Archive | March 2015

How to be Persistent- Essay 2

Persistence: The quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people (Merriam-Webster). Seems easy, yet so many of us fail to be persistent. Is it the lack of motivation? Possibly having the wrong group of people with you? Which ever the reason may be, there’s always a way out of it. Certain key elements factor in, to help one become persistent.

Identifying your wants and desires is the first step (6 ways).  No matter how impossible you may think it is, list all the specific things you want to accomplish.  This will narrow down all the thoughts in your head, to focus on what you truly want (6 ways).  Persistence is something you do internally, not with external goals (Altucher, James).  For example with my platter I created, I identified what I wanted to make, before ever starting it. I had many different ideas, and chose one from my list to create.

If you want to be successful with anything in life, like graduated high school, you must motivate yourself to do well in school and pass all the classes. In other words, you must find your motivation (6 ways). If you want to be successful in life, you must figure out why you are doing what you are doing.  If what you are trying to accomplish is time consuming, and you don’t have enough motivation, you will loose interest and fail.  Motivation is the crucial element in setting and accomplishing your goals (6 ways).

Outline your exact steps you need to do so you know exactly what you are working with (6 ways). Once you identify your desires, and find your motivation, you now need to make an outline.  When you know how to are going to achieve your goal, step by step, it makes it easier to do. Time management is a big factor. Knowing you can’t spend every waking minute on something is the first step. So outlining when, where, and how long you will do a specific task related to your goal will make achieving much easier. I knew everyday at school I would work on my platter, and when I realize it was taking me longer than I expected, I went into school on a Saturday, which was my back up plan. Always make a backup plan, just in case one plan doesn’t work out, you have something to fall back on.

You may have failed before, but not every attempt is the same.  Always be positive (6 ways). Once negativity controls you, you won’t be able to succeed in anything.  Being successful isn’t easy, so always stay strong.  If you have the mentality that you will fail again, chances are you are correct. Stay calm and breathe, remember that we will all fail before we succeed, we just have to keep our minds filled with positive energy.

Surround yourself with the right people (6 ways). If you allow the wrong ones into your life, they may bring you down. Surround yourself with others that can give you unbiased judgments and give you positive feedback (6 ways).  Any form of negativity will just lead you right back to the failure path. Say someone who loves to read and write wants to publish their own book, she can’t have anyone bringing them down, so if someone hates books and wants to do other things, she will loose track and never publish it. Going to reading and writing classes or seminars, or even creating her own private group of writers that meet on a weekly basis, would be surrounding herself with the correct people to help her succeed.

Being persistent is all about how to want to live your life.  If you put no effort it something, chances are slim that you will succeed. If you remember these key elements, even in your daily life struggles, then you are on your first step of being successful.

 

Works Cited:

6 ways – Macabasco, Lou. “6 Effective Ways to Become Persistent.” Lifehack RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Altucher, James. “How to Be Persistent And Get Success.” Altucher Confidential RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

 

 

Notes on “6 Ways to Develop Persistence”

Identify what you want and desire

  • need to know where you are going or you will end up somewhere else
  • list things you need to accomplish and all your desire

Motivation

  • figure out why you are doing what you are doing

Outline your steps

  • it informs you how you will achieve what you want
  • more organization

Keep a positive mental attitude

  • success is chalenging, thats why only few succees
  • always keep a positive mental attitude regardless of the situation
  • keep thoughts focused on taking actions towards your goals
  • avoid negative thoughts and feelings because it can ruin your concentration

Build a mastermind group

  • compose people who can help you succeed
  • if possible, include only those who can give you unbiased judgments and who have positive mindsets

Develop discipline and habit

  • “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” -Jim Rohn
  • without proper discipline, it will be easy for you to sail away from your goal
  • discipline and good habits can help you stay in the course, even despite difficulties

 

 

 

Seaside Platter (Final Draft)

“I can’t finish it in time!” I told Mrs. Brunette as I walked away from her desk in frustration. No one was in the classroom, but what student would be on a Saturday morning? I had to finish my seaside platter before the Art Show, no matter what, even if that meant going to school on the weekend while my teacher decorated and finished up last minute planning for the Art Show. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed sculpting and creating different pieces with clay, the dirt and dust flying all over the place, making the room seem as if we never cleaned it, although we needed to sweep before we left class, but there’s something about having a deadline to finish something that you wanted the overall product to be perfect, that just didn’t mix well with me.

We had to enter three things into the Art Show, and I had two. I took my time in everything I put work into. Making this platter wasn’t easy, especially everyday before our hour and a half class ended, we needed to cover our clay piece with a damp towel. Not too wet or the clay would be too moist to do anything to it the next day, and if you didn’t put enough water on the towel, your piece could dry out and crack, which would cause complications, and wasting a whole school class on nothing. It seemed as if everyone had five or six pieces done and ready to enter into the show. Then there was me, sitting in the corner, sculpting tools, and paper towels scattered around the surface of the table, in my own world. There was always something in my way of finishing the platter in a timely manner. Whether it was because I wrapped it in towels that were too wet, or because maybe I just simply chose to make something that there was no fast way to do it.

The process of creating anything in pottery class, was sculpting it, putting it in the kiln, painting it, putting it in the kiln for a second time. A kiln is a very hot “oven” that went up to 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit. The kiln process took up to 24 hours, backing up the fact that everything in pottery was a tedious process, never mind the fact that when you stepped foot in the kiln room for a mere five seconds, your body would break out into a sweat. The idea in my head for my platter was tan, warm looking sand all over the lip and half of the platter, with a patch of large blue waves, footsteps walking along side the lip, and beautiful, colorful seashells splattered in every which direction. Mrs. Brunette said there was multiple different steps, in just sculpting my platter that would take some time, like making my own stamp, to create the footprint appearance, never mind all the steps after the sculpting process. I decided to take it on.

Two weeks of class went by, and I was still trying to make it perfect, which I should mention that it should only take 2 weeks at most, to create a finished product. I was sitting in class, the still malleable clay sitting in front of me. Every single grand of sand I put on my 14 inch platter had to be hand made with a needle. My hand felt as if it was my own personal sewing machine, taking on a small patch of the platter at a time. I would get cramps all throughout my hand and fingers, making it impossible to keep going, until I shook out my hand.  Who would have ever thought, making sand on clay would be this tedious? It was my third day working on the sand, sadly, I felt as if I would never finish. Maybe I chose too big of a mold to use, or a too time consuming project, in the short amount of time I had left before the Art Show was here. All these thought were running threw my head, I felt as if I was going to explode. I looked up, trying to put my eyes somewhere other than at my table. The air was hot around me. I saw another student’s work on the right of me, and it looked perfect, the expression on her face was as if she didn’t even try. I look to the left of me, where another student had ear buds in his ears, moving his head to the music. Sometimes they just took this class to take up a credit. I look back down at my platter, with frustration. Mrs. Brunette noticed. “Sarah you will be fine, you have plenty of time to finish, you dedicated too much of your time to let this platter go.” She was right, finally at the end of my third day putting the tiny little dots into the clay, I was done with the sand. Such a silly thing, but I felt as if I just accomplished something magnificent and huge in my life. The processes following this day was a piece of cake.

I was taking my finished product out of the kiln for the second time, and the smile on my face must have gone from ear to ear. It was beautiful, just was I was expecting. The color of the sand and shells, meshed perfectly, and the texture of the waves made it look like you were actually there, watching the waves crash down onto the sand itself. I was ecstatic. Entering my platter into the Art Show felt wonderful, I was confident I would win something. The day after the show, I came to find out I won first place in “Sculpture.” There were different categories the judges could judge you in. My hard work paid off, and it really showed. I am so happy I didn’t give up on my platter, and start something new that I could just throw together in a day, and enter into the Art Show. My dedication just proves, to never give up on something you want.

New Rough Draft Memior

“I can’t finish it in time!” I told Mrs. Brunette as I walked away from her desk in  frustration. No one was in the classroom, but what student would be on a Saturday morning? I had to finish my seaside platter before the Art Show, no matter what, even if that meant going to school on the weekend while my teacher decorated and finished up last minute planning for the Art Show. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed sculpting and creating different pieces with clay, the dirt and dust flying all over the place, making the room seem as if we never cleaned it, although we needed to sweep before we left class, but there’s something about having a deadline to finish something that you wanted the overall product to be perfect, that just didn’t mix well with me.

We had to enter three things into the Art Show, and I had two. I took my time in everything I put work into. Making this platter wasn’t easy, especially everyday before our hour and a half class ended, we needed to cover our clay piece with a damp towel. Not too wet or the clay would be too moist to do anything to it the next day, and if you didn’t put enough water on the towel, your piece could dry out and crack, which would cause complications, and wasting a whole school class on nothing. It seemed as if everyone had five or six pieces done and ready to enter into the show. Then there was me, sitting in the corner, sculpting tools, and paper towels scattered around the surface of the table, in my own world. There was always something in my way of finishing the platter in a timely manner. Whether it was because I wrapped it in towels that were too wet, or because maybe I just simply chose to make something that there was no fast way to do it.

The process of creating anything in pottery class, was sculpting it, putting it in the kiln, painting it, putting it in the kiln for a second time. A kiln is a very hot “oven” that went up to 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit. The kiln process took up to 24 hours, backing up the fact that everything in pottery was a tedious process, never mind the fact that when you stepped foot in the kiln room for a mere five seconds, your body would break out into a sweat. The idea in my head for my platter was tan, warm looking sand all over the lip and half of the platter, with a patch of large blue waves, footsteps walking along side the lip, and beautiful, colorful seashells splattered in every which direction. Mrs. Brunette said there was multiple different steps, in just sculpting my platter that would take some time, like making my own stamp, to create the footprint appearance, never mind all the steps after the sculpting process. I decided to take it on.

Two weeks of class went by, and I was still trying to make it perfect, which I should mention that it should only take 2 weeks at most, to create a finished product. I was sitting in class, the still malleable clay sitting in front of me. Every single grand of sand I put on my 14 inch platter had to be hand made with a needle. My hand felt as if it was my own personal sewing machine, taking on a small patch of the platter at a time. I would get cramps all throughout my hand and fingers, making it impossible to keep going, until I shook out my hand.  Who would have ever thought, making sand on clay would be this tedious? It was my third day working on the sand, sadly, I felt as if I would never finish. Maybe I chose too big of a mold to use, or a too time consuming project, in the short amount of time I had left before the Art Show was here. All these thought were running threw my head, I felt as if I was going to explode. Mrs. Brunette noticed my frustration. “Sarah you will be fine, you have plenty of time to finish, you dedicated too much of your time to let this platter go.” She was right, finally at the end of my third day putting the tiny little dots into the clay, I was done with the sand. Such a silly thing, but I felt as if I just accomplished something magnificent and huge in my life. The processes following this day was a piece of cake.

I was taking my finished product out of the kiln for the second time, and the smile on my face must have gone from ear to ear. It was beautiful, just was I was expecting. The color of the sand and shells, meshed perfectly, and the texture of the waves made it look like you were actually there, watching the waves crash down onto the sand itself. I was ecstatic. Entering my platter into the Art Show felt wonderful, I was confident I would win something. The day after the show, I came to find out I won first place in “Sculpture.” There were different categories the judges could judge you in. My hard work paid off, and it really showed. I am so happy I didn’t give up on my platter, and start something new that I could just throw together in a day, and enter into the Art Show. My dedication just proves, to never give up on something you want. IMG_0409