A note on determination

There are many things that I could choose to talk about for my first editorial.
I could talk about how honored I am to be accepted as the 112th (or 111th, I am not totally sure) Editor in Chief of this prestigious organization. I could talk about all of my experiences at Stevens. I could talk about leadership. I could even talk about the upcoming conclusion to “Kill la Kill”. But no, I am going to instead talk about a simple concept: determination.
It takes guts to get on a road, to take the first step down a given path. I know from experience; getting my first co-op job was ruthlessly nerve-wracking. Some argue, even, that getting started down a path is the hardest part to any journey.
I disagree.
The hardest part about a journey is staying on that journey. Sure, going from zero to one can be challenging, I won’t disagree at all. But trying to keep yourself on a given path, running all the way to that path’s conclusion, that takes guts. It takes determination.
If starting a journey is going from zero to one, then progressing along must be adding to that value. Why then is it harder to keep going? Because at any point, you can give up all that you have earned and go back to zero, to a resting state, and ignore the path you’ve just been traveling.
I know from personal experience that in the moment, it seems alluring to just give up and get out of whatever it is you are doing. When I was younger, I would have loved to give up swimming and relax for a change, to play my video games and forget about the pool.
My father coerced me not to, explaining how if I were to give up now, I would sacrifice all that I have achieved for nothing. He lost his chance at becoming an Eagle Scout when he was younger for a similar reason.
This helped harden my resolve and helps me when I am struggling through my endeavors. No matter what, sticking with something is usually the better alternative. If you were to give up, you might regret your decision to do so, and never forgive yourself.
So I’ll reiterate once more, stay with it! If I hadn’t, would I be writing to you as the Editor in Chief of The Stute?