Interests

In any field, excel. Not by luck or talent, but as follows.

I am interested in mathematics. Some take math courses. I take math courses, watch math videos and am the President of the Math Team. I follow Twitter accounts about math, study ahead to new topics, and create math problems for myself.

Similarly, many students take writing courses. I take two writing courses, subscribe to /r/writing, and maintain this blog. I ordered a lecture series on Creative Nonfiction, I read think-pieces on writing strategy (Here here here here here here here here here here and especially here) and offer to revise my friends’ essays.

As another example, I am interested in Christianity. Some go to church. I go to church, teach classes and bury myself into the Bible. I lead the Christian group at school, attend two youth groups and read a daily devotional. In general, I put myself into religious scenarios, as many as possible, hoping that God uses one of them. Better to allow Him more options than less.

Find something that matters, that actually matters to you. Then find new ways to pursue it, throwing the whole assemblage of randomly differentiated options like a drunk blind man at the bar tossing darts, not knowing his success until others celebrate for him. Trial and error the life out of everything you love. Some ways will work; others will not. In three years of high school I have found dozens of ways not to express myself, but a few have stuck.

An otter exhausts itself daily to find wood for the dam; a stork drones over its territorial waters to bring salmon to the young. Insects burrow into the dirt tirelessly to colonize; boars charge through a forest until they find a hovel. Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but in creative pursuit of their goals the ambitious student has no place to rest his head.