How Nietzsche's Message Inspired Me

In his inspiring work of philosophical allegory, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche proposes the concept of the "Übermensch", or Superman, a human who is completely autonomous and self-directed. When I first stumbled across this concept during my late night summer reading, I realized how topical Nietzsche's abstraction was in the context of my own life. Originally, I interpreted his concept as the desire for a "perfect" human, one at the apex of their health - not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. What I later realized was that Nietzsche was not proposing an impossible ideal and saying, "Good luck trying to achieve this". Instead, he was putting forth a model for us to follow; a model of what we should strive to be. That was the core message that I found so inspiring in Thus Spoke Zarathustra - that we can live a life authentic to ourselves in the pursuit of self-improvement. Later that night when I resumed my reading, I learnt about Nietzsche's thoughts on the nature of struggle. The Superman, he proclaimed, succeeded in everything he did. "Well, isn't that just great," I thought. "How am I supposed to be successful in everything!?" My frustration was short-lived however - I quickly realized that I had interpreted the text incorrectly. The Superman was not successful because he achieved everything he wanted to; instead, he was successful because he never shied away from attempting to achieve his goals. Success, as defined in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, is not realizing your dreams, but simply attempting to accomplish them with sincerity and full commitment. Nietzsche's message inspired me that day, and has motivated me since, because of the illuminating truth it holds. The lack of effort is in itself failure, for as we know more colloquially: "We miss 100% of the shots we don't take". Nietzsche's lesson has taught me not to be afraid of speaking my mind and taking a stance against the majority. It has inspired me to follow my dreams, exemplified in my choice to apply to a school as prestigious as Harvard, where I can continue my quest for self-realization.