Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Motivation and Gratitude

So, the finish line is in sight... I think?  Yesterday, one of my four classes ended.  Exams don't start for almost three weeks.  Now you know what I'm dealing with when I talk about the studying "problem" in Singapore.  With some of my exams being worth 70% of my total grade, I will have to seek some serious motivation for this final month.  Only ONE month and I will be in the Philippines with all thoughts of school completely behind me.

What is going to keep me motivated?  Well, today I read an awesome chapter from the book "Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul," and it taught me a lot about gratitude.  It mentioned, "When we are grateful, we see and experience life with a healthy optimism.  When we lack gratitude, we move toward pessimism and even cynicism.  An ungrateful heart always sees what's wrong with life."  I'll be the first to tell you that I struggled with pessimism and cynicism when I first got here.  Although it has gotten a lot better, thanks be to God, the habit still seems to creep in.

The number one thing I canNOT do if I want to study hard without dreading it is focus on what's wrong with my life.  Because when I honestly face myself, there is nothing wrong with my life.  Today, I was reminded by many about the freedoms our country gets to practice every day.  Even more so, I'm reminded by the Lord about the freedom I have in His Son, Jesus Christ.  As I consider this freedom, and the many blessings in my life (including the opportunity of a great education), it will produce a love and joy that will keep my cup half full.  Then, I will not need to be apprehensive towards studying, but I'll push on until the finish doing my best.  That is the plan anyway! :)

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