Written By Hailey Kay, Sponsorship Coordinator
In high school, I worked very hard in academics and extracurriculars. I placed a lot of pressure on myself to get into my dream program, Queen's Commerce. As a result, I was successful and saw my effort and dedication pay off. I also was able to appreciate all that I learned and my ability to reach my full potential.
However, during my last two years of high school, the more time and effort I put toward performing at my best, the more pressure I felt on my results and my goal of getting into Queen's Commerce.
I focused less on my learning and interest and more on my performance, causing considerable stress. Consequently, as time progressed and I continued to wait on my acceptance offer, my stress became consuming, and I had difficulty focusing on anything else.
Eventually, this stress was resolved when I achieved my goal. However, I knew that I did not want to foster the same over consuming pressure going forward. Going into my first year at University, I set a goal to work hard while giving myself grace to adjust. Instead of focusing on grades, I wanted to focus on learning and see what I was capable of when I tried my best but did not place immense pressure on myself. As a result, I was very happy with how I performed and further realized how much genuine interest and excitement I gained from my Commerce experience.
While I still work hard towards academics and extracurriculars now in University, I have realized the importance of balance and how there are times when to put maximum effort towards tasks and situations when to focus on learning and growth. Ultimately, I believe it is critical to recognize the balance in trying your best and striving for high performance while also keeping an open mind in the face of challenges.
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