Skip to content
Achievement. A word that brings many not only excitement but also great panic. I know for many years it had me at hello and sometimes it still does. What is it about this word that makes even the strongest people weak at the knees… its counterpart…Failure. There it is, I said it.
Looking deeper at the meaning of achievement, it is said to be the relentless courage of pursuing a goal over and over until you have gained success or mastery of it. That includes the freedom to fail. Growing up, I was a part of a family that enjoyed focusing on making every little detail perfect. Due to that, I have regularly found myself being overly critical about what I consider perfect, especially pertaining to my own work and the work of others around me. Perfectionism consumes me and my ability to reason with my own truth. Resulting in self-condemnation and immense dread of discovering success. Why you may ask? I felt that if I were to accomplish and thrive at what I love to do. The impact of my failure would reveal the disappointment and disapproval of the influential people around me.
One day a very intimate decision was made, I would not settle for mediocre any longer. I allowed this second-rate idea to influence me and pressure me to drift under the radar of success. what I didn’t realize is that staying under the radar of success still amounted to failure. In doing so, I was the only one totally compromising my chances at achieving anything.
Two years ago, I felt challenged by the lord to put aside all my fears and jump into to unknown wholeheartedly. This leap of faith would turn out to be one of the most demanding and rewarding adventures of my life. I was not only going to complete my dream degree, but I was also going to gain the skills I needed to be equipped for success.
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill.
I had heard this quote many times but had never truly internalized it. In doing so, I had to repeat this over and over until I finally put it into practice; “Each time your fail you learn, each time you learn you attempt, each time you attempt you achieve”. You might be wondering what the achievement is. I had asked myself that same question over and over again until one day it hit me. It was knowledge! I had always associated achievement and success with praise, but it wasn’t until that moment that I realized achievement really equaled growth.
Graduating from College was something that I had dreamed of doing. Graduating college with not only one degree but two, a 4.0 GPA in all but one quarter during my two years there, being at the top of my class, gaining the honor of working with and being mentored by many individuals who have already found success in this industry, being published multiple times by the school, working for the Daily Herald in Everett for a year and being displayed at the Schack Center in Everett twice for the student exhibitions. Many of you might be thinking I enjoy bragging about myself. If so, you’re missing the point. The true message here is that I had many chances to give up and quit and so do you, but I never once let that be an option. Even when I would mess up and not understand something, I would stay longer, push harder, and read more until I gained the knowledge that I lacked before.
“Achievement isn’t for the faint of heart, but the faint of heart can achieve greatness”. – Me
During this period of growth, God gave me dear friends and a powerful inspiration. Johanna and I became acquaintances through church and as school started for my final year and she started her first year. We became an inseparable team. She encouraged me when I was doubtful, she pushed me when I wanted to stop, and She celebrated with me when I accomplished a project. I have been so proud of her great strides in personal growth as well. This year she decided that she was going to go after her dreams of becoming a teacher. Transferring to Central and taking a leap of faith that would have her leaving her home for the first time. This amazing friendship helped me realize that achievement and success are not accomplished alone. You need a tribe, a community, and a best friend. So I ask you this…What is keeping you from trying something new? Achieving a goal? Finding accountability?
With that, I hope you enjoy these beautiful images of a young woman who is courageous enough to try, courageous enough to fail, and courageous enough to succeed. Love you, Johana!
XOXO,
Hannah
error: Content is protected !!
