(Not directly related to the Procedural Rhetoric we were assigned, but still something I wanted to write about)
Earlier today, I received a text from my sister. She's in her senior year of high school, and rather than let the infamous senior lethargy drag her to indolence, she's stepped up her involvement and coursework: BC Calculus, AP Human Geography, AP Biology, and AP German, and then a leisurely English course. I didn't expect any less from her, and to see her so active in the school's Science Olympiad, Math Team, WYSE and National Honors Society is impressive. Despite her responsibilities, her time management skills are lacking, so she's prone to working at the early hours with heavy metal songs plugged in her ears. She says she focuses better during the night, so maybe that habit is just characteristic of night owls.
While I'm studying, my sister will randomly send me short YouTube videos or text inane memes to me. I know she usually just wants a break from her studies, so I try to respond as best as I can.
Today, however, she texted: Please motivate me to study.
Again, fairly normal for her: motivation comes and goes. But instead of rallying her up for the onslaught of AP coursework, I texted her this: discipline > motivation.
Immediately I regretted the bluntness of my answer, but she simply responded in affirmation.
I'm not sure what prompted me to text her like that though. Motivation and feeling have always ranked highly in my heart, so I should have been more empathetic for her burnout. But in college, I've realized that one can't rely solely in motivation.
Motivation comes and goes. Discipline is what keeps you going.
Building habits is the most important skill one can learn, even if you need to do something tedious or straining. I should have said this instead of a terse equation, not-so-subtly reminding my sister to finish her calculus assignment. But I think she understood what I meant, even if I hadn't figured it out myself in the moment.
By the time evening rolled around, she texted me to let me know she finished all her homework.
Earlier today, I received a text from my sister. She's in her senior year of high school, and rather than let the infamous senior lethargy drag her to indolence, she's stepped up her involvement and coursework: BC Calculus, AP Human Geography, AP Biology, and AP German, and then a leisurely English course. I didn't expect any less from her, and to see her so active in the school's Science Olympiad, Math Team, WYSE and National Honors Society is impressive. Despite her responsibilities, her time management skills are lacking, so she's prone to working at the early hours with heavy metal songs plugged in her ears. She says she focuses better during the night, so maybe that habit is just characteristic of night owls.
While I'm studying, my sister will randomly send me short YouTube videos or text inane memes to me. I know she usually just wants a break from her studies, so I try to respond as best as I can.
Today, however, she texted: Please motivate me to study.
Again, fairly normal for her: motivation comes and goes. But instead of rallying her up for the onslaught of AP coursework, I texted her this: discipline > motivation.
Immediately I regretted the bluntness of my answer, but she simply responded in affirmation.
I'm not sure what prompted me to text her like that though. Motivation and feeling have always ranked highly in my heart, so I should have been more empathetic for her burnout. But in college, I've realized that one can't rely solely in motivation.
Motivation comes and goes. Discipline is what keeps you going.
Building habits is the most important skill one can learn, even if you need to do something tedious or straining. I should have said this instead of a terse equation, not-so-subtly reminding my sister to finish her calculus assignment. But I think she understood what I meant, even if I hadn't figured it out myself in the moment.
By the time evening rolled around, she texted me to let me know she finished all her homework.
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