My daughter Alana has been chosen, with a select few 8th Graders, to share her choices essay today with the entire 8th Grade class at Palm Desert Charter Middle School. I am so proud of her. The Tony Robbins Global Youth Leadership Summit is life changing. Here is what she wrote: Opportunity of a Lifetime Mark Twain once said, “I must have a prodigious amount of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up!” It took me the same amount of time to make the choice that has changed the way I see things today. Last year, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to attend a program that would improve my leadership skills. Even though it was an amazing opportunity, I was terrified because I didn’t have an idea in my mind of what it would be like or what to expect. I made the choice to attend GYLS (Global Youth Leadership Summit), which is part of the Anthony Robbins Foundation. My dad is a special guest faculty member at GYLS. In other words, he is the health and fitness instructor who attends every year. He invited me to go to San Diego with him for the program. Somehow, he managed to get me applied even though I was too young. When I found out that I would be the youngest one there, I became very paranoid and told myself that I didn’t want to do it. My sister attended the program a few years back so I decided to give her a call. “Hey Mackenzie, Dad told me that you went to the Youth Leadership Program and I’m not sure if I should go or not.” “My experience wasn’t the best,” she explained, “but it could be different for you.” I talked to my mom about it. Everyday she would tell me more reasons why I should do the program and how I would benefit from it. “Alana, you will learn a lot, have a really great time and be around people from all over the world,” my mom said with encouragement. “I know, I know,” I annoyingly replied,” but I don’t know anything about this program.” “Just take a chance and do it. This opportunity could change your life forever,” my mom highly stated. I never really cared to listen to my mom but I started to really take interest in what she was talking about. I began to believe; if I don’t give the program a try, I’ll probably regret it for the rest of my life. After thinking it through about a million times, I finally decided that I wanted to go. I had doubts about the choice I made but told myself to stick to it. When I told my parents about my decision, they jumped for joy like kangaroos. Since there was less than a week before we were leaving, I spent the whole day filling out paper work with my mom. I then packed my bags according to the list of items given. I dreaded every moment that had to do with the preparation of GYLS. Truthfully, I was very anxious and kept on painting a picture in my head of what I thought it would be like. Even though I was very worried, I became more and more excited as the day to leave came closer. The day that was in my mind for so long finally arrived. I woke up super early because I couldn’t bear to wait any longer. I helped my dad load the car and soon we were on our way. The car ride seemed like it went on for hours and hours. We finally arrived at UCSD where GYLS took place. I was extremely over the top nervous. We got to our destination and I was given my lanyard and room key. Everyone I met there was incredibly positive and unique. I was in a fairytale; it didn’t seem real. I did many things I thought I would never do such as meeting people from different countries to breaking a wooden board. Throughout the week, things got more and more memorable. I made amazing friends that I can always count on, listened to inspiring speakers, and did many things that involved teamwork. I’m very grateful that I made the decision to attend the Global Youth Leadership Summit. From this choice, so many doors have opened in my life. One of the most important things that I learned is to not put labels on myself or other people, which impacted my life in a big way. Ever since GYLS, I’ve chosen to forgive, forget, and accept others and myself for who they are. I feel like the choice that I made can teach people to listen to their heart and not their mind. If you listen to your heart, it will most likely be the decision you will never regret.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 14:52:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015