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From Tragedy Comes Enlightenment

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Epigraph

Before Shift

Shift

After Shift

Works Cited

Preview

Thesis: My biggest fear was being rejected by my peers, until a sudden tragedy made

me fear losing someone I love even more. It changed the way I thought about things and the way I acted for the better, and I believe

others can learn from my experience.

Epigraph

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly

disguised as impossible situations” (Charles R. Swindoll Quotes).

Epigraph Cont.

This quote perfectly summarizes the lesson I learned through my change

Even though I went through a tragedy, something positive came from it

It was an opportunity for me to change the way I lived my life, and to learn to appreciate people I cared about before it was too late

From tragedy comes enlightenment

Before Shift

- My biggest fear used to be rejection from my peers

- When I started a new school, this fear was exacerbated

- I tried every day to fit in and to find my place in this new group of peers

Before Shift

My first day of seventh grade was a day I will never forget, but also one that I

barely remember. I told myself that today was simply about meeting new people,

and that I would not immediately worry if they would accept me or not. I instantly

knew that I was lying to myself.

Before Shift

Before my shift, I only acted in ways that would allow me to fit in

If I had a differing opinion than my peers, I would push that belief aside and force myself to agree with them

My mom always wished that I would be more myself, but I wrote her advice off as cliché

Shift

- There are certain moments in your life that change you forever

- One of these moments for me was when I found out that two of my grandparents passed away in the same day

- This was the first time I had ever lost anyone so close to me, and the way in which it happened made it that much worse

Shift

After I processed the situation, I realized that I had already changed

My new biggest fear was losing someone that I love

I began truly appreciating my family, especially my mom and my brother

As opposed to spending all my free time with my friends, I chose to stay at home some nights to be with my family

After Shift

I was proud of myself for maturing and learning this important lesson so early in my life

This important realization was one of the only positive things to come from this tragic situation

Others could see this change in me too, and their positive reactions reinforced me even more

I finally took my mom’s advice, which I once thought to be cliché

After Shift

My family was happy to spend more time with me, and my friends never minded that I could not hang out every night

The best part was not feeling like I was missing out on anything

I always had that fear of rejection in the back of my mind, but it no longer controlled me

I find solace in knowing that some good came from the tragedy

What Others Can Learn

- I hope that others can learn something from my experience

- Even if they have not been through the exact same situation, I am sure many people can relate

- The majority of people have lost someone they loved, and they have felt that indescribable pain

What Others Can Learn

Death can be so sudden and can seem so unfair

It is one of those things that can destroy you in an instant, and change your life forever

I hope people can realize that sometimes our fears in life are insignificant, even though at one point we may feel like they consume us

I thought that being rejected was the worst possible thing that could happen to me, until something much worse happened

What Others Can Learn

Most importantly, I want people to realize that sometimes we

discover the most about ourselves and we learn the

greatest life lessons through situations in which we initially

see no positivity

Conclusion

Positive things can come from negative situations

These situations can teach you the greatest life lessons

I hope that others can read this and learn from my experience

Works Cited

“BirchLane.” BirchLane.net. n.p., Spet. 2005. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

“Charles R. Swindoll Quotes.” BrainyQuote. BookRags Media Network, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

“Dragonfly Studios.” Funfreshyou.com. n.p., Feb. 2012. Web. 4 Apr. 2014

“Inspiring Images.” 9images.blogspot.com. n.p., 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.