Learning and Determination Essay

What keeps you motivated to go the extra mile even when you want to give up? What helps you get through hard times and accomplish everything you want? Determination is why we get up in the morning. It is what drives us to do what we want to do. Everyone is driven by his or her own determination to be successful in life. The people that are determined to achieve various goals in life are known to succeed in all areas of their life. Determination isn’t a word that you can define with a sentence, it is a word that has plenty different meanings. People will always tell you that you can’t make it, and that you aren’t good enough. They will try to bring you down, so you won’t reach your highest potential. When I was in middle school, one of my teachers told me that I wouldn’t pass eighth grade and that I didn’t have it in me to make it to college. I believed her at the time. Throughout middle school, I was in a program where they helped students with learning disabilities. I was in this program, called Discovery. I always thought that I was unintelligent and couldn’t do anything on my own. Hence, I believed my teacher and had that mindset throughout middle school. As I got older, I learned that people learned differently from other people. It might have taken me longer to learn the subject, but I eventually learned it. Since then, I have been determined to prove that teacher wrong and to prove to myself that I can make it as I long as I put the work in. Determination means to have a strong intention to achieve a certain purpose; to have a strong will power to finish anything you put your mind. Determination is putting everything you have to make yourself better. Determination is putting the extra work in to further yourself. In my family, every person is musically gifted. My parents believe that each kid should know how to play one instrument, if not more. Therefore, when I was in fifth grade, I was obligated to start playing an instrument. I chose to play the clarinet. Learning to play the clarinet was very hard. I was the worst player out of the clarinet section; I sucked. The other students in the band were learning their instrument pretty fast. I started to feel left out because I couldn’t keep up with them. At times I wanted to quit, but I didn’t. I stuck with it. I started to practice every single day. I asked my mother if she could arrange for me to have private lessons. I was determined to get better, so I did everything a fifth grader could. All the extra time I put in, started to pay off. I was working my way to being the first chair in the clarinet section and just becoming a great musician. Determination is one of the greatest assets we can possess. It can bring the best out in us. Determination is the tool we use to defeat discouragement. My teacher told me that I would never be anything. So, I am determined to put everything I have into school and every aspect of my life. Determination is the instrument we use to overcome brief failures to prevent failures from becoming permanent. Determination is what we have to set goals and achieve them. I wanted to be a great clarinet player, so I put the work in and reached my goal. I was determined to be the best, and that’s what I achieved. Determination is the key to be successful. It drives us to be the best person we can possibly be.