The student news site of Davis High School

The Dart

The student news site of Davis High School

The Dart

The student news site of Davis High School

The Dart

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The Purpose of Life?

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The Purpose of LifeThe question that most often gets tossed around, is one that scares a lot of people, it is thequestion of what you want to be when you’re older. Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “The purpose oflife is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make somedifference that you have lived and lived well.” Picking this apart and applying it to real life has been adaunting task, for each path chosen, one of the purposes will always be left out no matter what. For me,that question is not frightening, for me, the question that scares me most is, “Will this path lead to thepurpose of my life?” and through each obstacle, I hold tight to my answer, “Yes”.With so many choices on how to live it’s difficult to just choose one. Even as a kid, the perfectcareer path switched every other day. From wanting to be a doctor, to an artist, then a singer,, all thepaths seemed promising and exciting. Finding what excites you is why we are here on earth, because alife is not to be wasted on a job that does not make your soul come alive at every moment. Zoe McKeysaid, “By setting and pursuing goals, you have nothing to lose but a lot to gain. It has been scientificallyproven that people who set goals are more fulfilled and positive about life. Having a purpose to wake upto each day will challenge us and give us meaning.” Many people believe our minds have a great deal ofpower, that’s where the saying “Mind over matter” comes from. And this is true, if you convinceyourself, you are not sick, the sickness will go from your system faster, or simply if you tell yourself thatyou do understand the math homework and put in the effort, you’ll understand. This mindset hashelped many smart business owners to do what you see them doing today. These smart people they cansee what they want to be doing, and do it, showing just how resilient our minds can be to change. Whileseeing what needs to get done, setting goals is the number one objective. To do this, exploring yourself

is the first task, whether you want to be useful, or honorable, or compassionate, is what needs to be
addressed first. For me I want to be useful, to help others find their spark, and what makes their soulcome alive.When growing up its hard to find your “Spark”, for with every compliment, three more slyremarks will follow. There’s no room to be yourself, or to be creative especially in high school. Beingconsidered “different” was always a daunting and touching subject for me, because when trying to findmyself I was always criticized and yelled at. I’m sure others have been in that same place too. Therelentless bullying, I experienced as a child put me in a rough space, so feeling confident has always ahuge priority. For many this experience has put them too far down to get back up again, that’s whyshowing kindness is such an important task. Finding what truly makes you happy and confident in yourown skin is what everyone should be striving for every day. For me, the very first time the color hit myhair I knew I’d fall in love, in love with the girl I saw in the mirror. Sitting in that chair and watching hersnip away at all the hair and insecurities made me realize what I truly wanted to do with my life.This goal of mine has continued to grow and flourish. The goal to help others love themselvesagain has carried on and has slowly become part of who I am as I’ve gotten older. One major thing I tryto do every day is to always compliment someone no matter what, and to make sure that whoever I wastalking to felt comfortable and happy in their own skin. With all the hate and negativity in this worldthere’s no need to contribute to it, and tear people down. Helping others has always been somethingI’ve been good at, the fact that people I don’t even know feel comfortable enough to open to me haskept me pushing towards my dreams. With the career of hairstyling, it’s in the requirements to besympathetic, and to be their personal therapist for however many hours you’re with the client. Because

of this, being more of an introvert myself has become quite an obstacle. Having to learn to startconversations has been another growing goal for myself. One favorite quote of mine from Jimmy Deansays, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”This thought process has fit into my life almost exactly, no matter what has come across my path, I’vefound a solution and kept moving forward. Toward the goal of helping everyone of all ages, no mattertheir circumstance, to see the beauty in themselves.Whether you choose to see it or not, everyone has a spark that makes them uniquely beautiful.In some magical way, all these unique people can fit so perfectly together, and be a support system foreveryone around. For me having such little support from the people around, has made me questionwhether this path for myself is the smart one. But no matter what people say I’ve always known that Iwanted to help those people love themselves, even if it was just giving them a good hair day. Anotherquote by Ralph says, “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to havesucceeded.” Being helpful and making someone’s life easier is my life goal, I want to be the person thatpast me would love and feel comfortable around when seeing me now. To many, this goal may be silly,I’ve even been told that this choice will be a mistake, a very regrettable one too. But what they don’tknow, is that this simple goal will bring a purpose far more meaningful than any personal happiness andif taking this goal to heart, your life can be changed in a way unimaginable.

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About the Contributor
Emma Nielson
Emma Nielson, Journalist
My name is Emma Nielson, I’m 16 and a junior at Davis High. Some things about me are that I love to read, write, and tell stories. With juggling work, school, and a social life, it’s important to me to give short fun stories to help pass the time. Giving reliable information to readers in kaysville is the #1 goal.