Becoming the true achiever

By Nick Pinkerton

University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow could have moved on to bigger and better things. He had a multimillion-dollar NFL career in front of him.

Instead, the two-time national champion returned to Florida for his senior year.

Whether you're an athlete, a professional in any field, an intern, or a student, it's always important to finish what you start.

I'm not talking about finishing your case of lukewarm Natty. I'm inviting you to follow through with the choices you have made so that you can feel what achievement really is.

By achievement, I mean the end result of a multi-step, time-consuming process that transforms the individual for the better. It's an enduring, marathon-like struggle that may not put you in first place, but will put you in the right place.

Tebow will understand this in full once he has a degree to hoist with his championship trophies and his accomplishments as a dedicated student and community role model.

I'm sure he would agree that, despite its appeal, you don't have to win a national championship or any other award to be an achiever.

Achievement is based primarily on how you perceive your efforts in your interests and your life's desires.

It is not purely about visible results. One who achieves acknowledges the results, but can equally attribute one's success to the process, the high and low moments, and the gradual maturation.

If you walk away from what matters most to you now without that final, decisive push, you will only look at that point in your life through a lens of regret.

As a senior, I want to especially send this message to my fellow classmates. Now approaching the professional world, we have fewer opportunities to go back to life's "coulda, shoulda, woulda" moments.

If you have not met your goal, evaluate what you've done to get to where you are now. If you are not satisfied and have the drive to work toward what you want, go for it and embrace any opportunity along the way.

It took me three years to understand the underlying meaning behind my life's pursuits, and I nearly threw in the towel a few times.

However, I'm beginning to see this end result, and had I not continued through the struggle, I'd be living in regret. It's a great feeling when you move onto the next thing in life without the feeling of leaving something behind.

So if your name is Brett Favre, please disregard this message.