What exactly is determination? It’s hard to place my finger on an exact definition. Hard work, dedication, and the will to succeed all come to mind. But, which is it? When I consulted the Webster dictionary, it told me determination means “the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose.”
   To me, determination means that I won’t stop until I’ve accomplished what I aim for. It means that I work hard to do what I say I’m going to do. Determination is the predecessor to succeeding. My parents once said that if I told them I was going to do something, they considered it done. That determination has led me to many accomplishments, which also meant overcoming many obstacles. Without determination I would have never picked myself up to try again.

   In the spring of my junior year, during ensembles contest for choir, I was singing in a duet with a friend of mine, and unfortunately we found out we had to sing first. My stomach churned and my vision got blurred. I started to feel nauseated. How do I deal with this? Too bad I didn’t get time to think about it. A few minutes later and lacking a proper warm-up, my friend and I were up there. In front of my director, the judge, and most importantly our friends. We looked at each other, searching for whatever hope we could scavenge. The piano started playing.
   Then came my cue. Some odd noise I didn’t even know I could make came out. Great, I screwed up the beginning. We couldn’t stop there. The song went on but it didn’t get any better. I started to panic. I kept missing my notes. I started to think more about the pitches and working off of my partner and the piano, but to no avail. At this point I was in full blown panic. I forgot the words! The lyrics I started singing consisted of the same thing over and over again. Finally the torture ended. Our friends avoided eye contact, and some told us a half hearted “good job”.
   Someone who wasn’t determined would have given up on singing, but that’s not me. I resolved that I wouldn’t accept this defeat. As Mario Andretti once said, “Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” I didn’t want to be remembered by that whiff. I could do better, I knew it. I made a secret pact with myself; next year I would work really hard and wow the crowd. That meant solos competition next fall.
   It came fast. I picked out a song with the help of my director. After the humiliation from last time, I was determined to really learn this song and perfect it. I was going to find a way. Meeting with my director three times a week opposed to once a week last time, I plucked away, spending countless hours in front of that piano. I will succeed, I told myself. It didn’t take me long to develop the range and the key notes to make this solo possible. Something unforeseen started creeping up on me.
   Two weeks before the concert and solos contest, my director dropped a bomb on me. "I want you to sing your solo at the concert." She wanted me to do what? As the last word left her mouth an explosion hit my stomach. I started to feel a little woozy. I felt overwhelmed, excited, nervous, and scared. What if I screwed up again? I can truthfully say, those were the two longest weeks I’ve ever gone through. Barely a moment passed without the knot plucking away at my stomach like a vulture. I was so nervous I didn’t even tell anyone until two days before the concert. Nothing ever made me more nervous in my whole life.
   Oddly enough, before I knew it, it was concert night. I walked through the school doors on my way to warm-ups telling myself that it would be over soon. It was incredibly hard to keep it all together. I couldn’t focus on anything that whole day. I ran through my song at least ten times in my head, not listening to a single word any of my teachers said. It would be over soon.
   It was time, the concert had started. We flew through the first part of the concert. There were a total of four of us singing our solos that night. The concert was almost over. It was our time to shine, and I was set to go last. I still haven’t decided if that made it easier or worse!
   Finally the third solo was done. Right as I stood up, my heart went racing. I took my first step up onto stage. I could do this. It was so quiet, I swear the whole auditorium could hear the wooden floor boards creaking under my feet. I scanned the crowd just to see eyes everywhere, judging my every move. I was still clammering around when I tried to sputter out my name and what I was going to be singing. “Oh great, here we go again”, I thought, as a wave of panic started to flow over me. No. I decided right there, in that split second. That wasn’t going to happen again. I took a deep breath.
And it began.
   The piano rang out across the auditorium. There was my cue. I nailed the first note, and the second, and the third. After the first two lines were past, I really started enjoying myself out there. My determination to succeed had prepared me for this moment and I was proving it to everyone. I still believe I sang my solo the best at that concert than I ever had. I truly felt proud of myself. I nailed it.

   Looking back, I have grown a lot from my experience with singing and performing. Determination led me to new heights. My freshman year, I was an introvert and super self-conscious. Here I was, three years later, singing in front of the whole school. I never thought I would have done something like this, but I did. I wanted to prove to everyone I could do it. I didn’t want anyone to think I failed. I wouldn’t settle for that. Determination made me excel on stage. I’m anxious to see what life throws at me next. I’m not afraid any more. I have learned to trust myself, and now, after I have truly given in to that, I will always find a way.