Have you ever wanted something so badly in your life you would give up your own life for it? Many of us have felt like that at least once in our lives, whether it involves landing our dream job, getting accepted into the school of our dreams, or even getting that special someone. Willpower means having the determination and drive to accomplish whatever goal you might have. Having a strong willpower will only benefit you, it will help you overcome any obstacles and give you a push to never give up.
Reflect back on a time in your life when you were highly motivated to accomplish a goal. What made you successful? Dancing has always been a big part of my life, it is my first love, and it will forever keep a special place in my heart. It has been a part of me since the age of 3, I slept, ate, and breathed for dance. I danced everyday for 10 years, but once I thought this was going to be my life forever, God had a different plan for me. On November 2007, my life changed completely, it was during a dance recital when I heard a tear. It was not until my dance routine had ended that I tried getting up but failed to do so, that was when I had realized that what I heard was the tear of one of my leg muscles. On the next day I went to get my leg checked out, which is when my doctor had confirmed that I had indeed torn one of my calf muscles. Of course I was devastated, it meant I had to put a pause on dancing to get surgery and rehab my leg. Not being able to dance made this
From the first day I walked into the dance studio at 3 years old, I knew I wanted to be a dancer. From age 6-13 I got straight a’s, had many friends, and danced at least 10 hours a week. I thought high school would be the same, but the reality was I had to make new friends and the school load was harder. I decided freshmen year to join the robotics team but soon enough I learned it fell on the same day as dance. In the past I wouldn’t have given dance up for anything, but I decided to join. That same year, I auditioned for Inlet Dance Theatre’s Summer Intensive and received a scholarship and an opportunity to perform with Inlet’s professional dance company on Cain Park’s stage but I had broken my foot two days before the show. Dancing with
The one area in my life right now that I use a lot of willpower is my lifestyle. I recently had gotten of track with my weight and eating habits. I’m trying to get back on track but it has been a challenge. I have to have the power to not eat the snacks and try to eat healthier snacks. I give the attention to the things that matter the most to me.
Dance is much more than a pink tutu and a pair of ‘toe’ shoes. Dance is a sport that requires flexibility, and a lot of strength. Before my knee injury in March, I would have really let the rude comments from my classmates bother me. I always reminded my friends that because of dance and injuries I am a stronger person. I am a stronger person due to my experience because, I know what I love and, that’s only what matters. People will never get my experiences and, that's okay. My classmates just don’t understand what it is
“What If the Secret to Success is Failure?” by Paul Tough presents how Dominic Randolph, the headmaster of Riverdale Country School, wants his students to succeed, but he believes that in order to succeed, you have to learn how to fail. It is believed that character is the most important part for success. Dominic Randolph, and David Levin, superintendent of the Knowledge in Power Program (KIPP) schools, work together in order to to reach a conclusion, that is character traits is needed in order to succeed in academic and in life. Though a student could be smart in academics, but he has to have character in order to succeed. “The Inverse Power of Praise” by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman cite how praising a child too much could affect their
Kelly McGonigal defines willpower as choosing what matters and willing to agree with your values and goals even when some part of you doesn’t want to. Additionally, willpower is defined as the ability both to remember what matters most and the willingness to do things that support those goals even when self-doubt is present. She adds that there are three forms of willpower, I will, the willingness to continue when tired or bored, I won’t, the ability to resist and I want, the sense of what your morals are. Research reveals that we have limited willpower; it is possible to run out of willpower if you use it up. Kelly McGonigal is skeptical of this research, she believes what is limited is the ability to force ourselves to do things we don’t
strengthening the foundation of my career. I hungered for the change that would broaden my
Tara Parker-Pope ‘s article How to Boost Your Willpower breaks down key ways to help anyone
After five excruciating hours of intense training and drilling of each choreographed movement, I was debilitated and slept the entire way home. I crawled into bed, staying awake only long enough to set my alarm for practice the next morning. My mind was utterly immersed in dance; I ran the dances through me head constantly, imagining each muscle contraction that would be required to execute move flawlessly. As captain of the dance team, I was required to know every movement, every count, every formation by heart as soon as it was taught to the team, even if I was not part of that specific number. Jumping out of the bed, ready for five more grueling hours of practice, I suddenly collapsed on the floor, screaming from the pain shooting up my right leg. A few minutes passed and I was able to get up and hobble around. I then made the calamitous mistake of participating in another grueling five hours of dance practice, with only a light brace to support my agonizingly painful ankle. Fast forward through two weeks of a swollen ankle, crying in pain with any movement of my ankle, doctor prescribed ice and rest and x-rays, to the horrid moment when my doctor told me I had torn a ligament in my foot: an injury which has a history of being near impossible to fully heal from. I was told to be prepared that I may never run or dance again; I may even be extremely limited when walking. The weeks turned into months of physical therapy, with little to no improvement. Every doctor’s visit consisted of the same warning: probable surgery with little hope of extraneous activity after recovery. But I defied the odds: I completely avoided surgery, got my walking-boot off after twelve long weeks, and went for a mile walk nearly pain free within a year of my injury. But probably the most important milestone in my recovery occurred one year after my injury: I got my driver’s license. Although I still live with lingering pain in my ankle, I understand
Willpower is when, despite how things are looking at their worst, when you are ready to give up, and when nobody believes in you, you ease up and use every last bit of your strength to do your best. An excellent example of this trait would
After recently completing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, even though this week has been very hectic with acclimating myself to the electronic learning environment, I am afraid this is just the lull before the storm. Discussion board postings, research papers, presentations, developing WIKI pages, and if I read correctly even learning how to blog are important learning expects that are of this program that are waiting just over the horizon. Organization will be a key factor in staying on task each week. I like several others, still hold fast to my trusty three ring binders where I keep the items I deem most important readily at hand for frequent review. My one item that I cannot manage to convert entirely to an electronic format is my calendar; I prefer to have a paper print-out in the front of each class binder where I can list each assignment on the day it is due. I have my own color-coding system to keep on track. Then I check each item off as it is completed, I have a quick visual confirmation, as well as a sense of accomplishment with just a quick glance when I see tasks marked off.
When it comes to being successful in the workforce there are many different skills a person needs. I believe there are three extremely important skills every employee should have. These skills are, time management, being respectful, and being responsible. These three skills will give you the best ability to succeed in the workplace, and open up more opportunities for your career.
Five weeks before my recital, I was taking a ballet technique class, when something happened that I was afraid would end my dancing career forever. I landed a lift incorrectly, came down on my ankle, and fell to the ground. With tears running down my face, I was hoping with all my heart that my injury wasn’t severe.
The pain was unbearable some days, but the only thing I could do was take Advil and wrap it up. Every day after a four hour practice, I would change my wrap with a fresh one. Physically my body didn’t get any better, my feet were torn, blistered, cut, swollen, and I even had a couple broken toes, my wrist wasn’t improving either. Refusing to let anyone see I was hurting, I continued on. Luckily I didn’t give up; I survived the whole month without being booted out. I couldn’t say the same for most of my friends. Only three of my friends remained, and we all knew that it wasn’t just dancing to survive, but dancing to win the
Describe a time when you struggled to reach a goal - what tactics did you use to succeed ? How did it change your approach to achieving goals ? Let me hear about a time when you were dissatisfied with an achievement- why ? And what did you do ? How have you approached the achievement of a goal in a subject or project you truly disliked ? What strategies solid you use to succeed ? Etc.
Willpower, synonymously referred to as self-control, or self-regulation, is a highly adaptive ability which allows individuals overcome habits and regulate emotions, urges and actions. How does our understanding of willpower affect us? Many modern researchers suggest that willpower is a limited energy supply, and that this energy supply is common for all acts of willpower (making decisions, controlling emotions, task performance). Baumeister’s strength model of willpower suggests that using willpower consumes an inner resource, leaving people with less willpower to exert on subsequent tasks (Baumeister et al, 1998). But what about the opposite? If we tell individuals that performing an effortful task could improve performance on the subsequent task – would this show otherwise? How do our different beliefs about willpower affect us?