Lately I have been plagued with a nagging uncertainty that makes me wonder if I had peaked too early in life. Allow me to explain. Before the age of 20, I was a Little Miss Overachiever: straight 'A's in school, tons of extracurricular activities, numerous awards, distinctions, and merits. My accomplishments included the following: Not only did I qualify for the regional orchestra made up of 50 high schools in the lower NY area, I wrangled solo performances. I was accepted to the über-prestigious Cooper Union School of Art's Saturday Program (which has since divided into the Saturday Program and the Outreach Program) which allowed me to take art classes — for free — every Saturday for an entire summer from some of the...