Trust thyself

"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, -- that is genius. Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. "
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is common in our world today to try to mold our thoughts into the shape of others'. Perhaps it is the fear of being different, or the uncertainty of the validity of our thinking that causes this self-inflicted assimilation. In this quote, I believe that Emerson is advocating against this mindset, explaining that believing in your own thoughts and standing firm in your opinions is very crucial. If you yourself cannot believe what you think, then there is no way that you can have the confidence to act out the beliefs that you have placed in yourself. You have to act out upon your own thoughts that make you an individual as nobody else can do it for you.

Through my personal experience, I have faced certain challenges that required me to think about my interests and qualities before making a decision. A choice in specific would be continuing to piano for level 10, or dropping out to focus on school work. After spending multiple weeks debating in my mind, I came to a realization that I would prefer to not continue into the last level of piano. After I made my initial choice, I began to wonder if I had chosen correctly, and if I would regret it later on. But after a few days, it settled in that I had done the right thing because I trusted my own thoughts. Because of the dropping of my piano, I am now able to focus more on school and volunteering with a much lighter workload, not having to incoroporate the stress of piano and its required theory/history examinations.

If I had followed what some others told me and continued in piano, perhaps I would be suffering through a higher stress level today. But because of my decision to stick to my instinct, my initial thoughts, I am confident in my choice and do not regret it.

By keeping true to your beliefs, you can help guide your life and your choices to suit yourself better; almost better than anyone else can do for you. Although at times the trust you put in yourself may lead you to the less practical choice, you can learn from mistakes and build character, and develop thoughts even more. Listening to others' thoughts and beliefs is good, taking their opinions into consideration is great. But do not let the ideas of others overtake your own, as your thoughts will in the end balance out who you are.