Trust the Journey, Even When It Hurts by Brandon

Trust the Journey, Even When It Hurts by Brandon - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I could give one piece of advice to my past self, it would be simple but powerful: don’t be so hard on yourself. Life isn’t meant to be perfect, and neither are you. You’re going to make mistakes, stumble, feel lost, and even question your worth at times—but none of those things mean you’re failing. I know how much pressure you put on yourself. You wanted to be everything for everyone: the strong one, the responsible one, the one who never lets anyone down. But in trying to be all of that, you forgot how important it was to take care of yourself too. You thought you had to have everything figured out by a certain age, like success had a deadline and happiness had a checklist. But the truth is, it doesn’t work that way. There will be days when you feel behind—like everyone else is moving forward while you’re stuck in place. You’ll see others succeed and wonder, Why not me? You’ll compare your journey to theirs, forgetting that you’re not walking the same path. I wish I could reach back in time and remind you that your timing is not wrong. It’s just yours. And that’s enough.