By Mike
All around, I see people constantly fail or give up when they don’t get their way. Seeing this pushes me to do my best and never give up. I work harder and harder to overcome obstacles coming my way. This mindset seems to be in every environment and piece of society.
I go to the skatepark almost everyday, and there are people constantly struggling, but they keep trying. There are little kids stepping on a skateboard for the first time, and older guys who have been skating for years. Both of these groups fall repeatedly but get back up and keep going. There are viral youtube videos of guys almost dying riding skateboards, yet they continue to try until they land that one trick. These skaters never give up or quit. I busted my lip skating in eighth grade, during my P.E. class. I got my stitches, let my lip heal, and got right back on my skateboard. Letting the skateboard defeat me is one “L”, I’d never accept. I have to fall a million times, ice my ankles and come back for the rest of the fight. Landing and rolling away from that single trick is worth all the falling and yelling. Skating is a pyramid with no top, you can’t learn all the tricks.
Unlike skateboarding, a lot of kids give up in school very quickly. According to Dosomething.org, about 7,000 kids drop out of highschool everyday. The pressures of being a teen in high school is extremely tough. Sometimes, failure has to happen and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Failing a test or quiz is enough to make a student lose motivation and slack off. The future of the world depends on today’s kids. These are our future doctors, dentists, scientists, and lawyers. Without these people, the structure of life everywhere is greatly impacted. In the end, giving up is easier than trying, but the reward for trying can never let you down.
Stay in school. I’m Mike for “GloRadio” on Youth Radio Raw. For this commentary and more, visit www.YouthRadio.org.