I believe in the power of will

John Bonds

Mrs. Anthony

English 101     

March 6, 2015

I believe in the power of will. I am an individual who has been through a lot and overcame all of it. Will power is what I live off of. I feel it is what anyone should live off of. I grew up with a family that didn’t have the best intentions for themselves. When it came to my siblings and I, caring was never the problem. They loved and cared for us just as any parent should. I guess when it came down to it they suffered from addiction and it got the best of them throughout my teenage years. When you witness loved ones go through something like that, especially ones who are supposed to guide you through life before releasing you into the “wild”, some seek anything that will make them happy or numb the feeling of pain they are going through. I wasn’t one of those people. I just wanted to be away from all of it. I wanted adventure and to see things many people had never seen before. For years I told myself “it will not always be like this, and one day you will be able to live your own life with this staying in your past.” Turns out I was right.

I never expected myself to have the journey I have had in the 6 years I have lived on my own. I have done so many things some people will never be able to say they achieved their entire lives. I have been rock climbing, raced rally cars, skydived numerous times in many locations, traveled all over the country meeting fascinating people, witnessed the most amazing sights, and even swam with sharks. All of them having small fears being brought in as a main factor. The fear of heights, of getting hurt, and even the fear of being killed. Will power is an amazing thing when you can use it to your advantage. You can accomplish so much. I did those things only because I had the will to put myself in danger for the chance of having the time of my life. I have no regrets at all.

Out of all the things I have driven myself to do, the one that sticks out the most in my memory is swimming with the black tipped reef sharks. Reaching anywhere from 3-6 feet in length they were rather large creatures. I, like many people in this world, have had a natural fear of sharks ever since I was a small boy. Thinking they were just going to eat me if they saw me and they were nothing but human killing machines. When in all reality that isn’t true. They are interesting creatures to say the least. Even though I was absolutely terrified to jump in the shark infested waters I decided that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and jumped in. I immediately started sinking to the bottom with my father and a professional diver alongside me. It was around 30-40 feet of beautiful blue water you could see all the way down. They swam all around us looking for food and being very curious as to what we were and what our intentions were. They would look you straight in the eye as they swam by you but not with a mean look, more on a curious look. I lost myself when at the bottom being mesmerized by what I was seeing. Roughly 20 sharks all being as big as me just living naturally in their world. It was incredible and nonetheless the most amazing sight, feeling, and moment of my life. Will brought me to that feeling.

I believe Will is something many people struggle to have. For example growing up through my teen years I noticed a close friend who had a problem with having the will to better himself in any way. I never really understood this but it happened on a regular basis. He grew up with a tough life most do not have to go through. His mother left him behind at the age of 8 and he had a father who was an alcoholic. He never got the guidance a child needed but the kid was smart. Throughout grade school he always had good grades and was very bright according to my mother who was an English teacher at the school. Once high school started he never had the will to be great. He never cared to do well in class and I feel his father held a big part in that. But in another aspect I noticed that he could have proved to his dad who he really was if he had the will to do it. He could show everyone out there that he was an amazing individual and not do it for them at all but do it for himself. To see that he was an amazing person. I saw it in him and so did many teachers. He got help throughout our entire school years. He chose the wrong path and I haven’t seen him in years. It is sad and it often crosses my mind on how things could have been different with him.

Will can go so far for anyone. With will you can become what you’ve always dreamed. You can do things you never thought would be possible. Be a person you never saw yourself to be. It can destroy you, and it can make you who you are. Will is always going to be a critical thing in my life. It has made me see what I can do in this incredible world during my time in it. I wasn’t put on this earth to pay bills and then pass on. I strive to live and will remain that way until I pass on and I encourage everyone in life to be that way. Because life is short and you never know what will happen. So live it up and enjoy it all.