Dealing with the “Hard Stuff” Builds Character

 

My 13 year old daughter has been studying for an upcoming History test.  She is studying the Industrial Revolution.  The information is very interesting and she has been doing beautifully in quickly remembering what she will need for her test.  Her studying has been going quite smoothly over the past several days, at a quick pace. 

Last night we started on a new Section 3, regarding Nationalism and Sectionalism. Our quick paced studying came to a screeching halt.  We we discussing President’s Madison and Monroe and the Era of Good Feelings.  And, we were reading about Henry Clay’s American System and the Monroe Doctrine, as well as the Missouri Compromise.

My daughter suddenly hit a wall and had a complete mental block.  We reviewed the info over and over and she still was not grasping it (or she had taken her brain out of her head). She was not getting it at all.

“What’s up Sam,” I asked her.  “You breezed through the last two sections in no time.”

“It’s history Mom. I just really don’t like History! Besides, this is the hard stuff!”

Hmmm, I thought.  “Well you had no problem with the first 2 sections, at all. You memorized those in no time.  But, then you hit Section 3 and I lost you. You’re not focused. If you made an attempt at it, it wouldn’t be so hard!”

“I’m tired, Mom,” she replied.

Interesting as this is my daughter that gets up 3-4 mornings a week and is in the gym at 5:45 exercising.  Her life is like a whirlwind. She tries to join every single activity she can. I have to remind her to go to bed at night. Otherwise she wouldn’t sleep!  This teenage doesn’t get tired (until she’s studying for History).

It made me wonder.  Was it really the “hard” stuff? Or was it that she just chose to “shut down” and not make the effort to memorize the info?

Is this any different than many other people?  When it’s time to learn or to do the “hard stuff” they don’t have time to make the effort. 

They shut down. 

They get a mental block.

They tell themselves they just can’t do it. 

Is this the “easy” way out?

I have to admit, I remember doing it in school, at times, when I hit a “hard” subject.

We wrapped it up for the night, as we were making no headway at all.  Tonight, it’s time for her to put her brain back in her head and “get focused”.

I have been telling my girls since they were 2 years old, “If you say you can’t do it, then you can’t!”

Everyone of us, in our lives, at one time or another have hit a wall when we reached the “hard stuff”. If we learned to properly deal with it, get focused and trudge through it, we would see that it would make it easier the next time around. Dealing with the “hard stuff” builds character. And it allows you to be proud of your accomplishments.

Not dealing with it at all is a cop out.

 

 

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Brevard County Real Estate

Melbourne Florida Real Estate News