It was the conclusion of my Junior year of High School. I was taking Physics, and our class had taken the AP Exam. There were still about 2 weeks of school remaining, so our teacher gave us a project. The project was to create a bottle rocket out of a 2-liter soda bottle that would be launched with a water pressure system. The goal was to create a rocket that stayed in the air for the most time. Sounds like fun, right? It was. Me and my two partners (Brian and Scott), were going to have a blast.
We knew we were going to take this very seriously. It was as if this was the most important task of our lives. Why did we treat it as this? Why did a bottle rocket mean so much to me and my group members? Because building this rocket served as a microcosm of every facet of life. Life consists of performing actions, you can work your tail off, or you can half-ass it. Those who half-ass their way through life may be happy, but those who give it their all will come out on top.
So, if working to the best of your ability gets you on top, why don't people do it? I'll tell you why, because they don't want it enough, they don't crave success, they want to take the easy way out because they can. For all you non-believers, know this: you will begin to become successful the second you decide to be.
No one was stopping us from creating the best rocket possible. For a week we spent time constructing our rocket. It was coming together beautifully. When it came time for launching, we were eager to put our work to the test. Seeing our rocket launch into the sky for the first time was a great feeling. Our rocket went the highest, but to our disapproval, the parachute did not deploy.
We kept plugging away, tweaking the rocket to try and get the parachute to deploy. Attempt after attempt, flight after flight, no parachute. We started to lose hope. You may think: why let a damned rocket become a burden? Because, this rocket stood for more than a science project. It was a representation of the way I want to live my life.
Life's pretty damn funny in that way, no matter what the circumstance—if you cease to accept anything but the best, more often than not, you will indeed get it.
It was now the last day of school, the last day of launching. Again, we launched and launched—no parachute. With only 5 minutes left of class, it was time for everyone's last attempt. Although we were ready to call it a day, we decided to give it a go. At that point, the Seniors for that year were all outside for their Last Day of School BBQ, so all eyes were on us.
3 - 2 - 1 - Liftoff! There it went, up and up, as per usual. We watched in awe as our rocket reached the peak altitude. Then, as it began tipping over to plummet back to earth, the unimaginable happened. The cone of the rocket tipped over, and for the first time the parachute caught the air of the fall. The rocket struggled for a moment, and then the parachute engulfed the air it needed. It worked.
Applause erupted and we exclaimed, "Yes!" We then witnessed our rocket coast over to the roof of the school and land peacefully to its eternal resting place.
On that day, I was taught the true meaning of determination. We failed over and over again, but in the end we were rewarded. For we did not give in.
Always keep this in mind: the person who keeps fighting and pulling forward when the going gets tough will be the person who will win. We walked away not with a memory of a victorious science project, but with a life lesson of pursuit and commitment that can be put to use each and every day.
I leave you with this concluding thought, you can be as great as you want to be. If you are willing to make sacrifices in your life and dedicate yourself to courage, devotion, and compassion—you will be successful.
I wish you luck to find your own life's greatest hits. For I found one of mine in a simple science experiment that helped shape the person I am today.
Life's lessons are often taken from the experiences of our youth. And how did you get those fish to swim around there?, Purple?
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