Confucious once said that "Good people are generous without being wasteful." Growing up, I've always had the belief that the world would be a better place if everyone helped each other out. In my journey through life, there are so many people who have helped me and I would not be able to be where I am today without all of those people who have helped me. That is why I try my best to help other people when I get the chance to. While other people may think that money is the most valuable resource a person can give, I respectfully disagree. I believe that time is the most important resource that a person can give to another person. If someone is willing to sacrifice their own time to help someone else, that is a truly heroic act. That is the reason why I chose to join Key Club and Boy Scouts. In both of these clubs, I use my time to help those in need through voluntary services. These acts of kindness do not even have to be giant acts of kindness to affect someone positively either. When I spend an hour writing a card for someone in Key Club, I know that they will be very excited and heart warmed to receive a hand-written and decorated card from someone who cares about them. The reason why I am committed to being selfless and serving others is that I am truly happy when I see the smiles on their faces. If I am able to make someone smile by holding the door for them or telling a joke, I will not hesitate to do so, even if it makes me look silly.

Growing up, I always believed that successful people were born with success. Whenever I looked at celebrities, I always thought to myself that they were on a different level and that I could never reach the same level of success. A dramatic experience that significantly changed me was learning that stars succeeded because they continuously worked hard and never gave up. The first inspiration story that I heard was about Ed Sheeran and his stuttering problem. When Sheeran was in elementary school, he actually had a stuttering problem which cause him to be anxious around other people. It was during that time that he discovered a rapper named Eminem. Eminem was an artist who wrote his own lyrics and was able to rap very fast while annunciating the words clearly at the same time. He was also known for winning almost all of the battles he had with other artists. Slowly, after listening to Eminem's music, Ed Sheeran would start to make his own music and sing. Today, we know Ed as a prominent artist who can both sing beautifully and play his guitar. If he had never found the confidence to solve his stuttering problem, he never would have become a world-class singer. From this experience, I learned that you have to take chances and risks in order to be successful. You also have to believe in your dreams and work hard to achieve them. Because of this experience, I now truly trust that my hard work and talents will be able to take me places. Jessie J once said that "If you don't believe in yourself, nobody else will believe in you." That is why I am choosing to believe in myself.

When I'm feeling down or depressed, the people in my family are the first ones to cheer me up and tell me that it is not the end of the world. During my freshman year in high school, I was rejected from my high school basketball team. For me, this event caused me to feel bad about myself for a whole month. Luckily, my family was there to support me through my hard times. To make my family members feel loved, I try to support them in any way that I can. I feel that it is only morally right if I support my family when they need me. Two years ago, my dad was fired from his job because the company was losing funding and did not have the resources to keep all of the workers. Furthermore, my father was the main provider and breadmaker for this family, meaning that losing his job would cause many financial troubles for our family. During this time, I made sure that I was always on his side and supporting him. I never told him that it was his fault for losing the job and that we would find a way to pull through. About two months later, he was, fortunately, able to find a job and continue providing for our family. My family has always been there for me, and I will always be there for them when they need me. No matter how frustrated or angry I am at my little brother, I will always be there to root for him and provide for him financially. I know that if they are ever in trouble, I will be the first one there to help them as I know that they would do the same for me in a heartbeat.