Self Reliance
Niko Rojas
Ms. Mann
English 11
12/5/12
Self-Reliance
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that “A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done, otherwise should give him no peace”. In other terms; Emerson is saying that you are most rewarded when you give something your all or try your best because otherwise you would be disappointed in yourself. This idea applies to me in just about anything I do; from sports to school work and life itself. In the sports aspect of it; I as a player feel a lot better after a loss if I know that I did the best of my ability, and winning is that much more rewarding when ive done my best because although I might be tired and sore I know that I contributed to that win. Not only does doing your best during the game congradulate you but doing your best on the field is where it pays off the most. The saying “Practice makes perfect” is pretty much just a saying with no truth behind it because anyone can have “half-ass” practices all day, every day and never get better. But the person who looks at it like this; “perfect practice makes perfect”, will experience true success and results.
With school work it’s the same way. The student that takes the time to apply themselves, study and actually tries to rise above others is the student with the 4.0. As opposed to the student who tries to skate by on the bare minimum, which turns work in late or not at all, who never studies and very rarely pays attention in class. When one looks at the big “big picture” of things, they’ll see that the harder you work when you’re young the “easier” you’ll have it later in life. For example, the athlete with the 4.0 and the athletic ability has an extremely better chance at full rides, scholarships and recruitment than the athlete with the same athletic ability but a 2.0 GPA. Not only is getting into college easier with more time spent in the books but college itself is easier because you
Ms. Mann
English 11
12/5/12
Self-Reliance
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that “A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done, otherwise should give him no peace”. In other terms; Emerson is saying that you are most rewarded when you give something your all or try your best because otherwise you would be disappointed in yourself. This idea applies to me in just about anything I do; from sports to school work and life itself. In the sports aspect of it; I as a player feel a lot better after a loss if I know that I did the best of my ability, and winning is that much more rewarding when ive done my best because although I might be tired and sore I know that I contributed to that win. Not only does doing your best during the game congradulate you but doing your best on the field is where it pays off the most. The saying “Practice makes perfect” is pretty much just a saying with no truth behind it because anyone can have “half-ass” practices all day, every day and never get better. But the person who looks at it like this; “perfect practice makes perfect”, will experience true success and results.
With school work it’s the same way. The student that takes the time to apply themselves, study and actually tries to rise above others is the student with the 4.0. As opposed to the student who tries to skate by on the bare minimum, which turns work in late or not at all, who never studies and very rarely pays attention in class. When one looks at the big “big picture” of things, they’ll see that the harder you work when you’re young the “easier” you’ll have it later in life. For example, the athlete with the 4.0 and the athletic ability has an extremely better chance at full rides, scholarships and recruitment than the athlete with the same athletic ability but a 2.0 GPA. Not only is getting into college easier with more time spent in the books but college itself is easier because you