Japan, birthplace of samurais,
sushi, hello kitty, and a culture that is fundamentally unique compared to any
other around the world. For over a decade it has been a dream of mine to go to
Japan. Long before I dreamed of being an international business leader, I was a
self proclaimed karate master in love with Japanese anime and anything
else that had to do with the land of the rising sun. As someone who has
never ventured to the eastern hemisphere of our planet, there is little I can
teach you about Japan aside from what I've learned in class and through my own
studies. However, I feel as though since this is my first blog post it is more
important to impart unto you the sense of wonder and excitement I feel about
the trip I will undertake. I have an entire semester to share with you
everything I experience while I live and study in Tokyo, but I only have this
one chance to accurately describe how I am feeling in this moment.
Recently I read a quote that inspired
me to try and become a blogger for the IB program here at USC. It read:
"when you leave your comfort zone, that is where your life begins."
These words express how I have lived my life recently, and I have accomplished
more than I ever thought possible because of it. I thought to myself that if I
could influence a single person to chase after their goals through writing this
blog it would be well worth the effort. To truly understand how I feel in this
moment you must first know a little about who I am.
I left high school as an average student who never had
truly pursued anything with fervor. I coasted through life with only a vague
idea of who I really was as an individual. I wanted to change. With that
goal in mind I started my college career with the intent of becoming more than
anyone ever thought I could be. My first step towards the end of my comfort
zone was taken the moment I applied to USC with the hope off one day studying
International Business. With a lot of hard work I was accepted as an honors
student after my freshman year, and then with even more hard work and a lot of
will power I was accepted into our IB program last spring. I have spent the
past years of my life well outside of my comfort zone and I can confidently say
I have “lived”. If you told me 3 years ago that I would be excelling at the
number one program in the nation for International Business I would have called
you outrageous. At this point I am doing just that and going even further. As I
continue to pursue opportunities that I think will push me past my breaking
point I consistently find that there are no limits to what one can accomplish
with passion and hard work.
As I begin preparations for my trip to Japan my
imagination runs wild with what I might experience while I am there. Will I
lose myself in the crowded streets and confusing metro system that makes up the
largest city in the world? Will I be able to compete with the students of the
prestigious Waseda University? Will I be able to adapt to a culture that is
unlike anything I have ever experienced? As of right now I’m unaware of the
answers to these questions, but I can say for certain that finding the answers
will be an experience I will never forget. I am filled with both excitement and
trepidation as I look towards the future. It is never easy to take steps
further outside your comfort zone, but I have never felt more fulfilled as a
person than I do in this moment. I urge anyone who reads this to take that
first step. I cannot promise it will be easy and I cannot promise that your
path towards your goal will be easy to traverse, but I can promise that it will
be one decision you never regret.
As I finish this emotional and somewhat lengthy blog post I
leave you with a quote presented to me in one of my classes that had a profound
impact on me. If you take away nothing else from this blog post please remember
this: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the
strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is
marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes
short again and again, because there is no effort without error and
shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great
enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at
the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst,
if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never
be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor
defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt
Best wishes,
Nikolas Zalesky
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