I remember after miserably failing my first college test, in
my favorite subject of math of all possible subjects. I tried to weasel my way
out of it like how it worked for me countless times before in high school. By
this stage of my life, I was a master at creating excuses; on cue too. I knew
that the “perfect” excuse was something that was completely relatable,
something that tugged at the heart strings of the teachers, tug at the heart strings, but my plan
backfired. This teacher was having NONE of it when she told me that my grade was a
reflection of my effort, then procceeded to cite the numerous times I came in late, wasn't paying attention while I spoke to a lady friend, or
I flat out fell asleep. Then, in the same way baseball feels when it hits you upside your head, she proceeded to tell me that “Maybe, I wasn’t fit for college,”
in that condescending tone of hers that I so desperately deserved.
I'm not ashamed to say that I went back to my dorm that day and cried in disappointment, correction, BALLED in disappointed. All I can think about was how heartbroken my mom was going to be when she learned that her son just (MISERABLY) failed a test after how proud she was telling her friends that I decided to “ponerme las pilas” (get on the ball) and go to college, nor can I deal with the image of her ear-to-ear smile when she accompanied me to my freshman orientation.
I'm not ashamed to say that I went back to my dorm that day and cried in disappointment, correction, BALLED in disappointed. All I can think about was how heartbroken my mom was going to be when she learned that her son just (MISERABLY) failed a test after how proud she was telling her friends that I decided to “ponerme las pilas” (get on the ball) and go to college, nor can I deal with the image of her ear-to-ear smile when she accompanied me to my freshman orientation.
However, something about those tears created a spark in me. My disappointment with my grade slowly turned into anger towards the effort I gave. How did I become "THAT" guy? The guy who didn't care, the guy who only cared about being cool? Right then and there, in my tiny little dorm, I made a promise to myself: I was going to not only get straight A’s in that class, but in all of my classes…..for the rest of my college career. If I didn’t earn an A, it wouldn’t be because I didn’t try.
That lady, whatever her name was, changed my life forever. I controlled my ego, I ate a big ol’ pie of humility and began studying and going to tutoring, two things I previously GROSSLY detested. By the end of the semester my professor felt differently as I completed the rest of the year without getting a single question wrong, and completed college by graduating with the highest GPA in the school of business.
In this process, I realized that not only was I capable of doing more but I actually enjoyed it. In addition, my mentality of “do your best or don’t do it all” has trickled into other parts of my life. You probably wonder why in the world did I just post this, why would I spend the time writting this story, but the answer is simple. I’m currently reading “A Whole New Mind” by Daniel Pink and he’s instructed me to practice my storytelling.
Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to share similar events in your life that caused a paradigm shift in you attitude, perception and effort in the comments section below. J
