GHCDS This I Believe: True Voices (B)

This I Believe
  • 0.0 (0)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Personal essays on what I believe in.

  1. I Believe in Happiness for All

    06/09/2022

    I Believe in Happiness for All

    This is a quick essay on what I believe in and how some of my experiences led me to believe in this.

    3 min
  2. I believe you can't make everyone happy but you can make yourself happy.

    05/27/2022

    I believe you can't make everyone happy but you can make yourself happy.

    Elyssa Franklin a senior in high school and attends good hope country day school. I believe you can't make everyone happy but you can make yourself happy. This became very true when picking a college. I had two options to choose from one close to my mom and the other that fit into the price range my dad gave me. This turned into a division in the home between my father and I. He didn’t understand why I would even give the other school an option. I stayed up countless hours arguing with my dad. But if I chose the school my dad wanted me to go to, my mom would have been heartbroken. She doesn't see me that often and with that school she would have seen me once a month. She was so excited and I just didn't want to hurt her. Choosing a college became a chore. It wasn't some exciting thing that all of my classmates had. It became so hard for me that I reconsidered even going to college and just breaking off my parents to do my own thing. I resented them for the fact that they were not respecting my opinions. They were living their college “dream” out of me. The more I thought about which school to choose I realized that I was choosing based on my parents' likes and dislikes. Not my own opinions and what school I wanted to go to. I stayed up all night for countless days just thinking about everything. Where I would fit in the best at. Succeed the best in. And I did it alone. Not with their help or comments. Just me In the end I chose what made me happy. I believe that sometimes in life you have to do what makes you happy and your parents should just support your decision rather than make you choose what they would prefer. I think freedom of choice is just part of growing up. Asking your parents for direction and advice is one thing. Making decisions should come down to what you think and what makes you happy. If someone can’t be happy with you because of a decision you made, then you should not worry and try to give them space, they need to come to terms with the fact that you are living your life and they need to love you for who you are. In life do what you want so you can be happy and not make everyone else happy because it’s your life not there’s

    3 min
  3. I Believe In Pushing Yourself to Healthy Boundaries

    05/27/2022

    I Believe In Pushing Yourself to Healthy Boundaries

    Alexandra Bhola wrote this essay as a high school senior in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. In her free time she volunteers at her church and tutors students. She also enjoys running for her track and cross country teams.`

    4 min
  4. I Believe Poverty Is Not A Choice

    12/18/2019

    I Believe Poverty Is Not A Choice

    I expand on why I believe poverty is not a choice

    2 min
  5. Rosei, is not okay;

    12/18/2019

    Rosei, is not okay;

    Rosei Simpson is an 18 year old student in the 12th grade attending Good Hope Country Day School, she is passionate in writing. in this podcast Rosei will be talking about coral and how our coral reefs are dying and what is causing this, she will also be discussing ways YOU can help. coral serves as a protection for small islands along with breaches in other parts of the world and double as a habitat for marine life. she believes that we have the ability to save our reefs before its too late, but only if we all work together.

    3 min
  6. Andre’s true voice podcast

    12/18/2019

    Andre’s true voice podcast

    Andre McIntosh Common app The Journey Who am I? What is the self? Questions like these are the type I ponder about a lot, and the ones that changed my life. In order to find these answers I had to look into different philosophies such as Buddhism, and Taoism. And by trying to find these answers I’ve been led onto a path which has taught me many things, that have got me more in touch with my feelings and how to view the world. I was introduced to ideas of modern philosophers, learned about how many different ways I can view the world, and how important both self discovery, and self improvement are. And with this, my life was affected in a positive way, I can confidently say I believe in both self discovery, and self reflection. Would you believe if I told you the reason I started this journey was because of someone saying that they didn’t know me? And it's not like I was the most popular or well known kid, but the idea of knowing someone stuck in my head. With the idea of not knowing somebody, I began to question if I even knew myself or if I could ever find myself. Also, during this period in my life I was reading the book Black Skin White Mask. This book helped me to realize I had on a mask, and had no idea who the person underneath was, nor did I know how to take it off. With this new realization I started a journey that won’t ever end, and one that has changed my life for the better To get started, I did the usual google to try and find the answer to my questions. The answers I got from google led me to a spiritual side of the world, and I learned I was going through a spiritual awakening. When I learned this I genuinely believed it because it was accurately describing how I felt and my thought process. Now knowing that I was going through an awakening, I found new leads on the answers to the questions I asked myself. Buddhism and Taoism were some of the leads I had found. Buddhism has taught me how to treat others as well as myself, with the concept of karma. While Taoism taught me about how you can’t have one thing without its counterpart. By learning about the practices and beliefs within both Buddhism and Taoism, I’ve learned much about myself and my environment, so much that my entire mindset changed. I went from a sour and lost mindset that was disappointed in everything, to an understanding and grateful mindset that made my life better. By deep thought and research I've learned that suffering is a vital part of life, and important for one’s growth from Taoism, and from Buddhism, suffering is caused by some sort of desire. Meditation was one of the most vital parts of my self discovery journey. If I never practiced meditation I would have been a completely different person, and I would have never found out about the things that have shaped my values. By meditating I have become more aware of my thoughts, and with the practice of being more aware of my thoughts, I’ve become more aware of how my thoughts affect my feelings. When I realized how my thoughts and feelings affected one another, I was able to influence what I feel and I was able to see the world in a better light. Everything that I’ve mentioned in this essay, isn’t everything that made an impact on my journey. I’ve learned a lot on this journey, and I haven’t even started to talk about the second part of this journey, which is about self improvement and discipline. This journey has helped to better myself, find answers, and help me understand the world we live in and the people on it. The answers to the initial questions were not what made the journey worth it, but rather the feelings, thoughts, and experiences.

    4 min
  7. I Believe Nobody Should Be Neglected

    12/18/2019

    I Believe Nobody Should Be Neglected

    I believe that everybody should be looked out for. I feel that sometimes as people we can physically, emotionally, or meta-physically disappear. We become unnoticed, our feelings stop being accounted for from others, and we just become a number in the crowd. I learned this when in elementary school I didn’t have much friends because I was in an accelerated class and didn’t have many people to talk to. As a result, I felt lonely, which caused sadness as I saw peers run around and have fun during lunch time recess. Eventually I forced myself to hang around people until they started to associate me with them, but this was very hard to do. This only gets harder as you get older because as innocent children, nobody gives it much thought, but when you’re in your teenage and adult years you start to consider your choices more closely. When your lonely you might often find yourself doing illogical things for attention which is never good. I believe that nobody should be neglected. I feel that sometimes as people, whether consciously or subconsciously, we can physically, mentally, or metaphysically overlook people or actions. We look past companions’ feelings, actions, and make them a number in the crowd. I learned this when during a summer, in a position of popularity in a summer camp, I made jokes and had a group of friends that I had fun with. Through this though, I excluded people and occasionally made fun at others’ expense. I then realized that I had made the mistake others made, erasing people from my mental awareness. I knew how it felt to be ignored and mistreated. After this I promised to treat everybody indifferently as long as they did the same to me. Looking out for others makes people live better, fuller lives. Loneliness is a curse that many have to live with, but can be fixed by one person. Can you be that individual to fix somebody’s loneliness? Quincy delves into this subject as he shares his personal experience. Quincy is a Senior at Good Hope Country Day School. He loves math and making jokes.

    3 min
  8. I believe that people are lessons

    12/18/2019

    I believe that people are lessons

    I believe that people are lessons. As people we put a major value on the importance of people in our lives. We get close to them and believe that they are always going to be there. Sometimes we wonder why they are in our lives, other times we just enjoy their company. Sometimes we meet amazing people who we believe that are going to stay forever, we never see the end. So when friendships or relationships end we wonder what we did wrong or hate the person for anything they’ve caused. Sometimes we wallow in the fact that it ended instead of what we have gained from the experience. I gained this belief through my 10th grade boyfriend. I honestly thought I was in love, and I thought I had a healthy relationship. Looking back now I see the holes and the issues. I look back and realize that although I was 15 I was in an abusive relationship. Some days were good, other days we fought till days end. The most common thing I heard was “you are so stupid” then moments later he would tell me he loves me. I was young and naive, it never crossed my mind that I was in a toxic relationship. We all know the stories of men hitting and hurting women. With holding them from their families and friends. That is the idea we get when we think of abusive, we don’t often think about the bilitteing, the arguing and the assertion of dominance as abusive. We are not told about the boys who get mad if your skirt is “too short” or your friends with a boy or two. We don't speak about the young boys who hang up and don't speak to you because they assume your drinking alcohol when in actuality you are drinking a shirley temple. After 7 months I ended the relationship. The first I felt powerful the week following I crumpled, I cried and shook and regretted my decision. For almost a year this person was what I thought was my best friend and now I didn't have them. I tried to rekindle my relationship, but he didn’t even want to speak. It took time for me to move on and look back on my situation. After having a lot of conversations and self reflection I realized that although it was a hard lesson my ex was one. He taught me a lot of things but most importantly self worth, indirectly he taught me that I was worth more than anyone could make me feel. He also taught me that I should never give up my values and principles for anyone else. When I finally learned that lesson I started to reflect on other people who have been in my life. Each person left a lesson, something I needed to find out myself. Whether it was stealing is bad or that not everyone who says they're for you is really for you. So through these experiences and life lessons I managed to learn that all people are lessons. By me learning this mindset I am able to appreciate someone more, and not value when things change. I can continue learning about life and the people that are involved in mines Biography: Nyama Gibbs is a senior at Good Hope Country Day School. She is a student leader and enjoys participating in school events.

    4 min
See All (15)

About

Personal essays on what I believe in.

Information