Motivation at square one

Let me start off by saying congratulations to the Class of 2016. Y’all truly did kill it. Your success stories keep many of us motivated to continue striving for perfection after having fallen just short of it time after time. To think that you folks made it through four years here is incredibly inspiring, and whether or not each of you achieved your ideal outcome, there is always time remaining to succeed. One year at Duke has already been taxing, but I—and I anticipate many others—are excited to continue to work hard and enjoy our time here. As LDOC approaches, I wanted to attempt to reflect on this year and spread some positivity before summer begins.

This past year was certainly a learning experience for me, as I imagine it was for many others. Part of me feels that I was particularly naïve in my approach to college when I first stepped on this campus. Mistake after mistake led me to question my ability, my resolve and my goals. I grew anxious about what the future might hold, and it became apparent that these feelings were not unique to me. As I understand, many of us, particularly my underclassmen peers, are disillusioned by the uncertainty of the future. This fear, in conjunction with the trials of our past and awesome expectations can be an incredibly debilitating mental exercise for some. As someone who doesn’t know much about anything but who is willing to take the time to write about these sorts of things, I feel obligated to lift the spirits of some of my peers by sharing the experience of one graduating senior who has inspired me.

This man shared with me his struggles throughout his years here, and the primary aspect of his lost endeavors that he emphasizes is that they were trivial: all of the classes he would have given anything to retake, all of the relationships he wished he had developed beyond the casual “sup dude” phase, and all of the clubs and internships from which he had been rejected. In my trials of weakness, his experience is a constant reminder to me that this too shall pass. From him, I have realized that the most valuable skill that one can learn is to continue to work hard in the face of criticism and failure. This man’s mental strength is tempered as steel, and he never stops grinding. Literally, though, he is always either grinding late-night at Perkins or at Shooters. But in all seriousness, I know he won’t humble brag, so I will do it for him—good luck in The Big Apple next year, my friend.

Another important realization that I have come across this year is that some elements of success are outside of our control. It certainly seems that there is some degree of chance involved in every decision or event in our lives. But because of this, we have to understand that the only things we can manipulate in the abstract equation that defines success are our attitude and our effort. One of the luxuries of being at this institution that the Class of 2016 has made known to me is that as long as we work hard and are kind to others, opportunities will come our way. It becomes our job to use these opportunities to better ourselves and the people around us. Understanding that every one of us here is just trying to do our best, live our own lives, and achieve our dreams is a fundamental component of the Duke experience. We all have fascinating hobbies, different career goals and unique backgrounds that might make us different from one another, but equally capable of success.

If there is anything I can take away from this year, it is that this institution will take you anywhere you want to go. Even more so, we are all capable of taking advantage of the opportunities here and bettering ourselves in every way possible in order to achieve our goals. Some of us already know this. For some, everything is going swimmingly. Golden. For many others, this might not be the case. But FYI, no matter what is happening right now, it is a learning experience in itself: a feedback mechanism of the harshest kind. It is nobody’s job but our own to figure out how we can succeed, and how the numerous fixed and variable components of our lives can be optimized. The most important thing we can do is continue to work towards excellence and stay positive. 

I also know for a fact that I’ve become a little more risk-acceptant in my time here. Given that this is life; we cannot shy away from everything. The worst mentality to have is one in which you have given up before you have even started. As unqualified as I am to say any of this, as young and inexperienced as I may be, I hope that I was at least able to show that success is possible for anyone and everyone, especially here in the land of glass prisms. So, cheers to the summer. Pour yourself a cold one and celebrate this academic year’s wins and losses, and the many more to come. Most importantly, take it easy, but keep striving for those higher echelon goals. Mentality is everything.

Ajay Desai is a Trinity freshman. This is his final column of the semester.