I Guess Sometimes My Mom Is Right...

Shoot for the moon and if you miss it, at least you'll be among the stars was what I've been told by my mother a hundred times every since I entered grade school. It affected me negatively and positively but this is going to be about how this sentence is going to haunt me for the next ten years.
I was six years old and my mother said that to me right after she signed me up for abacus, piano, and ballet classes. Ever since then, I have been think about it at least once a day. I keep pondering about how I can shoot for the moon? It seems like very specific and simple sentence but when I was six, I thought there was something more to it. Here I am, a junior in high school, finally! I'm almost all grown up and I am still trying to figure exactly what my mother meant. I'm trying to be the best but even when I feel like I'm the best, there is always going to be someone better, someone with much higher authority, or someone who is just smarter than me. Even though I have all these negative thoughts building up inside of me, my mother's high pitch voice is still there.
How am i suppose to shoot for the moon? Am I suppose to juggle social, school, and work life all at once? Or am I suppose to find a passion and just do my best in it. That, I do not know. I wish my mother would emphasize on how I can actually shoot for the moon. She just left the words there to haunt me for ten years.
Thankfully because of her, I am what I am now. I push myself to complete my homework daily, take challenging classes, and to be a good employee. I am a driven person. I do what I think is right for me and I go for it. For example, if everyone in school has been telling me that a certain class is really hard, I would give myself a goal. Let's say that my goal is to get in the A range and at the end of the term, if I get an A- on my report card, I would be okay because I know that I tried my hardest and I have no regrets.
It is also because of the sentence my mother said to me that makes me want to be a veterinarian. My passion is to help animals. I want to help many abused and homeless animals as I can throughout my entire life. To strive for that goal, I have to do extremely well in school. The veterinarian course in college is competitive and only the best of the best would be selected. If I do not get accepted? There are so many other ways that I can help animals. I could open up a pet shop and educate others on how to keep their pet healthy and happy. I could start an organization and raise money for abused and homeless animals. Even if I have to do something other than being an animal doctor, I would be alright with it as long as it involves animals.
I guess that is what my mother has been trying to tell me all along. She wanted me to figure out what my 'moon' is. She wants me to shoot for it by myself and she wants me to be happy. Not necessarily successful but at least content with how the outcome of my future is going to turn out. I guess sometimes my mom is right..

Author's note: Hehe :) Hey, thanks for reading this. I hope you like this essay. I'm not a very strong/ good writer but I'm going to keep trying! So keep on reading and bye! <3