Setting Personal Expectations

I’ve always realized that the area of the world I grew up in, the place that has thoroughly shaped who I am, is merely a small, sheltered rural town. I realize my education has been a step down from the majority of high schools around the globe, that I haven’t been pushed in a competitive environment, and that I have a habit of doing minimal work. I also have a habit of not looking around me, of where I’m going and where I’ve been. I get lost in places I’ve been around my whole life! I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise to realize how incomplete my view of the world as a whole has been. I have considered the places and people of the world so little in my life, up until now.

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve unexpectedly found that although I thought the classes I had registered for were aimless and unrelated, there is no denying I feel like I’m in one big class, a lecture and awakening on connections between people, place, and time, and I’ve learned so much. It has really made me wonder why I chose to learn the way I did in high school; I really do enjoy studying geography and cultures, and although my high school experience may have been limited, I certainly could have grasped hold of much more knowledge.

People will rise to the level of expectation put upon them; much more is expected of me here at BYU than in any educational setting I’ve ever experienced! But one thing I have decided is that any level of expectation shouldn’t determine the ceiling of my performance. Provo is a lot bigger than Oakley, Idaho. But the world is a lot bigger than Provo, Utah. Expectations will keep rising, and the smart thing for me to do is to always strive to exceed them.