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Personal growth and development essay
Personal growth and development essay
Personal growth and development essay
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The only way I became a better person is because I had to have someone push me down in order for me to rise back up. Throughout my life, I was constantly nagged on and pushed down by people because they did not believe I would have the ability to be successful and finish my education. My parents have always doubted my abilities to become academically successful, because of the way I act at home. Since grade school till this day, they have told me that I would not make it and I need to change, but I have proved them wrong, like when I finished Elementary, Middle, and High School. The times I had to prove to them, was in grade school when they got mad at me for getting an achievement award, then in middle school when they would constantly push me to do my homeland school work, and in high school when I did …show more content…
Ever since I started school my parents would always tell me when I would bring my report card with three’s home that it was never good enough and that they wanted to see fours and fives, even though my school did not give higher than a four. I remember one day I came home from 2nd grade with a student achievement award and my grandparents were very happy and proud. Afterward, I felt better and smarter until later when I went to show it to my dad he said “… that is not good enough you should have gotten the student of the month award.” It made me really depressed because instead of thinking he was pushing me to improve, he really thought I was not intelligent. I did not realize he was saying it so it could push me to get the student of the month award. The following month after I tried to get the award by doing all my homework, paying more attention in class and participating more often, I got the award and achieved my goal to make my family proud. I realized that the more I do to better my education the more I go to the next
We are always searching for other people’s approval and acceptance. Being the middle child in my family has always felt like a competition for the attention of our parents. I lived fairly close to my elementary school growing up. I remember that every day on the walk there my mom would give me kind of a pep talk, “don’t talk to strangers” “make sure to eat and drinks lots of water” and before I left, she’d give me a blessing (she’s very religious) and the last thing she would say was “you better get straight A’s”. She used it metaphorically; meaning just the best you can be at everything you do and literally as in getting straight A’s. Being in elementary school, I didn’t get letter grades, but instead a numerical system where fours represented A’s. It was a routine that I’m very grateful I grew up with the competitive mentality, but it caused a rivalry against my brother. The moment I’d get home, I would excitedly tell my mom how my reading skills improved or a “cool” drawing I did in class. Later, my brother would come home bragging how he got an A on his history test or how he joined the soccer team. Seeing how he got more attention that day I’d strive to be superior the next day and even more involved growing up. For a second, I became unhappy being involved in so much school, I had to go to school from 8-3, had tutoring since 3-5, and practice till 7. This took a hard impact on my
Ever since I was little girl, my parents had motivated me to get straight A’s on every report card that I should bring home. I, being the youngest of the family, never wanted to disappoint my parents. The despair on their faces if I ever brought a grade home lower than a ‘C’ was not a look I yearned to see. I knew I could not let them down.
My father had fallen ill and was in the hospital for 2 weeks. Coming from a Latino family, I knew it was serious. Men don't go to the doctor unless they really feel like they're on their death bed. And this was my father's turn. But, he is not to blame for my failures because every night that he would call me, his first two questions were always "How was your day?" followed by "Did you do all your homework mija?" As always I told him yes when I really hadn't even opened my backpack. 2.32. The number that signified my first real academic failure. I blamed everyone and anything except for the real culprit. Finally, I realized that this was true all my own fault. If my father had died, I would've had to see him on his death bed knowing I got a 2.32. Yes, I know a 2.32 isn't failing, but the look of disappointment I got from him shattered my world. He told me I shouldn't let things get in my way, school is all I have going for me in my life. He was right. Although he still struggled with his health, I made it my #1 goal to never fall below a 3.0 GPA. I realize that my life doesn't revolve around a number, but it pained me to disappoint my
I was raised in an encouraging household where both of my parents greatly valued education. Although they were high school graduates, neither could afford to attend college; a combination of family and financial woes ultimately halted their path. As a result, my parents frequently reminded me that getting a good education meant better opportunities for my future. To my parents, that seemed to be the overarching goal: a better life for me than the one they had. My parents wanted me to excel and supported me financially and emotionally of which the former was something their parents were not able to provide. Their desire to facilitate a change in my destiny is one of many essential events that contributed to my world view.
I got A’s and B’s in my class and extra-curricular activities. Being good boosted my confidence but I was always set back by the realization that my parents did not love me the same way other parents loved their kids. I also developed insecurities brought about by bullying. I was, in this 3rd stage, industrious yet inferior.
Many people’s perceptions of their own skills, strengths, and weaknesses are different, more some than others. Everyone’s personality is a bit different: Some have very high self-esteem, some are very egotistical, some don’t believe in themselves, etc. Most of the time, my self esteem is usually within a delicate balance of “you aren’t as good as you seem” and “you’re doing fine, relax, you’ll turn out just fine.” However, there are a pair of people that will believe in you no matter what you do: your parents. They will always be there for you, to help you succeed, and instill into yourself more self-esteem. My self-esteem has wavered throughout my academic career, always somewhat lower or higher each day. Many people are there to lower your perception of your skills: some of your peers, adults, maybe a
Throughout my life my mother has always been my backbone and push me to strive for excellence and be academically perfect. I was taught to go above and beyond everyone else in class and work nonstop without excuses. However, the pressure from my mom triggered a negative effect in me and I eventually shutdown. Though I still managed to finish strong I felt that I did it to please my mom. That is why going to college is so important to me because I know that I can go to college and be triumphant on my own, so right now I am pushing through adversity in an attempt to prove myself right.
It was the fourth year of my school carrier. In other words, the year of truth if I would make the cut to the higher education track. I was nervous because I knew that I would be capable of going this route, but I the feeling of concern was stronger because I haven’t had performed very well in my fourth year so far. At the end of the school year, I received the shocking news that I didn’t make the cut to go to the school which would have had allowed me to go to University later on in my life. I was sad, disappoint in myself, and lost self-esteem in my educational abilities. At this time, I was more embarrassed then able to realize the real benefit of a system which early on tracks children’s
My parents always encouraged me to strive for the best, so when they noticed my mediocre grades and lack of motivation in high school they were not happy with me and always reminded me to be grateful for the opportunities in front of me. Imagine the “when I was your age…” speech on steroids. Truth is I was unmotivated; no subject sparked my interest and the only subject that I had some remote interest in was medicine/healthcare. So when my senior year rolled
First off, none of my family has gone to college aside from one or two random classes required by their jobs. So this was a big deal with my being in the “smart classes”; it meant I was going to college in their eyes. Another contributing factor was my grandparents. I’ve lived with them my entire life essentially; they’ve basically raised me. This being said, I was also the first grandchild, which translates into disciplined. Since I was a “smart kid”, perfection was expected, and nothing less. Anything less would be questioned, scrutinized, and more than likely chastised. There was no choice or question for me; “I was supposed to be smart”. So, that meant I had to take the harder classes, I had to get good grades, and I had to go to college. And, being a “smart kid” was the only way I could get
My parents always tell me how proud they are of me and all i’ve accomplished in my life at such a young age. I’ve always been known as the “responsible one”, or the “smart one” out of all my friends. I’ve always been the one to remind my friends about tests or reports that are due, and they always ask what they would do without me.
We were responsible for managing our homework and schedules. We were not nagged into studying, and did not rely on their reminders to do our work. This was not a burden for me, but a freedom. They encouraged us to put every effort we could into our work, but if we didn’t we were the ones who would bear the consequences. We were punished for never “encouraged” to do well with money or treats. My mother and father emphasized the personal responsibility and consequences of education, instead of using material items as incentives. Because I felt responsible for my education, I wanted to do the best possible. I knew my efforts in school reflected on me personally, and I wanted to do well. I knew that if I could not get A’s in my classes because of a difficulty understanding or learning material, or for other similar reasons, it was fine, but if I only did not get A’s because I did not put effort into my work, it was my fault, my responsibility, and my regret I had to deal with. This understanding and outlook has helped me to do well in school, and motivated me to be a determined, hardworking
I could have been a super senior or a drop out altogether. I could have been a father struggling with finances. I could have been a drug addict and not be writing this three page essay that ruins weekends, and for that I am thankful that my dad didn’t let things slide that weren’t right. I am kind of happy he threatened me with military school when I was in middle school, I was a handful, I would get kicked out of class constantly but I stayed in school, years later I would be walking down my high school football stadium class of 2016 for my graduation, both my parents stressed it that it was the utmost importance to graduate, both my mother and father pushed me to get good enough grades to graduate. My dad would try to teach me math, I hated math so much it was my least favorite subject, I was more of a history type of guy. He would try his best to help me in school, but i just needed the motivation to get me started, I personally didn’t think i would graduate high school, he gave me the courage to do so, it was a requirement to him, I see some kids drop out or go to adult school to get a G.E.D but having a high school degree was better, I still got to enjoy my years as a teen, having fun with friends, hanging out, I just had to follow certain guidelines to not get me into trouble. In highschool I was never a bad kid though, it was in middle school I was a little shit who thought i runned things but no, my dad was the big boss. The most i probably got in trouble was when I came home really late around 12:00 AM with my girlfriend, but he wasn’t mad at the fact I was out with her very late, it was the fact that I didn’t let him know where I was, he started to loosen his grip about me going out slowly over my four years in highschool, I just needed to tell him I was getting home late, and there shouldn’t be a problem what so ever. Even when I go party my dad wants me to be safe, I tell him who I go with and
When I left my room, my mother knew that I had gone through a rough time, and I did not want to talk to her about it. Even though there was only a month left in my school year, I promised myself that I would be completely truthful to my friends, my family, my heritage, and myself. I expected all my friends to leave me, but I was fully prepared for this. However, none of this ever happened. My friends didn’t leave me, I wasn’t alone at the lunch table, I wasn’t even seem differently by those around me. I had failed my family by doing this, and I wished I had stopped acting like someone I wasn’t sooner. This is one of the only mistakes I have made which I consider a failure because it had taken me close to a year to fix, and this is why I consider it my most successful failure.
“No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.” - Madonna. When you read this quote, you think of one word, “Self-improvement.” Just with this one topic, you may ponder and ask yourself, “Who needs Self-improvement?” ,“ When do we need to start changing and How do we begin?”,” What will we get from it?” , and the most important question of all, “Why do we need self-improvement?” Self improvement comes from experiences. Experiences that were either blessings, mistakes, regrets, and overall a lesson each time. Self-improvement is a wake up call but will we ever take the chance to self-improve or just let it pass it by?