“Newton had it right… you’re going to need to go uphill in order to go downhill.”
It seems like everything I’ve accomplished and felt proud of has been an uphill battle.
Goals that I’ve wanted to achieve has been a struggle for me.
When it has been easy to achieve things, I don’t feel the sense of accomplishment and pride about them as I do the ones that I had to work for. Those seem more of a stroke of luck and happenstance than actually a product of hard work.
But while I’m working towards the goal, I feel I’m putting a lot of sweat equity into it whether it involves mental or physical labor. As I struggle to reach my goal, I feel stress and a sense of inadequacy but I push myself on. I refuse to give up because giving up would be a failure to me. Not achieving my goal but knowing I gave it my best would be tolerable even if I wasn’t happy with the result.
Once I have worked hard and put in lots of time and energy, I can enjoy the pleasure I feel for completing my task. This is my downhill. I ride this pleasure all the way down and feel joy in my heart.
It is this work ethic that I want to instill in my students. I want them to try and give their best effort when working towards their goals. They may face obstacles and feel like giving up but they need to dig deep into themselves and push themselves to finish.
I will be there to encourage them when they are feeling down. When I feel like their energy is flagging, I will be there to offer support. When they want to give up, I will be there to help them push on. They will not have to fight the uphill journey alone.
I want them to feel the pride of reaching their goals and knowing that their hard work paid off. I want them to be able to ride the downhill feeling joy and a sense of accomplishment and pride.
How do you help your students on the uphill journey? Please share.
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