WHY NOT YOU?

“Life changes in the instant. The ordinary instant.” - Joan Didion

 

For better or worse, my fear has always outweighed my curiosity. Fear of failure. Fear of judgment. Fear of being found out. 

 

In school, it was easier to stay quiet and remain ignorant, than to ask for help. I convinced myself that if I didn’t try, I couldn’t fail. But that kind of logic—self-preservation disguised as control—only led to more failure. More self-sabotage. More proof, in my mind, that I wasn’t enough.

 

The thought of getting out of bed to sit in a lecture, knowing I would leave feeling even more disheartened, was unbearable. Paralyzing. I grew apathetic toward school, toward socializing, and toward existing in general.

 

What does that say about me? 

 

Why wasn’t I better?

 

How could I have access to all the resources and privileges in the world and still not achieve?

 

What could someone else have done with the same resources and opportunities?

 

I hate wasted potential. 

 

The fact of the matter is - I care.

 

I care a lot.

 

With this project, Why Not You?, I intend to highlight the ordinary moments that have shaped the lives of the people who inspire me. The question Why Not You? is the question I started to ask myself—the question that changed my perspective. It forced me to reconsider everything I believed about my own potential. If the people I admire could overcome doubt, uncertainty, and setbacks to build meaningful careers, then why not me?

 

Why not you?