Goals and aspirations are two very different ideas
My aspiration is to attend Johns Hopkins Medical School,
to become one of the most accomplished ENTs in the country.
My goal…
is to graduate high school.
My parents have always been my role models,
so when they told me to reach for the stars,
I did.
And I do everyday.

To get to my aspiration I need to move mountains and make them out of molehills.
But I can’t move the molehills before I make them into mountains because that’s taking the easy way around.
That would be cheating.
The point is,
it will always become worse before it gets better,
my parents taught me that
and they’re right.
The road is lengthy and treacherous.
It’s lengthy and treacherous because you’re not riding the bandwagon,
that would be cheating.

You’re riding a unicycle in the desert,
and the rocks will get caught in the wheels and you will fall,
but no matter what you need to hop back on.
You have a commitment to keep riding,
because like most desert there will be water somewhere,
and some shade,
so don’t be too hesitant to stop and rest.
It isn’t shameful to stop and lick your wounds every once in a while.

It’s not shameful because you are your own battlefield.
The struggle between determination and realism is a constant war.
Sometimes you have to let realism win,
that’s when the water and shade will be inviting.
But only for so long because soon the shade won’t be so shady,
and where you’re headed will be more alluring,
then you will stumble right back onto your unicycle,
knowing the road will be just as tenacious.

During your journey let determination roar like a lion,
and realism will whimper in the back of your mind.
Let what you aspire to be crescendo through you,
echoing over your mind to help carry you on. 
The road is only vigorous for so long,
at some point it will get less complicated.
But ride it out,
keep your goal stretching toward your aspiration,
because good things don’t come to those who wait,
they come to people who work like crazy for it.