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Kristopher Sanders

University Writing 1103


October 1, 2015
Self-Authorship Essay
With over seven billion people living on our planet, it is very difficult to identify yourself
as unique. However when we stop and analyze everything that makes us special, it becomes
easier to distinct ourselves from the rest of the pack. When asked who I was, I began to list many
accomplishments that I was proud to reveal and even some that may be a tad shameful. I am the
older of two siblings as well as someone who values their family. I am a proud Eagle Scout but
also socially reserved. I am someone who values the feelings of others and cares for people in
need. But after examining every characteristic, I began to realize that a lot has changed over the
last decade. When I was younger I was very talkative and not afraid to exaggerate my emotions. I
was a kid that thought the world revolved around me, and I spent a lot of time away from my
family to explore the world around me. But now that I am older, I have matured enough to
realize what values are truly important in life, and I am now able to say that I am an adult.
In order to become an adult, you have to be more than just an eighteen year old strait out
of high school. You have to have matured enough to understand what truly matters to you. I may
have never gotten to where I am today without the presence of my family and their love. When
asked who has played a significant role in my life, it is hard to narrow my list down to any one
person. However, I believe that if it werent for the wisdom of my father, I wouldnt be the man I
am today. Like many young teenagers, I began my journey at a fork in the road. I could either go
down the path of love and unity or I could hike my way through a path of independence and

hatred. Unfortunately, I traveled down the beaten path and became a rebellious little brat. Like
many teens, I never needed help. My mother would always try to lend a helping hand but I would
shoot it down without any remorse. I didnt need her love because I felt as if I could take on the
world single handedly. But I couldnt have been any more naive. I soon found myself face first
into a brick wall, contemplating why I lived in such a cruel world. I hated it, and I felt like I was
one single molecule in a vast ocean of hatred. My father noticed my resentment and come to
comfort me but I wouldnt have any of it. He told me straight up that life sucks and there is
nothing you can do about it. But the best thing I can do was make the best out of every bad
situation. He left on that remark and from then on my life would never be the same. I learned to
become optimistic because I knew that every once in a while, you will find yourself smothered in
a shroud of darkness. But you just need to keep walking because you will always find light at the
end of your journey.
Thanks to the wise words of my father, I am now in a great position to achieve my
success. Some of my strongest character traits are optimism, modesty, and discretion. These traits
are all necessary to have to attain your goals. As stated in my first section I am a proud Eagle
Scout. For those of you who dont know, becoming an Eagle is no easy task. Only about five
percent of boy scouts are able to achieve such a high rank in scouting. If it werent for my
optimism, I may have become one of those ninety five percent. I believe I achieved my optimism
from my mother and grandparents. No matter what I do, they have always supported me through
every activity. Even when I think I might fail, I am soon comforted by their faith in my abilities
to get things done. Thanks to their help, I am able to carry with me a prestige that only a select
few people get to carry with them; the Eagle Badge of the Boy Scouts of America.

My next topic of self-authorship is a list of my core values. When asked what is the most
important in life, I am easily able to include my family at the top of my list. No matter what
situation you are in, you are always able to pick and choose your friends, but you are stuck with
your family. My family has played such a huge role in my life that I will never be able to
generate enough thanks for the things they have done for me. My mother has given me the love I
need to show sympathy to those in need. My father had given me the passion for adventure so
that I can live life to the fullest. My brother has given me the friendship I need for when I have
nothing to do. My grandparents have given me the wisdom I need to appreciate the life that I live
in. Lastly, my sister has helped me understand the presence of God in my life because without
His grace, I would not have had a baby sister. These are all reason why I value my experiences
with my family and is also why I will never underestimate the power of a familys love for one
another.
My best friends are another group of people that play an important role in my life. I value
their opinions of me because best friends are like family and they only want whats best for your
success. My personality when Im at home is completely different from my public persona. I am
a strong believer in people watching your every step, so it is imperative that I take caution with
how I present myself in front of the public eye. My friends have often told me that I am very
polite to other people as well as someone who enjoys making people laugh with random
statements that would make even Cruella de Vil laugh. In addition, my teachers often brag about
how much of a hard worker I am in school along with how respectful I am to them. These
descriptions have influenced the way I want to be judged. I take pride in the way I look because I
know that my actions are going to get me far in life and I hope that my character will earn the
trust of more people, so that I can network my way into a triumphant career.

Everything I have mentioned about myself has shaped who I am today. In addition to
that, the people Ive met, along with the accomplishments Ive experienced have guided into my
beliefs. The first thing that pops into my head is my belief in a Christian God. I love my religion
and I believe that everyone should have the ability to share my love for God, but at the same time
I understand that not everyone is like me. No one should be forced to agree with a religion. I
cannot stand it when people attempt to force the words of religious texts down the throats of
unwilling people. These acts should not be allowed and each religion should be looked at as a
privilege to be a part of, not a requirement. Another belief I have is that no one should condemn
another person because of their sins. In todays society especially, we find many people
outwardly expressing their hate for the gay community. While I am not in favor of gay marriage,
I believe that this hate should not be allowed. There are no levels of sin in the Christianity. A sin
is a sin, and I know for a fact that every human on this earth has sinned at last one time so no one
is innocent. People should not judge others for what they have decided to do. They should
instead reflect upon their past ask for forgiveness rather than criticizing others. Furthermore I
also believe that the government should have kept their dirty little noses out of this debate but
that is an argument for another day.
In conclusion, this essay has given me a rare insight on who I am as a person. Rather
than believing that I was a perfect all around kid, I have realized that I have made plenty of
mistakes in my life that I am still not courageous enough to reveal. But I have also gained
confidence from this evaluation. After looking into the history of my actions, I am proud of the
person I have become. I was able to emerge from the depths of teenage rebellion and grow into a
responsible citizen of society. I also found many things that surprised me while writing this
essay. For example, I never fully realized the impact my father had on my life. He briefly spoke

about how life sucks and then left me alone to ponder what he meant. But those two hasty
sentences helped mold my development. In the end, my biggest takeaway from this essay is that I
am not just one of the seven billion people on Earth. I am unique, and I look forward to the
adventures that lie ahead.

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