Nicole Stolle
FS 301 Explore U.T
Professor Bump
The Passions in my Life
Throughout my days
spent in high school, I rarely took the time “to articulate a personal vision.”
1 My mind was too consumed with sports,
clubs, and events to think of a specific purpose in life. Now that I have started a pilgrimage through
college, I find 
myself constantly
questioning the reasons I have chosen to do so at the
After reviewing my past passions I wondered how they could be connected. How could taking care of animals or working hard to help my teammates win a game take part in shaping who I am and what I am most passionate about? I then realized that feeling good about myself while doing those things is what caused me to be excited and want to be a good person. Helping or volunteering my time for others has always helped me feel like I have accomplished something worthwhile.
When I assisted others and dedicated my time to organizations, I felt that I was doing my duty to be a good person. I developed this duty to be good at an early age through the teachings of my parents. Watching them volunteer their time for community events, such as hosting a booth for our high school booster club, was a big influence on me. My parents, however, did not just allow me to watch them donate their time. They encouraged me and my sister to also volunteer time for our church and community. Giving up my Saturday to run the go fish booth at our church bazaar showed me that performing tasks for others can be more rewarding than doing things for myself. While doing so, I experienced the rewards of helping others which sparked my passion to be a good person.
Reflecting back on
my past, the first passion I felt was for my love of animals. As a young child I always cared about the welfare
of animals and how they were being treated.
Although many children often experience this type of passion, I
sincerely felt that it was my calling to become a veterinarian. I enjoyed the idea that I could one day be
responsible for the care and treatment of sick, helpless animals who were not
able to survive in the wild on their own.
I first felt this way when I was around the age of seven. One day my Dad and Grandpa had come home from
working cattle with a baby calf. The
mother of the baby calf had a hard time during the delivery and did not make it
through. My family let me raise the
incapable calf by helping my 
Grandma feed it with
a bottle. Even though it was a small
part in taking care of the calf, I was so proud of myself and enjoyed the idea
that I could feel this good as a person.
I was so passionate about the lives of animals that I even considered
becoming a vegetarian. Although that
idea fell through, mainly because I love to consume food containing meat, the
thought of taking care of animals was still on my mind. When I started showing goats and swine in the
Wharton County Youth Fair, I felt a little guilty for raising them just to be
sold and butchered. But as I grew older,
my extreme passion for animals slowly declined as my interests in sports
developed. Although I may not be an
activist today, I will never forget the passion I felt for the care of innocent
animals.
As I continued my
journey through life by moving from junior high to high school, my passion for
the sports I played grew rapidly. Sports
have always been an important aspect of my life. I can openly admit that they have played an
important role in my development.
Volleyball, softball, basketball, and tennis were not just activities
that passed my time but were part of my daily schedule. The people in our athletic program often felt
like a second family to me. The coaches
may have caused me to be mad a time or two, but I will always appreciate
everything they taught me. Pushing
myself to the limit on days when we had practice from seven in the morning
until the afternoon developed respect for 
myself and
others. I will always remember the way I
felt when I accomplished things such as running two miles without stopping or
lifting a certain weight. I will never
lose that self-respect I gained from achieving my goals by pushing myself to
the limit. Being so interested in sports
also taught me what the term “dedication” really means. The many tournaments on weekends when I could
have been sleeping or doing something less active helped me realize that I have
to be dedicated to the things I actually care about. By experiencing the struggles that
participation in such sports requires, I now believe that I cannot go through life
doing things half way and expect to feel accomplishment when I am done.
Besides the passions I felt strongly about in my past, many events have also helped me create this passion for being a good person. While in high school I developed a strong interest in the blood drives held at our school. I found it wonderful that we could save lives by donating something we naturally form in our bodies. My interest became exceptionally strong when my younger cousin was diagnosed with leukemia. After knowing she had to receive blood transfusions, I made it my duty to donate blood and spread the word as often as possible. By donating blood, I do not want to use the hours as community service or boast to my friends that I did something charitable. It made me excited to know that I helped save so many lives.
High school
activities have also opened my eyes to how much people in the world need our
assistance. While in National 
Honor Society
hosting a toy drive taught me a great deal about selflessness. When people ask for my help with an event, I love
to dedicate my time without expecting anything in return. Of course, I am only human and sometimes I am
busy with other things. For example,
when my Grandmother became very sick and was unable to do things for herself, I
was there to help her when she needed me the most. I love the fact that I can have the chance to
help someone special to me and, in a way, repay my debt for all the times she
has performed tasks for me.
But what is most exciting to me about being a good person is that I can use what I possess to help others who have less than me. When I participate in a food or toy drive I am not donating a lot of stuff that is junk to me. I know that what I am actually doing is helping someone who has not had the opportunities or upbringing that I was blessed with. I dislike people who make fun of others for what they lack. “[A]lways having to be ‘somebody’,” puts stress on people who are made fun of and inhibits them from making something out of their lives. 3
When I state that
I am passionate about being a good person, I am not saying that I want to be a
perfect person or will never make mistakes.
I am as far from perfection as any normal human being is. My reason for wanting to be a good person is
that I feel a great excitement for helping others. I do not want to do things just to make
myself look good, but to get a feeling of accomplishment out of life. Like all
passions, mine “don’t have to be entirely original.” 4 There are many people who have the same
passion I do which is helpful when finding friends. Sometimes our pilgrimages through life can
be complicated and confusing and having a friend with the same passion can be
helpful in a those bad situations. There will be many times when we will find
ourselves stuck at a dead end road with nowhere to turn. When I am lost or feel like I have nowhere to
go it is nice to have someone there to remind me that I need to “follow your
bliss and don’t be afraid.” 5
When I leave this earth that final day, I hope to have reached my bliss. I would like people remember me as an all-around good person. I would rather not be remembered by specific things I did throughout my life that made me a good person. My passion to be a good person has shaped the way I perform tasks in the world today and will be a reason for the way I do things in my future.
New Word Count 1,693
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URL: https://webspace.utexas.edu/nms444/Selfreflective%20essay.htm?uniq=-aqnndh
Author’s own photos
1. Robert Lee, “Discovering the Leader in You” in Explore
2. John Henry Newman, “The Idea of a University, Discourses 5-7”
in Explore
3. Ram Dass, “How Can I Help” in Explore
4.
Robert Lee, “Discovering
the Leader in You” in Explore
5. Joseph Campbell, “The Power of Myth” in Explore