats talent every time.
“I don’t think you can get really anywhere without hard work,” sophomore Olivia Hatfield said. “You need to persevere through tough times and you need motivation, but I think hard work really plays into that.”
To get better at anything, you need practice or proper training. Although some may argue that they do not have access to the right resources and are prevented from being successful, I believe that this becomes used as a coping mechanism.
Because they are not motivated enough to give it their all, they fall back on excuses such as not having enough time, money or support.
But a solution as simple as finding free resources available or improving on a specialty at home makes all the difference. In some cases, athletes claim they do not have the right environment or transportation to a gym. Yet with around 20 dollars for equipment at home, that same athlete could become better than someone paying over 5,000 dollars for a club if they are determined to do so.
Of course, people who come from lower-income families are almost always treated differently than those raised around money. But in the end, it does not matter who can afford a luxury car and who can barely afford necessities. Success chooses the person whose goals set them apart from the rest.
