Danny O'Connor

This I Believe Statement

 

Throughout my life, I have believed in the importance of having passion and dedication. Beginning with high school swimming, I have always strived to be the best I can possibly be at all things I do. Through this, I believe that I am as complete of a person as I can be and that I am truly living my life to the fullest that I can.

 

Throughout my life, I have maintained the belief that dedication is among the most important of virtues, crucial to living a fulfilling life. For as long as I can remember, I have had the habit of choosing what activities, hobbies, and people are most important to me and giving all of myself to those things. It is through this that I have maintained a sense of passion and purpose in all things that I do. In addition to this, I can confidently say that I am capable of giving unconditional love to the people in my life that I care about the absolute most. I believe that hard work and striving to be the absolute best at the things I do is what molds me into the best and strongest person that I can be.
While working hard had always been a natural part of my character, my intensive focus on its crucial importance was first awakened in me through high school swimming. Anyone who has ever swam year around for a club team (or really just swam in general) can attest to the physical and mental toll the sport takes. There were many days that I felt as if I could simply not will myself to jump into the pool at my high school, let alone swim in it for over two hours. Yet every time I churned out grueling work outs, I felt a deep sense of pride and satisfaction with myself. I felt that if I was capable of facing the physical pain that a harsh swim practice created, then I could take on just about any other challenge that life had to offer. Over time, this led me to developing an intense, almost maniacal obsession with the sport. I was known to my friends as a swimming fanatic, and to my team mates I was known as the hardest worker. I did not possess a great deal of natural talent, but I believed very strongly that I could overcome this through hard work and undying dedication. Throughout high school, I experienced modest success in the pool and while I cannot say I was the best swimmer, I certainly had adopted that doctrine of dedication. Through long mornings and afternoons in the pool, I learned that what makes one a complete person is having things in their life that they love more than life itself.

 

While swimming eventually faded from my life, I retained my faith in the power of being dedicated to something, and I have now applied this to all areas of my life. Whether it be writing, athletics, or family, I am deeply dedicated to all things that I love and care about. As a result of this, I can confidently say that I am complete as an individual and that I am living my life to the absolute fullest.