I don't know about you all, but I am thoroughly exhausted. A fifteen week class is almost too much on the old brain, isn't it? But we push on . . .
I suppose that's what I am asking you to do. Push. Through safe writing and perfect grammar for something more, something new. (Look, a sentence fragment.)
Some of you seemed to struggle today, and I may have lost one or two of you after grades were logged. That saddens me. The most valuable A I ever earned was with Jon Bolton after believing it would be that horrifying B (after all, that is what he put on my paper). And the best B I ever earned was with someone much more dangerous and looming--and I learned more in that class than any other. But, I suppose, that will come in time and retrospect when your "real lives" become your daily lives, or when you have to give a student you are just flat crazy about anything less than a 100.
I've mentioned before: what if this were the last class I ever taught? What would I give to it? What would I risk? Which makes me wonder: what if this were the last class you ever took? Are you sure you would just want it to slide by?
I remember one of my professors telling me to not be so invested, so close-chested, to my work as to not see its potential to be even better. So, instead of waxing philosophical in this Monday blog, let me ask you:
Can you?
Push harder?
Write harder?
Be better?
Or do we all sincerely believe that we are "good enough?"
Where do you see yourself backing down from the battle of writing?
And if this is all just a bit too academic, let me insert something more poetic.
I had a student back in 2004, let's call her Susan. Susan asked questions that others would have balked at, backed away from, and ignored. Susan revised and revised and revised and bled all over her page, never missed a class, peer-reviewed with a vengeance, and read her assignments with a voracity that bordered on hunger. I remember that she was tall, blue-eyed, and wore a lot of hats.
On her last paper, I gave Susan an A. She asked me how it could get better. Stayed after class and picked my brain and talked about how words were magic and how she wished she could spend every day eating them, crafting them, and making them spin in the air.
Susan had only three weeks left to live. The brain tumor was taking that spark out of her eyes with every breath she shared with me, yet, she went down fighting with a kind of courage that I have only seen in old men. And she never backed down. I went to her funeral, stood in the sweltering heat in Mississippi and listened to poetry she had written as a child--something about peanut butter. Hugged her mother and cried all the way home in an old beat-up Chevy Nova, all I could afford as an English teacher and the best car I ever had the honor of sobbing in.
And I became a better writer. It was the least I could do. I had time left. Time.
But wait. I'm not asking this kind of sacrifice of you, it's not even on the syllabus. I am asking for more push. I see those sparks, that love for words, and I wonder--
How far are you willing to go, Advanced Comp? How "advanced" would you like to be? Have you, at the end of the day, given it all you had?
And lastly, a quote:
"I'm not ever going to feel that way again. You don't get that twice."
Investigator:
"Most don't get it once." Mystic River
If this were my last class, I'd like to think I would skip a lot. I'd like to think I would spend all day in the chapel. Spend all day painting, whale-watching, pressing flowers. But if I could die tomorrow, why don't I do all those things today? If I was going to die tomorrow, I would like to think I would drop out of college, but I could very well die tomorrow, so why am I still here?
ReplyDeleteMy senior year of high school, my volleyball team made it to the final four. One of my best friend's mother wrote us all a note reminding us to "leave it all on the court." In the letter, she told us that we needed to do our best, that way, when we stand in front of God at the end of our lives, we can tell him that we have nothing left to offer him. We have used up all the talent he gave us.
So if I knew that I was going to die in a month, and I sat around and ogled at God's creation for 5 weeks, then where would my talents go? They would weight me down. Sink my coffin deeper into the ground.
So, yes. I could die tomorrow. But that's no reason to stop using up my talents. Writing talents included.
It's funny, I decided when I was in about the 3rd grade that I wouldn't stop working until I became a saint. I would build upon all my talents and continue to make myself a better person until I was a saint. Saint Abigail of Vestavia. It had a ring to it. Of course, when I got older, I found out that saints are those souls that we have miraculous evidence for their being in heaven. That means that I can't be a saint unless I'm in heaven...
So I would have to die to reach my goal?
I find that this fact didn't deter my goal of being a saint. I will continue all my life, however short or long it may be, to build upon the talents that I have and take advantage of the opportunities that I am presented with. I will never be good enough in this life, but I can only keep improving. One paper, one midterm, one sentence fragment at a time.
This really caught my eye cause if I was going to die tomorrow than I would probably not stay in school. But I love the point that you made about not wasting talent just cause we could. Your reply to this blog makes me want to push myself and not waste my talents.
DeleteThe irony of this blog is still lingering in my mind as I try to find the words to type on my beat up, college ridden lap top.
ReplyDeleteAs I soon as I began reading this, my phone called me on the phone. The call consisted of our usual chit chat. Ya know- my day, her day. Etc. Then she proceeded to ask me if I knew about the two boys that were killed in my hometown a few weeks ago. I proceeded to say yes and we continued the conversation for a little while longer. And so it got me to thinking... I don't know. I guess about the length of time we have on earth. People die all the time. In fact, there's usually not a day where you can't turn on the television and hear about something happening to someone. But I guess the reason I began an in depth conversation about theses deaths in my head was because they were so young. It's crazy to think that someone my age could be here one day and gone the next. Only old people die. Or at least that's how it's supposed to go. That's what they tell us.
Now onto the writing business. I whole heartedly believe that everyone has room for growth. Absolutely! Life is all about becoming the best person that you can and pushing every limit possible. However, at the same time, I also feel that "pushing" is largely a personal task. It is great for others to encourage you and help you reach your goals, but at the end of the day, you are still the only person who knows whether you are working at your greatest potential or not. This often times causes confusion in the pusher's mind, as to whether you really are doing your best, or are just taking the easy way out. So in most cases, if someone says they truly are putting forth their best effort, receive it. Because 9x out of 10, it's the truth.
As Americans, I feel like death isn't in our life enough. Like Leah said, " only old people die." for real. I mean some younger people do die, but thats only in countless movies and video games, but thats not real. Thats death you can watch from the cool dark air conditioned, sweet smelling, home; and then you can rewind it and whoever was dead is back again. NO.... im not talking about that kind of death I mean real death. I mean gone to never come back. I mean the smell of death. I mean the gore. No we dont get exposed to that. It's ugly. Take a trip to a country where they know death, then come back and tell me what you think about death.
DeleteMost people don't experience death early in life. I lost my maw maw when I was only eight or nine years old. Who deserves to lose their maw maw as a child? No one does. I think people vary on how death effects them. I saw at least one friend of mine pass away every year of high school. Ninth grade there was Bradey Munroe. Tenth grade there was Bradley Perry. Eleventh grade had no deaths. Then Senior year was the worst of them all. Cody Watson, Christina Lovoorn, and David Wells all passed away. Each of these people I knew personally. Death is always around each of us, we as people just don't look for it. That is why each individual owes themselves their best effort. Period. Life can end for any of us at any moment, we just can't be prepared, but we can live life to the fullest while we can.
DeleteI don't claim to know how the last day of life feels, but I know how it is to experience the last day of someone else all too well. Almost a year ago, my best friend -the closest thing to a brother I've ever known- passed away in a car accident. His life was taken so suddenly and he spent his last day doing what he loved. He went fishing and to the shooting range while I sat in school trying to keep perfect attendance -we were polar opposites- and text messaged him throughout the day trying to plan his girlfriend's surprise birthday party. About five past six I got a call from David's younger brother and immediately I got to David's girlfriend and rushed to the hospital. David was gone....
ReplyDeleteIf I could ask David what he thought of his last day I'm sure he'd say it was amazing except his brothers being in the wreck with him. I know that's how I'd want my last day or class -amazing. The one thing that we both had in common was our stubbornness. Neither of us backed down no matter how hard the path was ahead. In a small town, nothing was missed in school and David and me were always noticed.
A teenager just living life one moment at a time the wreck taught me that I had to make sure what I felt was known and what I wanted was clear. That means I bust my tail in every class and every activity I take on. I am human and mistakes do happen, but I clean up my mistakes the best I can. I also don't always succeed, but as Chumbawumba had in their one hit song "I get knocked down, I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down!". That's my philosophy on life when it comes to achieving goals. Nothing will prevent me from trying to reach my goal and my worst enemy is myself.
Another person I really didn't know well, but he sat on the bench for White Plains during the game before the final four on an oxygen tank. His name was Bradey Munroe and he was diagnosed with cancer the day before his Senior year started. He never frowned about it or showed an ounce of fear, this was amazing. Bradey inspired me to never show fear in the face of anything - even death- and to always cherish the time you have with friends and family.
I don't know just how far I can go, but I don't plan on quitting until the day my heart stops. I can't and won't let down those I've seen pass that didn't get to fulfill their dreams see me let mine pass me by without trying to hit them. I'm not much on going farther with writing personally, but engineering is one of my passions that I plan on succeeding in. I want to earn my living like an American should and I'm not going to settle for anything less that my best. Life is too precious to waste and the people you have in your life are who shape the course of your own life. Friends, if you actually read this I want to say that each of you do contribute to my life in one way or another and I hope I do the same for you. Dr. KDP, you have made and interesting case in the way of viewing writing styles and the way I write. I am not a robot that is conformed to a system, but I am an individual that forms my own being with the help of my peers and family. With that said I can only push forward and put my best foot forward and not stop until my time is up.
Carson, I'm so sorry for your loss and so proud of you for making it. That's what simply some of us never do is make it. You are strong and i don't know how well I would handle being in your shoes. Here at Auburn, we all live in this bubble, and sometimes get lost. Bad things that happen in life are what gives us the "push" and like you, it makes us stronger.
DeleteThis blog couldn't be more pertinent to my life right now.
ReplyDeleteNot in a sense that I am nearing death...but in the sense that there is a need to persevere and PUSH until you can't anymore.
I have always been a really hard worker, especially in high school. I laughed in my parents' face when they weren't sure if I could handle A.P. classes. They were right...but I'd never let them know it. I busted my butt all through those classes just to prove to them that I could. Not that my parents ever doubted my abilities...they just wanted to see that 4.0, and that's something I gave up when deciding to challenge myself. They never saw that 4.0 until the first semester of my senior year, and I had never been happier to show them a piece of paper in my life. That report card was so rewarding, and they were beyond proud of me for really, really PUSHING myself to my limits.
Staying in, studying late, and sleeping little...that was my life, and I was only in high school.
Now I am in college, and that should be my motto. However, I feel at times that I may have lost the ambition for grades that I had in high school. Some of my classes are getting tougher and I find it nearly impossible to study for them, but I have to! And I know that I have to! It's time for me to push myself again, and do something to be proud of. Freshman year has taught me a lot, and the need to push myself harder and harder has become a most important lesson that I am currently learning.
So...No near death experiences for me. Just a college freshman that needs to get her priorities straight and stop dreaming long enough to remember what it's like to push her limits.
STORY OF MY LIFE! Although we have so much more time in college than we did in high school, my biggest struggle with it this year has been motivating myself to stay on top of things. Let's face it, in high school, our parents were there to keep us on top of things, to tell us when to go to bed, to force us to study, and to keep in the know of what our grades were and how we were doing in classes. This year, we are thrown into the college bubble where we are doing things late at night, motivating ourselves to study, and learning that maybe we should go to bed before 2 am sometimes! It's so hard to grasp this- at least for me- because I want to have fun, I want to be involved in everything, and I want the grades to just come to me. But that's not how this works. It has taken trial and error but I'm learning more and more each day and we just have to continue to find the motivation in ourselves because in the end, it will be worth it!
Delete"If there isn't a chance you are going to day, how can you say your'e actually living?"
DeleteWe push onward, because we can. We take risks to feel that we are alive. Humans are just a bunch of bumbling entities wandering throughout this temporal plane, colliding into each other just to feel something. We strive for excellence not because we want to be excellent, but because we want to be viewed as excellent. The absurdity of our species is its obsession with experience and point of view. We HAVE to live on, to be the last man standing, to push forward. Our super objectives are only attainable through our beat objectives.
*"If there isn't a chance you are gonna DIE." Typo haha
DeleteFrom pen and paper to key and screen. Writing has prevailed over the grand test of time. Writing has been obligated to survive as a means of communication. But as technology blooms and booms, the magnificence of writing as an art form has been lost. The spilling of words upon a page as a means of expression is an action lost into the dark abyss of efficiency and immediateness. Writing has become an act of labor and exhaustion to produce what seems to be right. The point of satisfaction and saturation is unequal to that of the greats: Walt Whitman, Jane Austen, and Robert Frost. Once upon a time a writer would not labor over his work but write until his insides lay before him in the form of letters. Now one stresses over the formulaic necessity to reach the minimal optimum, one will write until the audience is content or slightly satisfied. The present writer will stop there; he will not strive for more he will not self-satisfy. Writing is no longer a method to quench the desire to express, but now simply an act of obligation.
ReplyDeleteThus, the common writer is tainted. But there are the few who carry the flame of the greats. Who push beyond the frame and seek to quench this desire to express. We fight to revive or simply keep alive this fire. I will push myself until I am satisfied. There is not a sufficient supply of time to hold within what we truly wish to say. So I will strive to fully live life by expressing myself in the lost art form of writing. Unlike many, I believe this form of expression is a gift: it is a source of connection in a world where we have become isolated from direct human interaction.. Unlike social media which consumes us today, the written word has a greater power to connect, it transcends. Therefore it is necessary to revive and renew this art form.
It’s a funny thing how, how writing can bring emotions out we ourselves don’t have. When a human picks up a pen, he becomes his own Michelangelo. Our work flows forward with the brilliance and poetic justice of a thousand doves flying into the sunset after the passing of a glorious hero. Bullshit. Everyone assumes that “they have the gift”, that their work is brilliant, that it means something. “Look mommy, I can ride my bike with no handle bars!” You exclaim, while your mother is watching in awe at the kid down the street, who happens to be riding his bike upside down and backwards. To each his own, every man his brilliance. When I write, I’m awesome! I’m the best in the world! What I write down blows away all the generations that have come before me and actually means something.
ReplyDeleteBut does it?
Does it really???
No, it doesn’t. I can twist my words to sound good. That’s it. Just a parlor trick. The bunny didn’t really come out of the hat, there was a trapdoor under the table and I twisted the knob and it came out of the yadda yadda yadda! It’s an illusion! I can’t write.
That’s why we push. Humans are like that. Not being good at something never stopped us when we were kids. Having fun was the goal. We were good enough for ourselves. But when did that change? When did we conform? When did the status quo become so damn important? Why do we crumple under criticism? Why so many questions???
We push because that makes us human. We overcome obstacles because they are there, to prove we can. To prove we are important. To prove we have meaning. To prove we can ride our bikes upside down and backwards too. And that isn’t an illusion, that’s real.
That is what makes a great artist; knowing you can never express yourself, that there isn't enough time to, but trying anyways.
Its always about trying
DeleteOur imperfection is what makes us perfect
There is also that feeling when you achieve something, and that feeling is what drives that push. The satisfaction you get from pushing yourself, the compliments you get, the recognition you get, thats what makes us push the next time, cause as humans, we desire what we want
Tonight has not been my night. I've typed up a 10 sentence thoroughly detailed event TWICE. And not I have had to type this lovely blog post out TWICE. Thank you stupid technology. Luckily this is not the point I'm trying to make. What I'm trying to say is the fact that I have had to push my way through these mishappenings. Making a push is not easy. It is not fun. Well then why would anyone want to push themselves?? Well because it causes us to better ourselves from what we did the first time. If we push ourselves we aren't just going to get an average product. It is going to be better because we have put more effort and willpower into it than we did before.
ReplyDeleteSo why don't we do this in writing? Why don't we decide to make our writing better rather than not giving a rat's tail about it at all? Because we want the easy way out. That is what is wrong with our generation. We don't want to work for anything. It is something that is making this generation extremely lazy and arrogant. Everything in life is given to us on a silver plate. People don't understand that and then when they are asked to push themselves in the real world they wallow over into a ball and cry to their mommy. Suck it up and push through. It is NOT easy, but what you will get at the end is so worth it. Imagine how much more satisfaction we would get out of our lives if we made a push each and everyday in whatever we are doing. So that is my challenge. Make that push to turn average into above average. Don't wait, start now.
YES you do NEED to push yourself, but to me, there is something more important than the push itself. Its where youre pushing yourself to.
ReplyDeleteYES, finding motivation and that curiosity inside you to push a little bit beyond expectations is great. But a blind push can lead to something undesired or an excess in something useless.
I would be so much happier to get an B in a renaissance philosophy class than an A in biology. So Im going to push myself towards the philosophy class. And when I get an A in philosophy and a C in Biology, I will be sufficed.
As humans, we all have limited resources of "pushes" so why not use those pushes in areas that we love and are passionate about?
Finding out what we are pushing ourselves towards is so essential. At our age, it gets hard to figure out what we are really passionate about, and what our parents are pushing us towards. We live the first few years of our lives under our parents roofs, waiting for them to tell us what to do, and hoping to please them by doing it. As we grow older, and as we enter college, we are faced with the choice. We can continue to do what pleases our parents, or we can decide for ourselves what is important and dive fully into it. I could stretch myself thin and get A's and B's in all my classes, or I could really dive into the classes I love and get an A in those and settle for a C in the others. Which would make my parents proud? Which would make me proud?
DeleteCarpe Diem: Seize the day.
ReplyDelete"To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift" - Prefontaine
I try to keep these and many other quotes in my mind everyday, all day long. We honestly never do know if today is our last day. Everyday I am thankful to wake up and see the sun rise. I know that there are things I need to get done so I feel that I accomplished something. Everyday is a new day to get something new accomplished. That is what pushes me.
Everyday is a new day to work. Everyday is a new day to live. Everyday is a new day to grow.
Motivation is key. That is what pushed people. However, people are motivated by different things - be that they are self motivated or need the assistance of others.
When a new paper is out, its tough to get motivated to write. But striving to be better forces me to write. My motivation is proving to myself that I can be great, even in writing. That is what pushes me to write and to be better. That is why i wake up in the morning, to accomplish something - to improve - to prove. To prove to myself that I can be great.
Good job robert. Im digging the motivation! I too have similar motivation, but only in certain areas and towards certain goals. For me, writing is a form of expression, but i dont like to be pushed to express more than i have too. I dont need to be an expert writer down the road, even though it could always help. I choose to focus my efforts in other areas i deem more important, as do many, many others. In no way is this a problem and i hope others dont see it as such.
DeleteWriting is an awesome ride that can be enjoyed by many...I just wont be taking the scenic route
Totally,
DeleteWhen Im motivated I can get A's like no other,
But its also about how to get motivated.
If you like what youre doing, its so easy to be motivated,
But if you hate the class, how do you get motivated?
The real important part is that we need to find that push or motivation
that will help us through things we hate, cuz life will give us things that we dont like, but we need to find that motivation to push us.
Robert! This is great! I think that you made an excellent point in saying that because you are thankful for your life you are motivated. It definitely puts things in perspective. You work hard and you push hard because you can...because you've been given this day to accomplish things and to live your life whether your life is calling for you to write a paper, run a marathon, or enjoy the company of your best friends. Being alive is a type of motivation, and it's important to realize that we have been given each day we have for a reason, and we should live it out to its' fullest potential. "Carpe Diem", and thanks, Robert.
DeleteWonderful post. You make an awesome point and I totally agree with what you're saying. Motivation is absolutely key to our existence and keeps us pushing forward. Finding this motivation can be a challenge but such is life. Let us live life to the fullest!
DeleteI've always been told "Live every day like it's your last." and "Don't forget to tell people you love them, you never know when you'll see them again." These words have always had an impact on me. Since I was young, I have wanted to change the world. Make a difference in people's lives- to truly leave a legacy. With this dream though, I realize there comes a battle. The battle called pushing. Fighting until the very end when I can say with confidence that I have done my best and given it all I had left. After all, when this life ends and I am face to face with God, don't I want to be able to tell Him that I gave it my best?
ReplyDeleteSo whether this is pertinent to our lives, or just to writing, we have to fight. We have to be willing to go the EXTRA mile to get that A. To know that at the end of the day, we DESERVE what we got. That we earned it. I think we often try to hard to impress people instead of impressing ourselves. Why can’t we just accept who we are and realize that if this was to be our last day or last class, we gave it our all and tried with every fiber within us…and that we will get that A that we deserve!
I have been told these same things my entire life as well, and similarly I want to make an impact on people. But I have realized that it is impossible to be good at everything. So I try to learn as much as I can about others and other interests, in order to impact them in the greatest way possible. Through personally impacting others, I strive to help and motivate others through things that motivate and inspire me. It is easier to impact others if you share similar interests and can relate to them. In other words, it is picking your battles and going that extra mile on the things that are important to you. I'm not saying to only put your best effort into things you enjoy... obviously put your best effort into anything you do. But do the things that you are most passionate about and make sure you give 110% to those things. People will be inspired by your passion and will strive to find something they are just as passionate about too.
DeletePushing ourselves to make an A is so applicable in al of our lives right now. Exams are coming up, but summer is right around the corner. It can be SO easy for us to lose our focus and go into our summer on cruise control. But that means we aren't going to push ourselves to do the best we can on our exams. That means we are going to be OK with possibly not making an A in that class we've worked so hard in this semester. Not pushing ourselves until we get to the finish line means we are going to have to face the consequences of failure. Now none of us want to do that, right? Well then let's keep trucking and finish this semester strong.
DeleteThe Push. Picking your battles is very important, for the human mind is not capable of digesting everything at once. Once those battles have chosen it's an all out war of extreme focus. I personally have a hard time picking my battles, I'm willing to say yes to anyone, and am willing to take on WAY to many responsibilities. I end up spreading myself too thin. Way too thin. Normally, my focus is not academics, it's more along the lines of racing, and working on the Formula SAE Racing car. The Formula SAE project is o time demanding that academics seem to fall by the wayside. Most weeks I spend one measly night a week in the library just trying to scrape by with a C. I am not happy with this, for I have chosen to many battles for which 100% of my time and attention is needed. I have to learn to compromise.
ReplyDeleteThis push is so important and I can tell many stories about how I've pushed myself past the breaking point working on FSAE stuff. I routinely spend 40-45 hours working with the team every week. Essentially a full time job.
What I need to work on is allocating my time better across every aspect of my life.
This post interests me because at first it seemed like a rant but rereading it provided me another idea about its meaning. The author of this post needs to ask the question; do the rewards outweigh the risks? I have no idea what challenges the SAE racing team face but it sounds like the author might. Those 40-45 hours every week include building friendships/connections and learning how to be better engineer(which I'm assuming is your major). Your basically sacrificing GPA for knowledge and skills you can't get anywhere else(except on a real formula-1 team).
DeleteNo one's perfect and you can ALWAYS better yourself.
ReplyDeleteNow the main issue is drive, the ability and motivation to push yourself. Someone like myself might have incredible, outstanding drive...when it comes to things like pushing myself in ROTC and while working out, or maybe buckling down and studying for that big test, or maybe even just learning about something i find truly interesting, that one thing that i just HAVE to know more about.
One might not choose to further themselves in something because they believe that particular skill set wont help them in the long run, or maybe they are just fine with "good enough", because "good enough" will get them where they need to go so that they can push themselves in other areas deemed more important towards their final goals. Its a state of mind that i find myself trapped in frequently when it comes to things like math, a university elective class, and yes, even English. I honestly just look at it as something i have to get through. Yes i believe that creative writing betters you as an academic but for some reason, i don't feel the need to spend more time than necessary on my work. And i know we all have different definitions of "necessary". Do I put forth more than just a good enough effort when i write? Of course. But I'm in college for myself, to get my degree, and to become an officer in the United States Army. I have to do what i think is best to reach those goals, which in my mind means biting the bullet and just getting through a lot of assignments whilst putting forth the most EFFICIENT level of effort possible.
Am i "good enough"? -- Yes.
Can i be better?-- everyone can
Am i efficient in doing my work?-- I think so?
Am i happy with my product?------ Always
Carpe Diem. Seize the day. These words have been ringing in my head ever since I heard them way back in elementary school. Like most kids with ambition, I wanted to change the world. But then reality struck. Not the reality that I couldn't do it. No. I definitely had the ability to do so. Instead, it was the reality that it was ONLY myself that was keeping me from doing it. I was not giving it my all, and that's the key ingredient.
ReplyDeleteWe all need that "push"- the thing that motivates us. We tend to get into a daily rut and repeat the same day-to-day actions. We forget our goals and ambitions and only think about how much more time we have until we can eat dinner. We forget that life is fleeting and that every hour could be our last.
Would you want your last moments to be filled with laziness and half-assed work? I know I wouldn't. THAT is the push for me. THAT is what keeps me going. THAT is what makes me go the extra mile on a paper or assignment. I want to live every moment like its my last. I want to make an impact on the world (even if it is small) and give people something to remember me by.
Remember, your next moments are not guaranteed. So how are you going to spend your next day?
Your next hour?
You next minute?
Make it count. I know I will.
Everyday is a new day to get something accomplished. You are right to say that we should not take any second for granted because every moment is a moment to make an impact. Even if its just holding the door for someone, you never know, that could have ment a whole lot to them and changed the outcome of their day.
DeleteThis is probably one of my favorite blogs I've read.
Delete"Remember, your next moments are not guarenteed..."
Despite how cliche' it sounds, I bet the world would be a much better place if everyone had this same mindset.
Tomorrow, indeed, is not promised, but no one looks at it like that.
Rather, people think "oh, I will just put this off until a later date."
But what if that later date never comes? What if we had a week to live? A month? A year?
I honestly do not know what I would do if my doctor told me my days were numbered and time here on Earth was limited.
I would, however, make a few people smile, tell my family I love them on a constant basis, do something fun, relive my childhood (I'm a fan of Disney World, no matter how old I get).
I would find the push that I so lack from time to time to make an impact on someone, somewhere.
Afterall, the simplest things mean the most to people.
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ReplyDeleteEveryone has that inner motivation and drive to work on or take part in something they love doing. If that "something" is not particularly interesting to the individual, then it will obviously be harder for them to find the motivation to do it. They may feel that "something" is blocking them, hindering them, or wasting their time. Maybe they even feel that they just can't do it.
ReplyDeleteBut what kind of frame of mind is that? To tell yourself that just because you are not great at something and don't enjoy doing it... that you can't do it.
This is what we all must push through. Just because something is new or different doesn't mean it's bad, or too hard, or you can't do it. Like all skills, it just takes practice. Never let the fear of failing keep you from even trying in the first place.
So in my english papers and in my future, I will push the envelope. Push through the hard times, to become a better, more knowledgeable person of the world we live in. And hopefully leave my mark on it.
i have always pushed myself. i could always do better than what i had done previously.i just have that type of personality. ive always been driven and modivated.
ReplyDeletewhat would i do if i only had a month to live? well i would def not be in school and especially not writing. i would probably go travel the world... original, i know! but seriously nobody knows what they would do until it actually happened to them. its hard for me to say that i would go sky diving when i knew i was going to die in a month. idk i just hope and pray that one day when it is time for me to go, i dont know about it. i hope i die peacefully in my sleep. if i knew i was about to die i would definetly make every second count but there would alwasy be a part of me just waiting to die and not being able to enjoy it.
all in all i just want to live a peaceful life and live every second like its my last. you never know when it will be your last.
I think that I would also like to die peacefully in my sleep. If I had a warning about it, there would always been that last minute regret that I had forgotten to do something that I had always wanted to do. However (like you mentioned) an easy solution to this would be to live every day like its your last.
DeleteThere is a push inside of me. A push to be better. A push to leave a legacy in all I do. Not just in the few things I'm good at, but in everything that I attempt to do.
ReplyDeleteI often ask myself what the point of trying in certain things is. What's the point of staying up late, missing all the fun that's going on around me, just to take a test that I will likely do bad on anyway? My best friend says live every moment like it's your last. Give up the things like studying to make memories.
But what if living every moment like it's your last isn't necessarily about doing the things you love most? What if it's about putting your heart into all that you do-- even when it's the very thing you hate to do?
This is probably just a ramble of nonsense. But this is what has been on my mind, as I work to memorize biological crap that I could honestly care less about. Yes, this might be the last thing on earth I want to be doing. Yes, school in general might be the last thing I feel like doing. But this is where I am right now. This is where I must set my heart and my mind to do all that I can to succeed right here. Moments will be difficult, but I must keep pushing-- keep trying to be the best that I can be.
My sister always tells me that you can re-take a class, but you can never re-live a party. Me and my sister are very different people. See, I agree with you, Emily. I think that if I retake the class, then what was the point in taking it in the first place? I need to be 100% in whatever I am doing, and if that means that school has to come over my social life. Of course, unlike my sister, my mother's motto tends to be "remember, you are there for school." And believe it or not, that is really hard to remember sometimes! But a balance must be found, and sometimes you just have to choose one to give it all to.
DeleteMy parents have taught me that it is important for me to give my all in everything in life. That's just the way I have grown up and nothing will change this worldview I have. I feel like growing up in the South has taught me that doing things the right way the first time around is the only way. I've also learned to count your blessings because sometimes we luck up and don't have to push ourselves as much as the person next to us. But that isn't always the case and we have to keep ourselves accountable of that fact knowing that the circumstances in our life can change in an instant.
DeletePush.
ReplyDeleteA term of endearment that brings forth progress.
In college, I do not believe we push ourselves to our maximum potential.
I believe we become so overwhelmingly exhausted with being involved, as well as our social lives, that we forget our main purpose for being in school.
To LEARN.
Everyone has it in them to be a better person, but I do not believe we can be better unless we push ourselves to do better.
I remember somewhere reading something along the lines of: "When we are young, we are hurrying to get into high school, then to college, then to the job force, then to get married and settle down."
Why, though? Why is it that we rush through life, eagerly awaiting the next big "step" to come?
Because most of us are complacent. We do not push ourselves.
Why settle for being a cashier out of high school than working a corporate job out of college?
I wish there was a way I could inspire each and every person who settles for sitting on their ass, day in and day out.
Unfortunately, I cannot want something for someone else.
So until then, I will continue to push myself and those around me.
Push.
Well put there Chelsea. It is kinda sad to thing that there are people out there in the world that settle for less than they can achieve. All they need is some motivation, drive, and a good push in the right direction. There is no excuse nowadays for not attaining a higher level of accomplishment.
DeleteI had a conversation tonight about the whole "when we are young, we are hurrying to get into high school, then to college, then to the job force, then to get married and settle down." I hate the fact that this quote is so true. I wish more than anything that I could enjoy everything life has to offer in the exact place I am RIGHT NOW. I am striving so hard to do just that, but let's be real... sometimes it's hard to not look ahead to that next step-- whatever that may be. Last year, I was so ready to get out of high school. I just imagined how much better college would be. It is true, I have loved most every moment of college. However, I look back now and fear that I missed some of the biggest things because I was so caught up in living in the future, rather than the present. Why wish these precious moments away? We have four years here, and as I have seen throughout this past year, they are going to FLY by. So yes, let's push. Let's reach our full potential in all we do. Let's stay up late studying and to get that good grade. Let's sneak into Jordan-Hare. Let's stay out until the wee hours of the morning. Let's push ourselves to be better, to do better, but also to enjoy the precious moments we are given right now. Because the truth is, one day we will look back and regret not pushing ourselves to do just that.
DeleteWow, what a story. That is incredibly touching and I am not entirely sure how to go off of that. First I want to start by saying that girl must of been awesome and I am sad she only had such a short time on this earth. Those stories always get to me because I truly do feel like the best ones always get taken early. Just thinking about the potential she had if she had only had more time sends chills down my spine.
ReplyDeletePushing on though
The Semester really is getting to me. Im ready to be done relax. Make money instead of spending it. I feel like school has been dragging on. I really need to just take a deep breath though and take in all the changes I have gone through in the past year, considering I was at home around parents and people that took care of me last year. I can safely say i've pushed on through the transition. However, it wasnt too difficult because i really don't mind being on my own.
Pushing on though. What are we pushing on for. Thats something I have always been big on. Purpose. A reason. Why am I here at Auburn studying. Sure theres a million reasons. Better my mind, understanding of the world, becoming independent. But what is this all for...life. Yea I know it gets deep pretty quick, but I am a firm believer of everyone having a purpose, I just hope one day i understand mine.
I feel like far too often people just get caught in the routine. The daily grind. They work for a paycheck that they can survive on.... until the next one. WHY. I don't understand. Sure i'm majoring in computer science but is there something I can create or come up with that can change lives. I certainly hope so. Thats something i'm really bad about worrying about. The Future. I don't wanna get stuck doing something just so I can make money. I guess my real fear is conforming to the cookie cuter IT guy that works for some company and hates what he has become, never really getting a chance, or taking the chance to do something more.
My favorite artist for a long time has been a band called Bright Eyes you may have heard of them but I doubt it, there an indie band from Omaha that can put words on many of my feelings. (I know this is getting deep). Any way i'm going to conclude with, and if you have an answer to the quote please let me know.
"these clocks keep unwinding and completely ignore
everything that we hate or adore
once the page of a calendar is turned it’s no more
so tell me then, what was it for
so tell me friend, what was it for."
Thanks,
Thomas
I think that the fear of not making a difference with your life is something a lot of college students worry about. I know I have, and I've literally lost count of the number of times that I've changed my major because of it. I feel like this is the one time that I get to decide where I go with my life, like the one or two decisions I make about my major today are going to completely define the rest of my life. I'm constantly in fear that I will make the wrong decision and will end up 10 years from now in a miserable state, regretting that one choice that I made in college. However, that's not the case. I have to keep reminding myself that it is never too late to figure it out. If I get out of college and get a job that I hate, then I'll just have to quit and look for a new one. If I realize in 10 years that I'm content, but I've not really made a difference in the world, and that was my goal, then I'm just going to have to do something about it. It won't be too late. But won't I feel like I've wasted those 4 years in college? That's up to how I spend those 4 years. Maybe I'll waste those classes, but I don't have to waste my time here. I can use it to make relationships with people that will get me through that midlife crisis, and making memories that I will cherish forever.
DeleteSo maybe its taboo to comment on your own response but im gonna do it anyway. For me it really matters what kind of mood im in at the time of my response, because right now i feel completely different. And no im not on drugs.... at the moment.
DeleteSo sometimes I feel like I did above. Where i have to make a difference and have to find a good job a make a lot of money and become influencial.
And sometimes.. I feel like thats all bullshit. Sometimes I just want to go to a little island in the Caribbean open a bar. Get drunk with the tourists and the locals.
and waste away
I hate bringing high school up, but since it seems like it was just yesterday and freshman year has really only felt like an odd blurry period between then and what actual college is supposed to feel like, it's about to happen.
ReplyDeleteIn high school, all I did was push. No, I didn't push to make outstanding Governor's Honors worthy grades or to be an award winning music student, I pushed myself outwards as opposed to up. I was in all sorts of extracurricular activities, I had quite a few important leadership positions, and I did manage to take a somewhat rigorous course load and managed to graduate with a 4.0. I feel as if I spread myself thin but never felt too overwhelmed. I knew college was going to be totally different, but I still planned to tackle it the same way as high school. I wanted to be involved, soak up everything Auburn had to offer, have a great time with my new friends, and manage to keep my scholarship up all at the same time.
It hasn't worked.
First semester, I tested the waters and realized how I was going to have to swim in this huge pond. I pulled through without losing it and got the grades I needed. Nothing to be proud of, but they worked. It involved pushing myself and learning that it wasn't the "Lindsey is going to coast through everything" situation it had previously been. I figured it'd work for second semester too.
It hasn't.
I started actually motivating myself and putting effort into my schoolwork way too late into the game, and now I'm feeling the crunch. I've been having to play catch up and it doesn't work so well for someone who procrastinates like it's their job. Pushing myself has been a painful and tedious task and I'm to the point where I really have to focus on certain areas at a time to get what I need to done. These next few weeks are going to be terrible.
I know everyone struggles in certain situations while others are a cakewalk. I guess we all have to figure out what is worth the push and which can take the bench. I feel as if this class has been sitting on the sidelines waiting for it's time to shine, but I haven't given it the chance and now it's late in the 4th quarter...sorry, got carried away with the sports analogies.
Anyways, I wish I had given this class the focus it needed earlier on. I'm going to try my best for the final weeks, but summer is playing the light at the end of the tunnel and all I want to do is sprint full speed towards it. If it had been my last class here at Auburn, I wouldn't have enjoyed how it turned out.
Pushing, or choosing not to, is going to vary with every person and situation you face. I admire "Susan" for how she handled her situation. I wouldn't have been able to do it. I would have literally slept until I couldn't anymore, eaten like I wan't going to gain an ounce, stay out all weekend, and spend every moment I could with my friends. School would have been the last thing on my mind. I can't live like that, obviously.
For now we're all going to keep having to push through if continuing our education is worth it. How much you push and for how long, however, is up to the individual.
Dr. P- your story is incredible & so very inspirational. Like Jared Plyer from above said "seize the day". Pushing is a lot like exercising, it's the last thing you want to do for fun, but it has to be done. That's my faulty I lack "pushing" myself. I know somewhere out there along with the most of you, I have so many unknown capabilities. I'm lazy. We're all lazy. We have had everything handed to us in a golden spoon. We take life for granted. We take college for granted. Our parents shell out money only for us to spend it in a wasteland. What we lack is experience. Go out. Adventure. Take one Saturday from the usual... Sleeping in or studying (at least it is for me) and go to Chewacla State park. Then come home and write do your homework and it will be useful. After a beautiful scenery like that your bound to get some motivation.
ReplyDeleteToo often we get stuck in a rut. I think we need to do our best to not let that happen. Don't just become lazy. I know this semester I feel like I really let that happen to me. While you don't need to become lazy you also dont need to become to active. Take time to step back from everything sit down and take it all in.
DeleteThere comes a time in everybody's life where we come to a standstill. This can occur in mundane tasks such as cleaning or on a broader scale with our studies or commitments. We reach a point where we want to give up-- we think that if we keep working that it won't get much better than it already is. So we stop. We accept our tasks as it is and move on.
ReplyDeleteWe can't just stop, though. What kind of a person does that make us? Not a desirable one.
If we stop whenever we get bored how will we progress? How will we become truly who we are meant to be? That's where the push comes in. We have to push ourselves in every and all aspects of our lives in order to become a better person- whether that push be in school or in daily life. If we work just that much more on each project then we will develop overall and be pleased with the result.
I like your point here. We all come to a roadblock at some point in time and getting over it has to happen or we'd get nothing done. It royally sucks sometimes and may bring up other issues along the way, but that just means we need more push. Without progress we'd be absolutely nowhere. Possibly still living in caves, no electricity or whatever. Without people pushing and trying harder to improve things and make them better, we'd seriously be lost. I guess we all have to keep this in mind in our everyday lives and appreciate it for what it's worth. When pushing gets hard, just fight back harder.
DeleteIt’s hard to think about the last day of your life, but I have tried to live my life to the fullest every day. But lately I have felt the pull of summer that refuses to let me continue with my work. But as I’m writing this I can see that it’s just an excuse. I would like to be able to say that if I knew this was my last day that I would be strong and go out into the world and for one day do something I have never done before. But I have a sinking feeling that I might waste some of my remaining time wondering why this is happening to me. The strength of Susan is inspiring because if I only had a few weeks to live I would most definitely not be in school. The beach is where I would spend the rest of my days. The task of staying strong and pushing through the hard times is having to live everyday as your last. To really push yourself is to not take a moment for granted. Instead of saying that tomorrow you will do it and keep putting it off, we must push ourselves and live to the fullest. Just like Susan.
ReplyDeleteTrying your best in every situation always produces the best outcome. I'm sorry about one of your students that passed away but she tried her best and tried to better her writing abilities to the very end.
ReplyDeleteTo succeed you have to at least try and if you don't accomplish your intended goal, you know you gave it your best shot and probability learned something about yourself.
Staying motivated is hard when you encounter a difficult task; however the difference between humans and animals is our ability to problem solve. Just two weeks ago I found myself in front of my computer trying to write a software program for my MATlab class. I could've asked for help but didn't. I pushed myself to stay motivated until the assignment was completed. I learned something about myself that day and that was I retain more information about a subject if I research it myself.