Mariah Sanabria
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” Booker T. Washington
Life can often be full of obstacles. However, that does not mean that overcoming them and being successful is not possible. Obstacles in life are there as challenges. Obstacles that people face will show who they really are. Booker T. Washington’s successful life was not handed to him; he had to fight for his great success. He founded the Tuskegee University for African-Americans. His goal for the university was to train African-American teachers. His contributions are well known in
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Jeannette was not one of these people. She never lost faith in herself; she always continued believing in her success. She was very much like Booker T. Washington whose journey was very long, but like her, he never gave up despite his obstacles. When people told him that he could not be successful, he used that negativity to give him the drive to prove them wrong. Though obstacles may come, use them as learning tools to drive forward. When Jeannette was learning to swim, her father continued to throw her in the water until she could finally swim. According to the text, the day she learned,“If you don't want to sink, you better figure out how to swim." (41) Failure is not an option to those who wants to be successful. If there is a fall, learn to get back up again and try even harder.
Unfortunately, one obstacle most people let stand in their way is when others put negativity in their heads. Negativity makes people second guess themselves. Sometimes those people are acting out of jealousy. Use their jealousy to make you stronger. In the Glass Castle, mom tells Jeannette, “Life’s too short to worry about what other people think.” (99) Those who want to be successful should never let negative words hurt them. Keep positive people in your life because they create a healthy