How Optometry Changed My Life

I was brought up believing that life was not going to be easy, and that hard work is a necessity in achieving the goals you want in life. My dad came from India to this country with only twenty dollars in his pocket, and that proves to me that the American dream is attainable. One of the biggest accomplishments in my life that displayed my evolution from childhood to adulthood was having more courage by stepping out of my comfort zone, and having reasonable goals that could be met.
As a child, I was always afraid to try new things and meet new people because I was very shy and isolated myself from certain activities. Most of my family saw me as a kid who was reserved and did not like to talk much. This is a time I will never forget because I spent countless hours feeling upset about myself and believing that people did not like who I was. Not having many friends, had its pros and cons, one of the pros being independent rather than relying on others for answers. With that, I was overweight during most of my adolescence and felt insecure about myself. Before entering high school, I made a firm decision to change my lifestyle and to change the way I
portrayed myself to the world. I went from being 150 pounds down to 125 pounds, and this was an important achievement for me because it displayed my change from childhood to adulthood. From my weight loss, I learned the valuable lesson of how perseverance and hard work leads to results. It was not an easy process, but eventually I reached a point in my life where I was satisfied with what I had accomplished.
I used to be shy because if I was unsure about something, I was afraid to take the risk of trying to answer incorrectly and learn from that mistake. Being afraid was one my biggest problem in life because I was afraid of what people would think of me if I got something wrong. I learned over time how we are given one life, and the only way to learn is by making mistakes. Today, I tend to look beyond what others think about me, and to just accept the risks that lay ahead of me and learn from my mistakes. Failure has taught me to be open to knowledge and has given me more confidence. J.K. Rowling said “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” I find this quote true because failure is important and is a fundamental step in becoming successful because the more we fail the more experience we gain, and the stronger we become.
My goal is to pursue a career in optometry because I have always wanted to change the world by helping other people.
I found optometry as a good way in achieving my long-term goal because vision is one of the most important aspects of life. Personally, I believe being able to help treat vision is a blessing, and is a great community job that will empower and motivate me to higher levels. As people get older they are affected by a condition known as “Age-Related Macular Degeneration” (AMD). This condition affects the central vision and is prevalent in most senior citizens. I feel that it is important to care for the older generation because it is important to keep them healthy and free of pain. I know becoming an optometrist will take a long time, but I am prepared to face the challenges and to work to my
potential.