Old dogs give up the first time it gets hard. The hate to look silly or look like it’s hard.
We don’t like to struggle and, worse, we don’t want anyone to see us struggle. Kids take months to learn to walk. Years to learn to read and write. But when we grow up, if we aren’t instantly good at something, we give up. We get really frustrated and can’t figure out why it’s EASY for everyone else.
Kids spend years taking swimming lesson, but as an adult, if you had to learn to swim and didn’t get to do laps on the first day, you would think of yourself as a total failure. One key to overcoming this is perseverance. Another is not caring about looking like we don’t know what we’re doing. For some reason, we think everything has to look effortless. Everyone has to be an overnight success or else it isn’t worth it.
When I go for a run, I don’t want anyone to think it was hard. When I do my workouts, I don’t want anyone to see that I’m struggling.
I’m changing my attitude. I’m saying make it look exactly as hard as it is. Screw what other people think. It’s hard for you to study. So what? You have trouble remembering things, then tell people. Maybe they can help.
You figure it out for you. You make it happen. You persevere. Let them see you sweat. Be proud of the sweat and the pain when you earn them. Wear them like medals.
Don’t pretend like you don’t really need to study. Carry your books with you. Crack them open whenever and wherever you are. You are on a mission. A mission to pass your exams. Don’t worry about what anyone thinks of you or wants from you. You have a mission to accomplish at all cost.
The Final Step will help you with that mission, but you can’t be lackadaisical. You can’t just buy it to add to the stack. You have to use it.
Brian Wallace