“Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure” - George Edward Woodberry.

As a somewhat intelligent and especially conceited child going into high school, I never expected to be challenged and my naivety followed into my freshman year. So I took on drum line, band, soccer, and all honors classes and expected to have a social life and downtime at that. By the time I was a junior with multiple AP classes, honors band, and varsity soccer (not to mention a serious relationship) I was out of steam and falling behind at an uncontrollable rate. I of course realize now that my fatal flaw was taking more than I could chew, whether its food or educational purposes. However, just knowing there was a problem doesn’t mean I had dealt with it. I had to make some serious sacrifices just so that I could recover in my studies, including ending activities I loved. For me drum line was like a second family, i was close with almost everyone on the line and my girlfriend was a part of it as well. Furthermore, it was an art that I enjoyed playing and preforming to my classmates at pep rallies and stadiums. I look back now and I see that maybe the reason I was doing so poorly was because I spent too much time and effort with my second family. Thus, I had to make the hard decision of quitting the activities I wanted to do, so that I could excel in the activities I needed to do in my near future. With band (and consequently my girlfriend) out of the way I was able to finish off junior year with acceptable marks.

Even though I loved band, I knew that the fine arts were not the path I wanted to take when it came down to majoring in and finding a job for. However, I saw that keeping physically fit from soccer and keeping good grades in my studies were essential for my wellbeing and future. In a way I’m glad I made my mistakes during high school so that I won’t let my petty interests get in the way of the actual important learning’s of my life. I do not have any regrets either, though some people believe I shouldn’t have taken band in the first place. If I hadn’t taken band I wouldn’t have met those many friends I made from drum line, the experience of performing to crowds of people, and the lessons learned from my mistakes. So instead of despising my past band life I thank it for the amazing gifts it has given me.