Wednesday I met my Korean student online. Before leaving, I told her, "For this week, try to do something that you've never done before." She said, "You are like a personal trainer at the gym, challenging me mentally." "Well, if you feel challenged, great! That's what you need and that’s what I'm here for," I said.
Challenging people is what I often do while working with high school students on their college application essays. When I work with them, I always emphasize this: your writing, no matter what topic you may choose, must reflect your unique voice, so readers can see clearly an individual who stands out like someone they've never seen before. Also that voice must be authentic.
Some say, there's nothing new under the sun. People have already exhausted all the topics. High school students have very limited life's experience. True. But you still can demonstrate your uniqueness through your distinctive interpretation and perspective.
I remember one student wrote about self-portrait and explored why her self-portrait always turned out more beautiful than herself. She became philosophic about it and in the end embraced both her ideal self represented by her self-portrait and my current real self.
A Chinese saying describes this: 鹤立鸡群 (hè lì jī qún) The literal meaning is: a crane standing among a flock of chickens. You can see a picture of a crane towering over a flock of chickens, symbolizing an outstanding individual standing among the average. Make no mistake that people will notice you, if you make yourself as outstanding as a crane among chicks.