I just happened to come across the above quote today, and it really stuck with me. My entire life I have struggled with self-loathing, and it began with believing that I'm stupid. I was bullied a lot as a kid and I even had some teachers tell me I was stupid, so from those negative influences I believed their lies. Not only that, but I also had problems with sequenced instructions. Let me briefly explain. When I was a kid, if you gave me tasks A, B, and C to do, I would give up after I already completed task A because I would forget what the other tasks were. For the longest time I didn't know that my problem was simply psychological and could be easily fixed. I didn't find out until some time last year. Somehow, going into my adulthood, I learnt how to deal with it. When given multiple tasks to do, I would repeat the instructions to the person who gave them to me to make sure I understand perfectly what they're saying. And if necessary, I'd write them down. I still do those things to this day. So, fortunately, I somehow learnt how to deal with that problem. But because that problem went unidentified for so many years, that was one reason for me believing that I'm stupid. Because of this belief, I never reached my full potential until much later in life. In school, I would give up on homework I already started or never even do it not because I was incapable, but because I thought I was incapable. It wasn't until the time I spent in the army when I learnt how to deal with this problem, and like I said it wasn't until last year that I learnt what the actual problem is. If it weren't for the work ethic, structuralism, self-discipline, self-determination, and methodical habits I learnt in the army, I wouldn't be so successful with where I'm at now.
Currently, I am a straight A college student. A lot of my friends and associates at school ask me, "How do you do it?" It's really not such a mystery as it appears to be. Before I start with how I do it, let me just say that I was never a straight A student until my first year of college. My grades in elementary and middle school were terrible, and in high school I was a B average student. Sure, that's okay, but I never tried my best in high school. If there's one thing I learnt in the army — in the real world — it's that hard work goes a long way. The majority of college students are those who go into it straight out of high school, and understandably so; that's the norm. They're still kids who are just now becoming adults, so they're still in the mindset of being a kid. They want to do the things they were used to doing as a high school student — goofing off, putting off homework for later, hanging out with friends, whatever it is. But sometimes they fail to realise that going to college full-time is literally your full-time job. You may not be getting paid for this job, but the excessive amounts of money you have to invest into college is a greater investment in your life. Some students are blessed enough that their parents are paying for their college. I'm very blessed to have the GI Bill, which I had to earn by dedicating 3 years of my life to military service without a dishonourable discharge; it wasn't freely handed to me. College is not a place where you go to socialise and get drunk and half-ass the work you have to do for four years. Chances are, you did that in high school. But college is where you start to become an adult and you have to start acting like one.
I truly believe that every college student has the potential to get straight A's. It doesn't matter what your class load is or the difficulty level of your classes. If you commit yourself to each class, you will get straight A's. It takes a lot of work! But you won't get anywhere in life if you're too lazy to do your best and just half-ass everything. This hard work includes studying when you need to, asking for help when you don't understand something, and putting your best into all your school work. For example, as a Pre-Seminary student with a major in Theology and a minor in Theological Languages, I have to study Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. I've only taken Greek so far. Out of the three, Greek is probably the hardest language to learn. Before I started, I had people tell me that Greek is extremely hard and that they knew a lot of people who failed Greek. So, going into the class, I was really nervous and was second guessing myself. But I commit myself to the class and I've gotten straight A's in Greek. It's a hard class, and I have to work hard to do well in it, but I enjoy it because I work hard (and also I'm a nerd and like anything having to do with theology). If people tell you that something is really hard, don't allow that to doubt yourself. Like those people who told me horror stories about Greek, chances are they never took the class and don't know what they're talking about. Or if they did, perhaps they didn't even try their best (I've found this to be the case multiple times). I understand that it's harder for some people than it is for others to get really good grades, but that doesn't mean you're incapable of getting straight A's, or even close to getting straight A's. It's not getting a 4.0 that matters; what matters is that you do your best and in the end, upon graduation, you can look back and be proud of yourself for doing your best. I know that everyone would like to get straight A's, which is why I'm writing this.
So, as a straight A student, what tools do I use to be successful in my school work? I don't use any fancy tools to be successful. First, I do my assignments and I study. Read the picture above again. You won't learn anything if you don't do your assignments and don't study. The only person who can help you learn is you, no one else. Pay attention in your classes, do the assignments, and study. Study tactics differ from person to person, but what works best for me is flash cards and a lot of repetition. As a methodical, systematic person, that's what works best for me as an individual. Second, I ask for help when I don't understand something. When I looked at straight A students from elementary school into high school I used to think that when they were taught something or read something, they immediately understood it and didn't need to do anything further with it. That's not true. I often come across things that I don't understand and when that happens, I ask for help. There is no shame in asking for help. It is not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of strength that you have the desire to learn and that you're not afraid to admit your weaknesses. Being unafraid to admit your weaknesses or when you're wrong is the mark of a great leader. When I was a kid, this was something I really struggled with. I never asked for help, and it was my dad who actually inspired me to ask for help and told me that it's okay to do so. By the way, listen to your parents. They usually know what they're talking about. If you don't understand something, what good does it do you if you don't ask for help? And third, don't screw around. There's a time and a place for everything. College is the time and place for learning and advancing your education so that you can start a career to make you an independent adult. It's fine to have fun and hang out with your friends in college, but not at the expense of your grades. If you need to study or need to do homework when a friend asks you to hang out, declining that social activity is a necessary sacrifice. I always put my study time and homework before hanging out with my friends and I've still made a lot of great friendships. So there is time for it, just not at the expense of your school work.
Adulthood means responsibility, and a lot of it. It's not fun, but it's necessary. You're not doing yourself any favours if you ignore those responsibilities and put them off for later. I was fortunate enough to conquer my psychological detriment through my experiences in the army. It's not something I planned; it just happened. As a Christian, perhaps God was responsible for that. I believe that God used my time in the army to help me overcome my problems with sequenced instructions that is just now benefiting me. Lastly, what helps me the most is prayer. I'm not perfect in my work ethic with school. There are times when I procrastinate. There are times when I'm just so overwhelmed and stressed that I want to quit. So when I feel like giving up, I come before God and I pray. Sometimes it's only a couple minutes, and sometimes it's 20 minutes. I would not be able to do anything in life were it not for the strength of God, and that includes working really hard to get straight A's. The strength I have to get straight A's is simply the strength of God, not my own. Getting straight A's or close to it is not only about the benefit of being honoured with being a straight A student or making it easier for you to start your career. More importantly, when you get straight A's or are close enough to it, you know more about your field of study which not only benefits you for your future career, but also those of whom you will be interacting with in your career. When you start your career, you're a professional in that field, and getting really good grades prepares you for being the professional that everyone wants to talk to.
