Personally, I rather am more inclined to follow Akari’s way of life than others’ – she can enjoy herself because she takes everything as it comes… and loves life as it is, rather than as she expects it to be (Alice), or as she insists it has to be (Aika).

@usagijen: Having parents like that must be tough indeed, but if it makes you feel better – actually most of my friends who had parents with high expectations have turned out rather well in my opinion; while those whose parents were slacking off ended up less highly achieving usually. Parental pressure can be helpful sometimes.

@maglor: Ah, ah, I have always thought you would be two different people!

But I kept getting burned out by small traumatic events that kept piling on until I became incredibly jaded about school and work (still am). Now I basically am in purgatory known as NEET (lulz).

It’s a weird paradox for me since I always knew I have a ton of potential. I tend to be good at things I put even an ounce of effort in, I know I’m good looking enough to get notice from the opposite sex without trying, people somehow jump to the conclusion that I’m as pure as a saint (well, I typically avoided all types of vice you could think of as a child/teenager/collegian. Yes. ALL vices. Name them). But yet I really don’t know what to make myself right now. It’s not a matter of not having talent for me, but that I don’t know what to do. I heard of theories saying that the modern society tends to overwhelm some people with choice and I must definitely say that I’m bamboozled by it right now.

And of course, I see tons of sports superstars who are actually a few years younger than me (Eli Manning anyone? Most epic Superbowl win?) and just about everyone I know has started families, got degrees, jobs, etc. I’m basically nothing better than a 15 year old the way I live.

So kudos to those that at least find strength even if you don’t have some innate talent. Hell, I KNOW I have talent, but can’t apply it. Either I have no desire at all or something is mentally wrong with me, I don’t know.

I’m not a genius but I’ve always been doing well in my studies due to dilligence. People think I was born with the brain but they didn’t realize that it takes much more than that to do well in anything you do. Having studied so hard all my life, I then realized that grades are not everything in life. I didn’t pass with flying colors from the university. However my employer saw the potential in me and with proper nurture and guidance I could excel in my work. And for sure, why my grades weren’t excellent wasn’t even mentioned once during the interview. I can never be grateful enough for the confidence people have in me and I work hard accordingly.

Moral of the story is, you can go to a great school (Ivy League) or you can go to a community college. At the end of the day, it’s the effort that counts and how you take reins of your own life. Nothing else matters.

The thing is that we are always too worried in terms of comparing, despite the fact that it’s inevitable. This might sound completely distant, but you have to make it a goal. Do not try to make crazy goals like “i wanna get an A” when you are doing Ds. Aim slowly and firmly and NEVER BLOODY GIVE UP. Humans give up too easily. If you do badly, just work harder and harder. Working hard is a talent that not many people can do.

@Sciros: Honestly, I never believe that opportunities will come to normal people. Call me pessimistic but I believe that the only way to get something is to reach for it. Let me use a very simple analogy using this blog. If I let this blog start assuming that someone will link me and traffic will come when I do good stuff, it’s silly. You have to force your way, work your way and if need to, shame your way to get the things you want. No one in the world will help you unless you help yourself. ^^

@Kdp: cool, I am glad it helped. I always wanted to write an entry infused with my personal experiences at life since it will let people understand a bit more about myself.

@Maglor: Well, Aika is actually a hardworking genius. She does not have inborn talents like Alice’s feel of balance or Akari’s warm personality. These are things that can be trained, but they are not natural to her. For many, analytic skills come natural for the geniuses. For us, we have to learn. So, even though we cannot be the best, we can always try to overcome it by working hard, and harder. It’s 10% genius, 90% hard work.

@Sasa: Everyone does have a talent. We often equate talent to anything that contributes to monetary offers. Does that mean that being able to tidy the house faster than anyone has no value? does that mean being able to love a person faithfully has no value? I can agree that these things does not seem to have direct values toward pursuing your lifetime goals.

However, every single unapparent goal has its merit. Being able to love a person faithfully means that you are loyal and is useful in some jobs, and people will think of you as a sincere person. There is really no limit and I tend to be somewhat annoyed when people say that they have no talent. It’s not that you have no talent, but you do not know how to use your talent in a practical way. It’s just letting yourself down if you keep saying you are not good enough.

@Lupus: I think it’s more of the fact that you feel that whatever you do will be useless anyway. I actually feel that way because no matter how much I work hard during my middle school to high school years, I never seem to perform as well as I expect myself to be. I just don’t seem to meet expectations.

However, the benefits of hard work does not appear immediately. I will say this to everyone that hard work does not pay off fast. It takes a while, for your whole mental and physical being to build up to it before it reaps anything at all. I cannot stand being taken advantaged or looked down. I have to because I have way too much pride.

@Faye: Aw. Well, being an early bloomer means nothing to me to be honest. It’s perceptions and it’s generally perceptions that dictate how you decide on things. That is the key actually. If you think you can do well, you will work toward an effort that will lead you close to doing well. Vice versa, and you won’t.

@Totali: they are all awesome \o/

@Rooked: probably it’s a drain out. You probably want to reflect what you want in life. Just living life everyday without a proper progressive goal will not do anything. If you have something in life you want, work toward it. That is the only way to find back the drive.

@USajigen: OH NOES, EMO BUNNIES \O/. Well, it’s going to sound strange since most people know me as extremely confident and smart to the extent of being arrogant. However, I do have an inferior complex since young as I am always looked down upon. It’s painful sometimes but I just have to live with it.

I would love to hear from your entry. ^_^

@TJ: Being hardworking does not mean you have to abandon your hobby. Hardworking isn’t blind, you have to optimize the things you do in the shortest amount of time. That’s why i say hardworkingness, if there’s such a word, is a talent that is not easily obtainable. It’s from training for a long time.