Motivational Monday 18 - Apply Yourself

Have you ever looked at a task or considered a goal, decided that it was too insurmountable or impossible, and just given up? Sometimes, rather than facing challenges head-on, it’s easier to just give up, go home, and forget about it.

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Challenges take us outside of our comfort zones, and heaven knows people love their comfort zones. The problem is that a lot of things we desire, a lot of things that we deserve, lie outside of our comfort zones.

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I’ve given up plenty of times. I am human, after all. However, if I had given up on every single thing that had ever given me trouble, I would definitely not be where I am today. Chances are, you have the same situation. We change over our lifetimes and we change when we are challenged. Some things that would be different if I had given up would be my weight (I’d be about 20 pounds heavier), my education (I wouldn’t be getting ready to graduate from college with an associate degree), my writing (this includes books, short stories, blog posts, and even status updates), and my relationships.

I am a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the “oldest, largest, and most prestigious honor society for two-year colleges.” One of my chapter advisors has this saying when it comes to applying for scholarships: “You can’t win unless you apply.” During my first semester as a Phi Theta Kappa member, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to apply for the scholarships. I was busy with homework and life and, besides, what were the chances that I’d actually win? But I ended up applying. And let me tell you, it was hard work! I went into it thinking that I just had to answer a few basic questions, only to find out that I had to write essays and get letters of recommendation. Rather than giving up, though, I pushed through. And guess what? I got a scholarship.

My advisor’s little saying, “You can’t win unless you apply” can also relate to life. You can’t win unless you apply. You don’t live a satisfying life unless you put some effort into it. Let’s face it: life is hard. Unless we want to merely survive in life, we need to put some effort into living.

Whatever goal or task you’re facing right now, I want to challenge you to apply yourself. Don’t take the easy way out. And even if you don’t come out on top, you can at least take comfort knowing that you didn’t give up and that you had the strength and ability to keep going, no matter how tough the situation seemed at times. And that’s the point; it’s not always about winning, but about knowing your limitations and pushing yourself further each time (to a healthy extent, of course) to become a stronger, more confident, you.

Get out there and fight for what you deserve!

Molly