Problems in the Real World

When someone is going through a problem it could mean a number of things. It could be something that isn’t going in that person’s favor, it could be a situation between two different people who don’t agree on things, basically to sum it up a problem is something that a person might have to go through that’s hard but necessary for them to overcome. A lot of people might say that problems are a bad thing in life and they wish that they would never happen. But I’m here to talk about how problems are a big part of life and how life would not go as smoothly if problems did not occur in someone’s day to day life.

I went around to some of my friends and family and asked them about a problem in their life that they used as a chance to be the best that they could. The one that stuck out to me the most was my friend’s story. She told me about the time in her life when she was really in a tough space at home and her and her parents were fighting a lot and she got kicked out. She told me that was the biggest problem in her life she has gone through. This was a problem that she had to solve right away because she had no place to live, she didn’t have time to sit around and be miserable. She quickly realized that she needed to do something about this problem and she didn’t want to let this ruin her life. She stayed with a couple friends for a few weeks when she was applying for college. She got into College at USM and quickly moved there and started that. When she was in college she got a job at a hospital and started working her butt off. Now she is half way done her four years of college are working a lot to make money and are very successful, and she didn’t let that problem she went through change her life negatively but she did positively. Before she got kicked out she had no plans on going to college or even what she wanted to do when she was older. In conclusion to her story, If that problem in her life never occurred then she might not be where she is today. Duke Ellington’s quote ” A problem is a chance for you to do your best” I agree with and also got my friend to agree with because of her story.

A personal experience I had that also showed that Ellington’s quote is true is when I was playing field hockey. I’ve been playing field hockey since I was in 1st grade. Throughout the years I’ve worked really hard to get to where I did this year but specifically when I was a freshman I didn’t get a lot of playing time. I was mostly a sub for the first two years of my high school years. It was a problem for me because I felt that I was working really hard during practices but not being able to play. I didn’t want it to be like this my junior and senior year so because of the problem that I had, I worked 100% off and on season to be the best that I could, If I had started out playing all those games I would not have worked as hard as I did and it really shaped me to be who I am today, the dedication that I had for that sport was unbelievable. Now my senior year I was a captain and I played the entire game and really showed my talent and all that time and dedication I put into it. It really is true that problems in your life can give you the chance to do the best.

Overall I think the meaning of his quote is to take something bad in your life and turn it into an opportunity to do your best. In the stories of me and my friend we both took the problems that we had in our life and used them to create an opportunity for success and problem solving. I agree with his statement because I’ve not only heard from my family and friends about how they have gone through it themselves but I have also personally experienced it on my own. Problems don’t always have to be turned into a negative matter but yet to think of them for an opportunity of success and to do your best.

“Overcoming obstacles” by The U.S. Army is licensed under CC BY 2.0.