Why I do What I do Essay

[David Yao]

I can’t remember too many times in my childhood when I was thanked or congratulated. No big surprise, since I never did anything to deserve them. It was instead that feeling – like when everyone stands up and cheers for everyone except you that I could never forget. But I guess that by then, I was already too apathetic to care; those pangs of regret turned into plain resentment, and my opinion on rewards and acceptance turned bitter. Who needs to feel congratulated? Everyone’s just kissing up anyways.Then there was somebody who had the nerves. The nerves to tell me, that I was wasting potential. A skeptic of my own self-esteem and “potential,” I did what any person would do: I felt happy. And so I worked hard. I would test this claim, though it was a biased experiment, because I myself was looking forward to seeing the results which would validate my potential.I’m not a genius, I didn’t get a 2400 on my SAT, but I guess that wasn’t the potential I had. As I applied myself, others like my despondent self began to see the change, and I took every opportunity to expose the potential they’ve buried, and have them see for themselves the treasure they’ve hidden all this time. I want to encourage others. I want to support them. Nothing makes me more satisfied than seeing someone reassured and relieved.Now, I think it better to regret having done something, than to regret never having done it at all. How the world would regret if an individual with the potential to cure disease, end world hunger, and bring peace to the world didn’t – just because they didn’t believe in themselves. I regret never having done more for myself as a child. I regret letting an opportunity pass that I could use to see where the limitless bounds of my potential lie. And I will always regret seeing someone waste their potential.I do what I do, because I never again want to feel these same pains of regret.