Amelia Hawkins

If there is one thing I have always struggled with, it is having determination for a task I see as impossible. I am sure all of us have been there – when we are given an assignment or task that seems like a lot of work without a beneficial outcome. While it is easy for us to feel that way, I have seen an inspiring show of determination from an unexpected place.

My two dogs, Gracie and Maggie, are both Brittneys, a dog breed trained for bird hunting. Neither of them were ever trained for bird hunting, but as with any dog breed that has a specific purpose, the instinct to chase birds is still there. Over spring break, we were out visiting a friend’s farm when my dogs spotted two geese on the small lake on the property. Instinct kicked in, and suddenly, they were diving into the lake, ready to swim down the geese.

The geese, however, were ready to throw in a challenge. They would repeatedly fly from one end of the lake to the other, and my dogs, not missing a beat, would do a u-turn and follow after them. This went on for 30 minutes, without either dog leaving the lake. It only ended when the geese flew off, and my dogs were forced to abandon their chase.

As silly as this story is, it has gotten me thinking. Yes, it was obvious from the shore that no matter how hard they swam, Gracie and Maggie would not be able to catch the geese in this scenario. But they still put their all into attempting it because they had faith they would succeed even when my family and I did not.

And so, I challenge you to consider this: what would our likelihood of completing difficult tasks be if we faced them with a dog’s determination?

Turning 15 is something a lot of people look forward to with excitement. It’s the day you get your driver’s permit and can start driving. For someone like me, however, learning to drive was an absolute nightmare. I was a fast learner in school and picked new material up quickly. But when it came to driving? All bets were off. Mistakes were made constantly, and every little reminder my parents had to give felt like its own failure.

Driving became an experience I tried desperately to avoid. How could I not be good at this? Everyone else I knew could drive and do it so well. Why couldn’t I be like them? Surely my older brother hadn’t had this much trouble trying to drive. In the way people struggling do all too often, I started comparing myself to everyone else and how great at driving they were – something I firmly believed I could never be.

My dad was the one to help me break this attitude of comparison. He reminded me that my brother had been driving for two years already, whereas I had been learning for only a few months. I couldn’t possibly be as good of a driver as someone with as much experience as him, but I was pretty good for someone who had as much practice as I did. Rather than focus on where I was compared to his skill level, I should find success in the steps I had made in my own driving experience.

Throughout the many lessons life throws at us, it’s easy to focus on comparing where you are to where someone else is. But instead of comparing ourselves to others’ experiences, we should learn to take pride in where we are in our own journeys of success.