~:[CH8 - Day 25]:~ Follow Your Passion

~:[CH8 - Day 25]:~ Follow Your Passion

Model UN can be a frustrating thing when the wrong mix of delegates come together and really don't take thing seriously. You have two choices, let them bother you and take you off your game or stay focused and continue forward with what you're doing. The passionate will continue to follow what they want to do even when others get in their way or do something to inhibit progress. As the founder of Doctors without Borders Canada, Richard Heinzl, addressed the opening session of the conference, he talked about the drive and passion it took for him to found the organization. He faced the challenges of finances, but he also faced the opposition of the organization itself, as he worked to convince the Europeans that Canada too could establish an impactful sector of the organization. I loved how he told his story, but maintained the message to the delegates. He was a genuine guy and even took the time to talk to a few of our delegates before his speech. In a day that spanned 15 hours, our delegates needed to stay focused and fight off those who tried to knock them off track. They stayed focused until the late evening and while they were frustrated, I found that they kept working towards what they wanted to accomplish and for that, they were already successful. They showed how passionate they were about the debates and their frustration stemmed out of those who did not share that same passion. In life, we'll face situations when we are headed forwarded full steam while others will slowly lag behind. It is in these moments that we must decide if we allow our passions to carry us forward or we let those stragglers pull us back and ultimately, leaving us behind. Follow your passion whether it be Model UN, sports, academics, arts, etc. and don't allow the challenges that life throws at you from impeding your progress. When you hit that moment and you face those two choices, let's show our grit, allowing us to continue to fight so that our passions can one day be realized. Heinzl did so and he founded such as impressive organization that has helped over 700,000 emergency room patients in 33 countries in a single year. Had he given into the doubts and impediments of the world, that many people annual would not have had the support they have received. Like committee today, life will not always be easy, but at the end of the day, when you know you've continued to fight and follow your passion, at least you can rest easy and know that you'll be prepared to fight another day.