For anyone with a liberal arts education, you will likely remember taking a philosophy class. You will have heard the words of many old, white men suggesting the meaning of life. While I do not agree with every philosophical idea, the quote often attributed to Socrates resonated with me the most throughout the years and that quote is, "The unexamined life is not worth living." While at face value this quote may seem harsh, my interpretation is not that lazy, boring people should just go die, but rather it is meant to motivate one to live their best life instead of simply existing and doing/contributing nothing.

I have been ambitious since childhood. I am never happy unless I am challenging myself in some way. Whether this is through figuring out problems in my personal life, challenging myself to be more selfless, or through my academic and professional life, my greatest discomfort is feeling that I am not doing enough. Call it perfectionism, call it madness, call it type A, but I am not content with simply "good enough" or measuring myself against people who lead ordinary lives. Never have been, never will be.

What's acceptable for some people is fine for them. But as Mama Rose in "Gypsy" says, "Some people ain't me." I think my motivation to succeed comes from an innate stubbornness. Many people, not including my close friends and family, have expected very little of me growing up. Somewhere along the lines I dedicated my life to proving people wrong because those negative, discouraging voices always rang a little louder than those that were positive and encouraging. As cliche as it sounds, my haters really have been and always will be my motivators.

I've had a life plan since I was about 10 and have always aimed high. I not only say these things but live up to them. Does this mean that I'm infallible and have no room for human error? Of course not! I'm not unreasonable, but it does mean that when faced with those errors I do not allow myself the luxury of throwing a pity party. When faced with road blocks on the highway that is my life and my goals, I never accept defeat; I simply adjust my path and come up with other ways to get to my destination.

I understand and accept that I am very possibly more ambitious than many people my age and that is okay. When I dream I dream big and when I set out to do something not much in this world can stop me. I'm not what most would call "chill" but my lack of chill is what pushed me to get through college with no breaks despite major life-altering events, my self-discipline has kept me from making poor choices that could destroy what I've built, and my perseverance has given me to confidence to laugh in the face of challenges and live my life the way I see fit.