Friday, December 4, 2009

Reflection: A World of Opportunities

There was something nice about having a class where I had no fear of voicing my opinions. While we might not have always understood the purpose, the discussions we had were always interesting and stimulating, which has not been the case in most of my other classes. I'm going to miss having the opportunity to learn almost completely through discussion and experience.

If there's anything I learned from this class through our discussions and guest speakers, it's been a reinforcement of what I had already come to understand: Opportunities alight upon us, and while this may or may not be due to luck, it is our own decision whether or not to accept them.

I've noticed this so many times in my life. The best things that have happened to me are things that, well, just sort of happened. I started horseback riding at sixteen because I had said I was maybe possibly considering picking it up again, maybe, after stopping for seven years. So my family friend bought me a gift certificate to get going. And then after a year they gave me a job, and after another year I was leasing my own horse. I hadn't gone into horseback riding with those intentions, they just sort of came about. My love of the horses showed enough in the eyes of others that the head trainer came to me one day and said "You should train to be a Tack Girl." And I said, "Sure, why not?"

Same with acting. The director of my school plays heard a rumor that I was interested in acting, and told me to join his class. I was so scared, I'd never done anything like that before, but eventually I joined in. And soon I was assistant directing him in a number of shows, I was teaching kids at his camp how to act, I was directing my own scenes, and he was paying me for it!

Even more recently, my physics professor this semester noticed how much I enjoy the subject, and encouraged me to go for a double major in Film and Physics, mapping out my four years to convince me it could work.

I think that's the best advice. Let what you love show, and people will notice--and they'll help you get to where you want to be, even if you don't know what that is.

1 comment:

  1. All three of those stories seem to have the common link that you had to be expressive enough for the people to notice your enthusiasm for horseback riding, acting, and physics. Do you think if you were a less expressive or shyer person you wouldn't have gotten those opportunities?

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