Every now and then, life hands you a tough week. You failed a couple of quizzes, didn’t get enough sleep because you were up studying for the same quiz for the last three nights, and you missed a due date for a different class. Just breathe. I’ve been there, and I know it’s hard.
So this one is for my friends and the friends I haven’t met yet. I’ve taken a mental health break and studied, or actually, I’ve watched a few inspirational videos on Youtube to get excited about graduation and the unclear future. I also just needed something… anything… to get my blood going before the senioritis begins (jokes aside, senioritis cannot officially begin until after Spring Break).
Quote 1: “The desire in the heart for anything good, is God’s proof sent beforehand to indicate that it’s yours already.” – Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington was speaking to a group of young actors and actresses when he said this. I have little desire to follow his career path, but when I heard this statement I was uplifted immediately. This statement calls for us to reflect on what our true passions are and to not push them aside because of perceived worldly limitations. Wow, that’s powerful.
Quote 2: “You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance doing what you love.” – Jim Carrey
I’ll be the first to admit that aside from the movie Bruce Almighty, I am not a Jim Carrey fan. But when I watched the online version of his commencement speech to Maharishi University of Management, I was amazed by the inherent and blunt truth of his words. In his speech, he tells the class of 2014 that his father wanted to be a comedian, but was afraid to chase his dream. Instead, he got a safer, less fulfilling job. Carrey’s message really got to the heart of my own personal fear – dreams are risky and will run my bank account to negative five. Yet, in combination with Denzel Washington’s quote, understanding what your passion is, and fulfilling that passion is probably the safest choice you can make. At the very least, you’ll know you won’t regret not doing something different.
Quote 3: “But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.” – Shonda Rhimes
There are so many things I want in this life. I want to produce a hit TV show, I want to master the art of baking an apple pie (even though I really don’t eat pie), and I want my little brother to pay me back for every single time he got $10 worth of froyo (okay, so maybe it wasn’t 10 whole dollars every time). But these are just wants or fleeting dreams, and according to hit TV show producer Shonda Rhimes, dreams don’t come to fruition without hard work.
At the end of the day, inspirational quotes and messages are just words. However, I hope these words have inspired and revealed to you the importance of finding your passion, working hard to fulfill it, and showing you that it will be the best choice you make. HCXO, good luck!