2. From reading this step, I know now to prioritize my education over my hobbies. I will need to start paying more attention in class to the point where I get engaged with the lesson, and I have to take notes and focus hard on what we're learning. I have to build my knowledge and read more books and learn how to think critically, because sometimes critical thinking is the best asset someone could have. If I continuously keep this up, and understand why the work I'm doing in school is important, then I can complete this step with ease, as it also clears up my schedule.
3. Cramming - Intensive study, especially to pass an exam.
"I spent the whole night cramming for the geometry test tomorrow."
Adequate - Satisfactory or acceptable in quality or quantity.
"I find the new house very adequate as it had everything that I was hoping for."
Complexity - The state or quality of being complicated.
"The complexity of the exam really threw me off."
4. "In nature, certain laws cannot be violated without resulting in negative consequences. Without planting in the spring, a fall harvest is impossible. A farmer cannot plow, plant and water seeds 24 hours a day, two weeks before harvest time and expect a full, rich harvest. The laws of nature simply do not operate that way." - Stephen Covey, Principle-centered leadership
"Procastination is a habit - a deeply ingrained pattern of behavior. That means that you won't just break it overnight. Habits only stop being habits when you have persistenly stopped practicing them, so use a many approaches as possible to maximize your chances of beating procastination." - Amy Carlson, Beating Procastination : Manage Your Time. Get It All Done.
STEP 2 : Grow Your Word Power and Avoid Reckless Reading
1. I learned that one of the best ways to succeed in school is to have a superb vocabulary. It's best to seem formal and proficient. In order to increase your vocabulary, you must read books, as you learn more words, you have a wider variety of words in your vocabulary to choose from to sound formal. For example, why say smart when you can say intelligent? If you don't have a good vocabulary, your chances of succeeding and getting into university decreases.
2. I need to stop ignoring words that I don't know when reading a book. If I spot a word I don't know, I have to open a dictionary and understand it. That way, I got a new word in my vocabulary. It's a very quick and simple step that shouldn't even take more than 3 minutes to do. I also need to find a book that appeals to me so that I can read more. I already have read some books, but I can certainly read more.
3. Competence - The ability to do something successfully and efficiently.
"He finished his school work early with great competence."
Invigorate - Give strength or energy to.
"Eating had invigorated the hungry boy."
Menial - Not requiring much skill and lacking prestige.
"He worked at a menial position in McDonald's."
Autonomous - having the freedom to govern itself or control its own affairs.
"the federation included sixteen autonomous republics"
4.
"Places for Learning, Places for Joy." - Ted Seizer
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read." - Mark Twain
"Reading is an art. It is more than just comprehending words on a paper. It is an interactive and lively experience for the imagination and a respite for the soul. Characters and story plots come alive in the mind. An entire world can be created simply by letting the imagination digest the language. Society today speeds along so fast that it doesn't take the time to stop and soak in life. Reading lets one enjoy the world around, through personal experiences and points of view. All memories and senses are awake when reading and yet while the outside world is still, the mind and imagination run wild. Reading gives temporary reprieve from the pressures of life and creates a new identity and a new environment. It is about learning." - Heather Doerr, George Mason University
STEP 3 : EARN A GOOD B RATHER THAN A FLAWED A
1. I learned that it's better to give it your all in a test rather than cheat your way through. Some people find it easy to just calmly cheat off other people's work without doing any of the hard stuff themselves, which would make them a fraud. In order to actually learn, you need to start carefully reading things through instead of just skimming through pages. Not only will it make things easier, but it will power your brain and will make you a more notable person in the future.
2. I must stop relying on people for answers. I need to find those answers myself if I really want to succeed. I must stop taking the lazy ways through things with the power of technology. I need to know what I'm reading otherwise all the grades I got from finding a cheap way through by biting me in the behind, like it did Tiger Woods.
3. "Unscrupulous" - Not being honest or fair
"Squander" - Waste in a reckless or foolish matter
"Fraudulent" - Obtained, done by, or involving deception.
4. "When you cheat, you don't learn. Since lessons build on each other, cheating now means you won't understand later material, either." - Melissa Balmain
"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoiced." - White Elk
"With integrity you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt. With fear and guilt removed you are free to be and do your best." - Zig Ziglar
STEP 4 : READ BEFORE AND AFTER THE LECTURE
1. I learned that you shouldn't just read a book assigned to you for the sake of passing the next day, but you should read ahead to prepare yourself. Many people are not invested in actually learning, they simply just want to pass the class. That is a bad mentality to have, a GREAT student aims high. A great student would prepare themselves for future lessons by reading ahead in hopes of being more prepared and gaining more knowledge.
2. I must stop reading one thing and then calling it a day. It might as well just go in one ear and out the other. I need to be eager to learn, hungry for academic success, willing to use up my free time on making my future better. I need to stop doing one assignment and giving up on all for the next assignment. I need to start actually wanting to improve my knowledge instead of just passing the class.
3. "Holistic" - Encompassing the whole of a thing, and not just a part
"Cavalier" - Showing a lack of proper concern
"Seldom" - On only a few occasions
"Tantamount" - Equivalent in seriousness to
"Erroneous" - Being wrong or inaccurate
4. "If you become a reader today, you can become a leader tomorrow." - Samuel Betances
"True happiness is not attained through self-gratifaction, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose." - Helen Keller
"Show up prepared, get your money's worth." - Mr. Hallock
"Claim the responsibility for learning what's inside those books of yours." - Professor Solberg
1. I learned that many students use their free time to just laze around, and to admit I do it too. However, entertainment really does distract you from your goals, even music will distract you. Some people are reading some books with music in the background, the music will manipulate your mind to picturing the book as something completely different. It's something many people have to work on. If people allow themselves to avoid studying, then you won't have extra knowledge to be more prepared.
2. I need to stop using my free time to dilly dally and goof off and instead, I must use it to study. If I don't study ahead, I won't prepare for my future even though I have time. I could probably be getting an A+ in a class I struggle in, but I end up settling with a B because I tell myself I don't have "time" to study. I was given all the time I needed. I just need to teach myself to use it properly.
3. "allot" - to divide or distribute by share or portion
"jilt" - to cast off or reject capriciously or unfeelingly
"detrimental" - harmful
4. "To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing." - Eva Young
"All great achievements require time." - Maya Angelou
"Genius begins great works; labor alone finishes them." - Joseph Joubert
1. I learned that you will find it easier to study if you study alongside people who are just as motivated to learn as you are. Studying involve all of your senses, you must incorporate it all by getting help as you study. You can even tutor yourself by reading out loud as it will help you screw the knowledge into your brain. Engaging with other groups also help you as they will always be willing to help someone who wants to succeed like them. Even asking elders will pay off, and there is no shame in it because they are there to help you.
2. I need to stop studying alone and try and engage in group activities, it will be hard as I am pretty introverted, but for the sake of my education, I would do it. I also started reading out loud recently and it helped me understand the books more. I also need to talk and rise up for myself if I need help. I usually avoid asking teachers for help because I feel like I would be labeled as stupid if I do. The truth is, teachers would be more than willing to help me if they see I truly want to succeed. This chapter really helped me out.
3. "Tabulate" - to arrange in systematic form
"Arithmetic" - the branch of mathematics dealing with branching and manipulating numbers
"Copious" - large in quantity or number
"Retention" - the continued possession or use of something
"Endeavor" - to attempt by exertion of effort
4. "So make the ideas come alive, make the story come alive, make your imagination come alive and marshal all the senses available to you in your blessed being to learn fully what is meant to be learned." - Papadopoulos
"None of us is as good as all of us." - Patricia Sowell Harris
"Without a mentor in life, one can easily succumb to folly. Without a mentor in life, one can easily become self-centered, capricious, and arrogant." - Daisaku Ikeda
"Individually, we are one drop. Together we are one ocean." - Ryunosuke Satoro
"You are never strong enough that you don't need help." - Cesar Chavez
"Don't be upset with your parents for not giving you what they don't have. Honor them for bringing ou into this world and sending you to school. You don't have to feel guilty for seeking counsel and guidance from other caring adults. You are not betraying your parents." - Samuel Betances
1. I learned that many people have troubled backstories and pasts that just puts hate in their hearts. As a result of this, they accidentally take their anger out on people that are simply trying to help, such as their teachers and professor. Some people don't know how to cope with the abuse they face so hatred is all they know. It is a sad case for everyone involved since the student doesn't know how to express their emotions in a healthy manner, the educators are victims of unnecessary abuse, and the abusers are just filled with hatred. It's a good thing that this chapter touches on that subject because there are many people out there who struggle with abusive households.
2. I need to just relax and try and find a way to escape my struggles at home instead of carrying my attitude with me wherever I go. I have to start working with caring adults instead of avoiding them so that I can find the right people. I have to step up in my academics and start finding positive ways to release my stress. The most important thing I've taken from this chapter is a simple yet effective lesson. Don't spread the hatred that you've picked up from home and instead, use how you feel to treat others better.
3. "Belligerence" - Aggressive or War like behavior
"Boorishly" - Rough and Bad Mannered
"Deviant" - Departing from Usual or Accepted Standards
"Obscenity" - An Extremely Offensive Word or Expression
"Sojourn" - A Temporary Stay
4. "Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, 'cause hate in your heart will consume you, too." - Will Smith
"Children become what we are, not what we tell them to be." - Anonymous
"When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free." - Catherine Ponder
"Hanging on to resentment is letting someone you despise live rent free in your head." - Ann Landers.
1. I learned how technology can be both helpful and dangerous when it comes to your education. Although it may be fun to text your friends or play some video games, you can't let that distract you from getting your work done. When it becomes a habit, it's impossible to quit and it will just bring more problems with it. You can't let technology control you; you have to control the urge to use it. There is also the dangerous side of the internet that will reel you in and ruin you, such as sexting.
2. All I really have to do is limit my time spent on the internet, and my grades and mental health will suddenly improve. Using technology in itself is not bad, as it helps me with the immense amount of research that I require. However, the bad parts of the internet can reel me in, and I won't want to leave, such as games, social media, and friends. If I avoid all of those and put my full focus on my academics, I can truly succeed.
3. "Eclectic" - Deriving ideas, styles, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
"Irreparable" - Impossible to rectify or repair.
"Truant" - A pupil who stays away from school without leave or explanation.
"Malleable" - Able to be hammered or pressed into shape without breaking or cracking.
4. "The brain is malleable. Just as it can be trained to be distracted, it can be trained to pay attention." - Bryan Appleyard
"Many kids don't grasp that the first two letters in WWW stand for World Wide." - Kate Shatzkin.
1. Just because you are a gifted person does not mean that success is certain. Don't judge other people and keep yourself at bay with your own discipline and education. There is a long way to go in the path of success, and in those paths, we have to make decisions. Follow your heart and choose the proper decision, not everything has to rely on logic, sometimes emotions can help you push through. I can't afford to make bad decisions; I must be as emotionally intelligent as I am intellectually.
2. I got to think when it comes decisions. Think of all the possible outcomes and which is the best for me. The gateway to success is not a simple two steps, it's about your life leading up to it. Which is why I shouldn't give up on myself so easily and to not be so egotistical. I can be smart while also not letting my ego get in the way of a proper future.
3. "Sundries" - Various items not important enough to be mentioned individually.
"Commensurate" - Corresponding in size or degree; in proportion.
"Opulence" - Great wealth or luxuriousness.
4. "For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepared for it today." - African Proverb
1. My loved ones have paved the way for me to get as far as I have. The only thing they want in return is to see me succeed. They have done their part, and it is my duty to make sure that it doesn't go unnoticed. They've done so much for me, and I do so little for them, for me to not succeed would be like stabbing them in the back.
2. I love my family, and they love me, and all they ask is for me to do my best in school so I can come home in the future being the breadwinner for us. I have to focus in school, don't get distracted by little things, make my family my main motivation. I just have to keep doing what I do best, schoolwork. My mom and dad didn't have a proper education, my sister dropped out of college, my brother isn't all too focused on school. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to do my family proud. It's the least I can do.
3. "Pivotal" - Of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else.
"Dignitary" - A person considered to be important because of high rank or office.
"Euphoria" - A feeling or state of extreme excitedness or happiness.
"Regalia" - The emblems or insignia of royalty, especially the crown, specter, and other ornaments used at a coronation.
4. "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - John F. Kennedy
"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look change." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
"Don't wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain."