Today is the first day of my Spring Semester and I'm getting ready for a relatively light day with three classes somewhat evenly spaced out with plenty of room in between for lunch and homework. I have been preparing for this semester since the beginning of J-term because I have a lot of concerns about the workload, doing well and managing a job as well as my planning for summer and my general future.
After you have been away from a typical college workload for a while due to vacation, J-term or illness, it is easy to become worried about how you will handle everything. You are filled with self-doubt and anxiety even if you know you have handled such work in the past. I sometimes find myself doubting that working hard is even worth it. After all, I am working towards some unforeseeable future and there is no way of knowing whether what I'm doing for myself now will lead to the best possible outcome later.
How can you keep trying to succeed when troubled thoughts plague you and doubt comes into your mind? I imagine Christians face the same type of question when they consider their faith in God; any Christian who hasn't faced doubt at some point is essentially a cult follower rather than a genuine practitioner of the faith. In order to ease troubling thoughts, it is necessary to confront problems with logic, rather than emotion and justify your hard work in a way that makes sense to you. If you feel that there is a logical reason for pursuing academia, despite emotional setbacks you can fall onto this logical proof to help you maintain a good work ethic. In a sense, your existence becomes your religion; there must be something substantial you use to back up your faith in it.
When I face doubt about the future, I comfort myself by saying that it doesn't matter what the future is, if I am successful now, I can choose what I want when the time comes. This way, I can avoid regret associated with not having worked hard. Hard work doesn't pigeon hole you into a particular decision, it opens up a number of options allowing you to be flexible with your choices. No matter what happens, I know that I did my best. Using this idea, I try to manage my doubt, forcing my brain to accept this theory I have created until it becomes a part of me. Repetition makes it true. Different people will use different motivators and it is up to an individual to decide what these motivators are and build them up to be stronger than any negative obstacle they might face.
After you have been away from a typical college workload for a while due to vacation, J-term or illness, it is easy to become worried about how you will handle everything. You are filled with self-doubt and anxiety even if you know you have handled such work in the past. I sometimes find myself doubting that working hard is even worth it. After all, I am working towards some unforeseeable future and there is no way of knowing whether what I'm doing for myself now will lead to the best possible outcome later.
How can you keep trying to succeed when troubled thoughts plague you and doubt comes into your mind? I imagine Christians face the same type of question when they consider their faith in God; any Christian who hasn't faced doubt at some point is essentially a cult follower rather than a genuine practitioner of the faith. In order to ease troubling thoughts, it is necessary to confront problems with logic, rather than emotion and justify your hard work in a way that makes sense to you. If you feel that there is a logical reason for pursuing academia, despite emotional setbacks you can fall onto this logical proof to help you maintain a good work ethic. In a sense, your existence becomes your religion; there must be something substantial you use to back up your faith in it.
When I face doubt about the future, I comfort myself by saying that it doesn't matter what the future is, if I am successful now, I can choose what I want when the time comes. This way, I can avoid regret associated with not having worked hard. Hard work doesn't pigeon hole you into a particular decision, it opens up a number of options allowing you to be flexible with your choices. No matter what happens, I know that I did my best. Using this idea, I try to manage my doubt, forcing my brain to accept this theory I have created until it becomes a part of me. Repetition makes it true. Different people will use different motivators and it is up to an individual to decide what these motivators are and build them up to be stronger than any negative obstacle they might face.
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