By Hafsa Mustajab | 2nd Place in Discover Psychology Literary Competition & Exhibition of Works 2026
18th October, 2026.
I wrote down the seventh deadline in my little notebook, the single line adding to the dread building up in me. Only two days remained until my college application closed and my fate was sealed. Tears formed behind my eyes, my right leg shaking in an attempt to somehow jerk the fear out of my body.
How long had I done this for? How many hours had I spent contemplating worst-case scenarios? Convincing myself beyond any doubt that the path I chose in life was the wrong one, I’ll fail. I’ll hate every second of it. I’ll remain miserable for the rest of my life, and there’s no way out of it now.
Too late now, too late.
Could I really survive for years in this field? Would I burn out? Give up? Was this what I truly wanted? Was this where my passion lay? What is my passion, anyway? I didn’t know. I didn’t know anything and that was the exact problem eating my mind and soul alive, leaving me devoid of my joy and any ability to exist without fear.
“Dude!”,
My head bolted up at the annoyingly loud sound, and I realized that the annoyingly loud sound came from the guy beside me, calling me.
“Cool design! You made it yourself?”
Design? Oh right. I was in a library with my laptop wide open and bright in front of me, working on the user interface of a website. Passively, though, since I had been so lost in my own misery. “Yeah.” the reply came out drier than I intended. My voice having lost its melody. “It looks super aesthetically pleasing bro. I can hardly take my eyes off it. Mind teaching me your ways around graphics like that?”
“You wanna learn my ways?”
“Yeah! I’ve been trying to figure out how to forge my own unique identity when it comes to designing, I see you’ve done that exceptionally. I’ve never seen style like yours, I guess it’s really your own. You must really love your work to come up with something like that” You must really love your work, The words echoed in my ears. I had been doing this for a while now, yet never had I ever received feedback quite like that before. It pulled me back to the time I decided to choose this field of study. I had loved creating, tackling technical complexities, breaking down systems to their roots, and rebuilding them from scratch. All in a way that felt fun
to me, integrating my own silly components to it, making projects feel and seem like my own, deviating from the usual aesthetic of tech and bringing my own flavor to it. How had I forgotten the sheer joy of it? When did I let the difficult parts of the journey cloud my judgement and convince me I wasn’t built for this? When had I chosen the comfort of misery over the pain of growth?
I knew this path was perilous, yet I had chosen it anyway because I found excitement in the challenge. Why doubt it now, when I had doubted myself back then too, yet look where I stood now, capable of things I wasn’t before. I had grown, and that growth came from focusing my mind on solving the challenge in front of me, not from contemplating the ifs and what of an unwritten future.
What I had was now. Everything else was out of my control. Who was I to command control over my entire future at once? After all, there’s no fun in a challenge if it’s expected. “Uhm hey?” the boy called out, snapping me back to reality.
I looked up and smiled at him, a genuine, wide smile “Thank you.” The words came from the depths of my heart.
“You’re welcome, man. So..about the teaching?”
“Absolutely. Let’s start”
About the Author
Hafsa Mustajab – 2nd Place in Discover Psychology Literary Competition & Exhibition of Works 2026
Hafsa Mustajab is an aspiring computer science student with a deep passion for digital design, and the intersection of creative identity with technical concepts. Alongside her studies, she possesses a strong interest in different forms of art and often finds herself expressing her personality through them. She believes in approaching both technology and writing with individuality and curiosity, drawing inspiration from everyday moments and the intricate workings of the human mind.
[Content Disclaimer: Works published under the Discover Psychology Literary Competition & Exhibition of Works 2026 are submitted by their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or perspectives of Discover Psychology Foundation. These works may explore sensitive topics, themes, or experiences. Reader discretion is advised.]
