Post U.S transformation 2: How I learnt to Achieve

Feeling shattered with all the changes happening around me ( Read here) , I made a few determinations to get back in control of my life. My life philosophy slowly changed as I encountered this cross cultural exposure and a a reverse culture shock in my own country.  I modified my lifestyle completely to accommodate more productive habits. (Read here).

I made this decision with a vision of reprioritization in my mind. Instead of the way I did things before, with my social life unknowingly being my highest priority, I made a new importance grid in my mind- of studies being my highest priority, then my co-curricular activities and lastly my social life. I hence decreased my interaction with my friends for both academic reasons as well as my inability to forgive them for their narrow mindedness. I often controlled my urge to go out to have fun . I started believing that without stress, one can’t achieve anything. Hence, I deliberately started taking stress. In this sense, my life philosophy drastically changed from what it used to be- from optimism, belief in true happiness, to believing in experiencing stress and anxiety to achieve results.

I focussed all my energies on becoming more intellectual, aware and knowledgeable. I felt that I could achieve anything if I set my intention on it, and hence, I put all my energies in scoring the best marks that I could during that term. I visualized myself achieving my goal daily. I built a new found reverence for time management. I focussed on what was being taught in class, approached teachers during extra hours, did sample papers and made my goal to succeed. To get better at math, I even joined a tuition. I even set new goals in my music (guitar) and  dance classes. The following were the considerations under which I made this decision-

1. Distraction– I could avoid the mess in my life and immerse myself in a goal. Almost as if to avoid my friends
2. Redemption– I was redeeming myself for wasting my time on people who didn’t actually care about me and being “wrong”. Followed by this were the lifestyle changes I made as well. I wanted to punish myself for being so laid back in life and not taking my academics/ career seriously.
3. Proving to parents– I could prove to my parents and/or society that one can be good at their passions and studies at the same time (hence emulating the holistic philosophy of the US education system).
4. Proving to authorities in school– It was also a way to change the negative impression my teachers and counselor had of me. I had to work on this since they had threatened to call up my parents many times.
5. Gaining Credibility– I could gain respect from the environment unfriendly bullies in my bus and influence their thinking and actions through my credibility.
6. Being an all rounder- Since I was actively seeking my co-curricular objectives already (but not as passionately), becoming good at studies (even if it was to show others) automatically made me an all rounder. It happened naturally as a result of all that was happening and made me question if being “good at everything” made me a perfectionist. I was definitely inspired by my cousin’s work ethic and dedication to her goals, but it also paved its way into my life.
7. Chances of US college admission- Having a holistic profile, needless to say, increased my chances of getting admission into a U.S college which would’ve been my best chance to escape the  culture that I found suffocating.
8. Personal growth and personality changes– I started valuing and enjoying knowledge. I learnt the skill of achievement which would be beneficial to me my entire life. Knowledge and achievement got added to my list of things that gave me a kick.

Most of these reasons to work hard yielded very positive results in my academics as well as co-curricular passions. I got recognition for the same-From 50’s to 60% I scored in 80s to 90% for which I even received a trophy for marked improvement as well as excellence in Western Music in school. My grade in math shocked me the most because I had almost always struggled with the subject. I got promoted to a higher level in my dance class. I even scored a distinction in my rockschool debut guitar exam. This was a big deal since I had never in my life scored such high marks or gotten awards in school.  My whole family was very happy and proud, and I finally learnt the importance of and hard work. I felt very powerful after attaining my goal.

I made a further determination to never be defeated and take challenges in my stride, especially ones that were academic or work related.