I'm treading water right now.
Freshman year is in full swing at Hinsdale Central and I'm trying to figure out who I am. I'm realizing that what I thought was the real me is not really who I am now. This is a confusing time in my life as I navigate through the scary parts of what high school is all about. I recognize that the amount of time needed for excellence in a sport, volunteering, my classes, and overall well-being exceeds the actual amount of time in a day.
You cannot always be amazing at everything. Sometimes, you need to prioritize and sacrifice in the pursuit of figuring out what you are amazing at. Balancing my life has never really occurred to me until I came to high school. The definition of success has a completely different meaning now versus when I was in elementary school. I understand that hard work pays off, but to many this idea is too simple. As a student athlete, I pride myself on working hard as a student first and then an athlete. Trying to maintain success and greatness in both of these fields is proving to be quite difficult. In this town, I feel the constant need to be an overachiever with the emphasis on excelling at everything all of the time. How many camps and clubs and travel sports can one join? No one is good at everything and sometimes being good enough is great.
In Hinsdale, the perception of greatness and all who seem to achieve it is a much higher standard than the reality of what being successful really means. You don't have to be the star player every time or have attended the most prestigious colleges to be classified as successful. It is OK to admit feeling overwhelmed.
My dad tells me that in four years when I am at college, ordering pizza at midnight with friends, I won't remember what I failed to do in high school. What I will remember is that I prioritized myself and owned who I am and who I will be. I am a hardworking student with great goals and a pretty decent ball player, despite a strike out last weekend. Sometimes, it is OK to fail and let someone else know when things are hard or you bombed a test. It is OK to be proud of who you are and share your worries and insecurities. You can get better. You do not have to be great at everything and maybe when you are open about what is a struggle, you end up with greater outcomes than you were expecting.
- Milan Bansal is a freshman at Hinsdale Central High School. Readers can email him at [email protected].
