Excuses: Leading You Down the Path of Failure

“Oh no! I got a C in math!” Once these words have been spoken, you are at a crossroads. Either you decide a C isn’t acceptable and give extra effort to overcome it, or you are mildly disappointed and continue life as normal. If you decided a C isn’t acceptable, then congratulations- you just prevented your grades from dropping down even lower. You maintain the standard that you are at and can sometimes raise that standard. If you merely shrug it off and make up an excuse for it, then you are digging yourself a hole that will get deeper quick. Why is this?

 

When you make up an excuse for a mistake you made or lack of effort you gave, you are telling yourself that it’s OK that you did this. At first, you feel rather guilty for your sub-par work, but you enjoy the feeling of being excused for half effort. Once you excuse yourself once, it only gets easier to do so again, until you are consistently giving half effort and making up excuses for it. Therefore, the standard of everything you do decreases. The same goes for lying too. The first lie makes you feel bad, but if you don’t fess up, then you feel as if you actually did the task.

 

The best way to not delve into the depths of sub-parness is to stay true to yourself. Hold yourself accountable, or ask a friend to. Do what you said you were going to do, and if you don’t, fess up. If you don’t do your best, go over your work again and do your best. If you don’t do this, then you deserve what you get.

 

In conclusion, staying true to yourself is more important than you would think.

Community Service: The Fuel for a Brighter Happiness

Sweet! A new weekend with plenty of time to do something! But what should I do?

If you happen to be in a position like this often, then you should strongly consider doing some community service.  Even though service doesn’t seem productive or have you end up with a clean house, it is a exquisite way to start a weekend. Nowadays, finding and scheduling community service is almost easier done than said. (Check this link to find service near you! http://www.createthegood.org/volunteer-search ) Not only is community service something to do to get out of the house, it creates a good feeling inside you. While doing service, you see the world through a different perspective, and you understand how lucky you are.

 

A weight of sorts lifts off your shoulders because you sacrificed your time for someone else’s well-being after completing service. Anything done afterwards (sleeping, watching TV, eating) feels earned because you just changed someone’s life (and maybe yours!). Go out and experience it today! Take a friend or a group of friends and help someone less fortunate than you. Many service jobs are fun and easy, and often there is plenty of time to socialize with your friends. All in all, service projects make you feel amazing, give you something to do, help you bond with friends, and change someone’s life for the better.

Trends: The Social World’s Ripple Effect

Another week, another trend. What’s this one about this time? Why do so many trends pop up? Never fear, your answer is right here. Trends are usually relatively pointless, loud, and over before you know it. They have been around for as long as anyone can remember. But why have there been so many trends throughout history?

Trends are associated with fire (because they burn bright and short), and their fuel is social interactions. Without people sharing what they found, know one would know about it. Something trends when many people think about a piece of media or activity or clothing the same way. For example, a video of a cute panda cub may go viral because everyone thinks the panda is cute. (Things go viral from feelings of: amusement, surprise, joy, pity, sadness, thinking something is cool, and anger.) Another reason is that many people look up to other people. They voice the opinions of their idols because they want to be like them. Celebrities can start or continue trends, and when they do, they add a truckload of wood to the fire. Because tons of people all around look up to celebrities and want to be like them, reenactments and replicas of what the celebrity did pop up everywhere(ex. fashion, Mannequin challenge).

 

Trends, like their beginnings, go abruptly. When celebs and popular students in school quit doing/wearing/quoting the certain thing, everyone does. It seems as if its over and nobody should do it again because these idols aren’t. When these idols stop doing something, it sends a silent message that this is bad now, and people stop doing it. That’s why people shame you if you bring back an old trend, because the idols “think its bad now”.  In conclusion, trends are a ripple effect of people trying to blend in or be like the people they look up to.

The Mental Battle: Comfort vs. Accomplishment

Ah, Monday morning. The time when either you win the day or the day wins you. In a split-second decision, you can change how your day will go. If you wake up early and run or walk or exercise, you’ll be well prepared for the week. Monday’ll never know what hit it. You’ll glide through the day feeling well and accomplished and start the week off right. Otherwise, you’ll slowly get out of bed, sit around, watch TV, and worry about the week. Monday will be ready to unleash the horrors of stress upon you. What makes these effects so drastic?

No one truly enjoys waking up early and exercising, but it is a fantastic way to start the day. You’ll have accomplished something you don’t enjoy right off the bat, and that makes you feel good about yourself. Its usually beautiful and brisk in the morning, and you’ll have a stunning sunrise to look forward to. The peaceful sounds of nature can help you to clear up your mind to focus on thinking up a plan for the week, or they can serenade you as you exercise. After a nice shower, you’ll be refreshed and ready for anything the day can throw at you. What could be worse than waking up early and running? All in all, exercising early is a great time to think, start the week, and lose weight!

If you decide to hit that snooze button a few more times, things could play out a lot worse. The extended time in bed would contribute to you being tired for the remainder of the day with your body wishing to be resting. This leads to drinking caffeine, which can be avoided. Without fresh oxygen and blood flow, your mind wouldn’t be as clear when exercising, so that thinking and planning your week would be more difficult. Before work, you’ll have accomplished nothing, and that makes the day and week seem more daunting. Without a clear plan and a daunting day ahead, you could stress-eat, which packs on pounds. Being stressed may have people enrage you quicker on the road, and road rage may ensue. All in all, sleeping in can cause many problems that could be avoided.

 

 

In conclusion, waking up early and exercising creates a more relaxed, efficient, ready-for-the-week, fit you!