Slow Down, You Are Not Falling Behind by Spoorthi

Slow Down, You Are Not Falling Behind by Spoorthi - July 2025 Scholarship Essay

If I could offer one piece of advice to my past self, it would be this: slow down. You are not falling behind.

For a long time, I felt like I was stuck in a race I never meant to enter. In high school, I packed my schedule with honors classes, two varsity sports, internships, and volunteer work. I told myself I was doing it because I cared, but deep down, it felt like I was constantly trying to prove something. Every time I saw someone else accomplish something, I felt the pressure to match it or outdo it. If I was not always doing something, I felt like I was wasting time. If I rested, I worried someone else would be getting ahead of me.

Looking back, I wish I could tell myself that life is not a checklist and that being busy is not the same thing as being successful. I would remind myself that it is okay to take breaks and that rest is not the enemy of progress. I would tell myself that nobody really has it all figured out and that there is no perfect timeline. I would say that the things that really matter take time, and that rushing through life only makes you miss what is right in front of you.

One summer, I coached a tennis clinic for local kids, and it was the first time in a while I truly felt present. I was not thinking about what I could add to a resume or how I could spin it into an achievement. I just showed up, played, taught, and connected. Watching the kids learn and laugh reminded me why I loved tennis in the first place. That experience taught me more about leadership and joy than any classroom ever could.

If I had slowed down earlier, I would have seen that growth does not always look like a straight line. I would have learned that saying no does not mean giving up and that stillness can sometimes bring the most clarity. I would have spent less time trying to catch up and more time appreciating where I already was.

To my past self: take a breath. You are not behind. The path you are on is your own, and it does not have to look like anyone else's. Let yourself live it.