The Key to Success

“It took God six days to create the World, why should you expect to do everything in one?”
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This phrase enlightens the unrealistic expectations many students, athletes, parents, and teachers have of themselves. God, from the account of creation in the book of Genesis, chose to create the world in six days. Although he could have created everything at once, God shows us that to make something great takes time. God focused on specific aspects of creation in the World, and thoughtfully ensured he created his vision of creation perfectly. Thus, why should we expect perfection in what we do all at once?

The key to being successful is patience.

Patience aids the learner in the student because it stops one of the most destructive things to learning: frustration. Patience allows people to dive into the material they are learning to fully digest and understand it without giving up on account of it taking time. For students learning something new, it takes patience in their abilities to do well. They can’t expect greatness on the first try. Especially after getting that C on the first exam or paper, it takes patience in learning to overcome frustration and get better.
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For athletes, learning comes in a different form – the physical. Currently, I am learning how to shoot the basketball in a new, better way than I had ever shot in my life. It has been a rather frustrating process. However, my coach keeps telling me I must have patience in myself. It takes a while to feel as though a new habit is natural. New muscles must be formed, and your body needs to adjust. This same process happens when people start competing at higher levels, such as from the high school level to the college level. Everyone in college is faster, quicker, stronger, and better. The athlete can’t expect he can just waltz in on the game and be the star on the first day. He must have patience in his abilities and persevere to reach that goal.

For parents and teachers who help others learn, patience in the ability to teach and the ability of their children/students to learn is absolutely necessary. I remember in my youth, when my mom just started to homeschool me and my siblings, she had a packed schedule for each day. However, it was impossible to do every single thing she had scheduled. And while we learned much in a school day, my mom would voice her irritation with not completing everything. After adjusting to the homeschool life, my mom learned how to prioritize what she wanted us to learn, and which activities were the most beneficial for us. Thus she was more patient with her scheduling, as well as with our abilities. This patience gave both her and her students peace in the school environment.

We have to learn how to be at peace with knowing we did our best, and be patient in accepting our bodies’ performance.