Essay Sample: Do You Know Who You Are?

A lot of people struggle with understanding who they are and what they’re passionate about in life. I took a Psychology class this semester and I learned a lot about myself as a person and individual. I reevaluated my goals, habits, and the way I thought about myself and others while taking the class. Once you understand how your brain works and why, you can learn a lot about yourself and others. 

I have authoritative parents. They teach me right from wrong and always let me know when I’m messing up. My Dad gave me my love for football. Our family goes to one or two Dallas Cowboys games every year, and it is one of our family’s favorite things to do together. I always use the number 9 in everything because I remember watching a game at a very young age and being in awe of the quarterback Tony Romo. I believe football has given me a passion for competing and being driven, and there hasn’t been one day since I saw number 9 in that stadium where I haven’t aspired to compete. My Mom gave me my love for traveling. As a family we have been all over the states. So far my favorite trips we’ve taken are going up to Oregon to hike and visit family, and then Nashville for a concert. My Mom is very independent and I received that trait as well. I love the idea of not being tied down to one place and having the option of being on the road and in a new city every week. I made a promise to myself as soon as I graduate, I am out of this town and traveling the world.

My Dad once told me, “Nothing comes easy and no one is going to hand you anything. You have to work for everything you want in this life”.  I have lived by that quote my entire life. I really had to learn that the hard way the past few years. As classes start to get harder and college is a frequent subject, I constantly remind myself of my Dad’s famous words. My top strengths and weaknesses as a person is that I am very independent. I can work and learn well by myself, but I could also learn to ask for help when I need it. Being independent has many benefits although, it tends to make me push people away as well. I am an overachiever and extremely strategic in academics and sports. I can always find another way to solve the problem and still come in first place. Being an overachiever can get exhausting sometimes, and I have to remind myself to take a deep breath and know not everything is a competition in life. I think about the future a lot and get called futuristic by my teachers and parents often. I enjoy thinking about future classes, careers, and future life. I often forget I’m living in a present one in highschool right now. That is a goal of mine, to be more present with myself, others, and day to day life. I have many goals and the main one I wish to achieve is to start letting more people in and not having to keep that wall around myself all the time. Taking this Psychology course has helped me realize this, and I will continue to keep working on this goal for the rest of my life. 

Playing a sport can be extremely rewarding and also quite strenuous. I have been playing volleyball for 5 years and I have had some of the best times playing this sport apart from the drama and injuries. This past year my coaches came to me wanting me to start learning a whole new position. They described this new position as the quarterback of the team and the leader of the group. My coaches added that I have a good chance of playing up onto Varsity with this new position as well. The trickiest part of this opportunity is my best friend also plays this position and we will be competing for the spot all summer. A few of the other girls on the team found this threatening because to them I was never a threat to take their position and start over them. I often felt embarrassed or ashamed and didn’t want to hurt their feelings until I remembered my Dad’s famous words and I thought to myself; “I want this! I shouldn’t have to defend myself for working hard and finally being recognized for it”. So even through the bullying from one of my teammates and all the hard practices, I have earned a starting position on the 10th grade team and am still in the running for Varsity. I told myself the adversity I had gone through this past year in this sport will benefit me in the real world, and it was true. That experience has made me a stronger person and an even better athlete. This sport has given me some of my best friends and has taught me vital lessons. Volleyball has saved my life in many ways, and when I step out onto that court wearing number 9, everything fades away and I play. 

I believe everyone at some point in their education must take a Psychology class. It will benefit you in many ways by teaching how and why you do what you do, how people think, and you will end up learning a lot about yourself. By taking this class I have been able to look at the bigger pictures in my life and have learned so much about myself. Everything in this essay are things I have acknowledged and reevaluated in my life. I will continue to grow because of this class as a student, athlete, and person.