I sighed, pressed my fingers against my eyes so hard that I saw spots, and laid my head down on the desk in front of me. My heart pounded so fast and with such vigor that I thought it might explode out of my chest. I was a failure. And I was sure of it.
Taking a college class while still in high school seemed like a daring, yet courageous endeavor. Being a student that had never received lower than an A my whole life, I felt confident I would succeed in the course. However, when my Philosophy professor handed back our first quiz, I realized I wasn’t as prepared as I thought.
My unbelief turned quickly to embarrassment, to grief, and then to panic. How in the world was I going to pass this class? Dropping the class was no longer an option, but if I didn’t do well, it would simply murder my GPA. Then I remembered something my youth pastor said once: “You will have tough circumstances, but you also have choices.” So, I took a deep breath, lifted my head up, and decided I had to make the choice to do whatever it took to succeed.
After my initial freak-out, I began to work harder at Philosophy than I ever have in a class before. Failure was not an option. I joined a study group (which actually produced some wonderfully unexpected friends), made hundreds of flash cards, and decided that it was better to skip an episode of Netflix to study than to waste my life away binge-watching The Office.
To be honest, I was shocked at the results. My grades improved with every test and I began to participate in class discussion instead of sinking into my chair, afraid to speak. Who knew that the issues of determinism and free will would actually fascinate me?
That Philosophy class taught me lots of things, but most importantly this: before giving up, consider what choices you can make to transform your situation. You may be amazed at what you can accomplish.
