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Friday, November 22, 2019

"Action " by Adam S



     How many times have you heard other people say “I’m gonna do [blank]” or “I want to [blank]” or even “I should start [blank]” ? Now, how many times have you said these same actions that you desire to do either to yourself or some other person but just end up forgetting about them or not doing them? Now, how many times have you somehow came back to these lingering desires and yet again, yearned to do them once more but then fail to do so? Don’t worry, everyone experiences this, and not just once, but multiple times every single day.
     According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the definition for “action” is “an act of will”. After pondering on this, I had a small laugh at an ironic statement of one of the largest associations and businesses in the world. Nike’s trademark “Just Do It” has inspired many people over its implication to a crowd of single-minded consumers, but we overlook what it takes to “Just Do It”. In order to do something, we must first form a thought, an idea, or something that we can form a foundation upon. This we must write or jot down on a piece of paper or a notebook or somewhere where it can be read again, and not just lost in our stream of consciousness ready for the next thought to speed in like a jet ski and be gone as fast as it came, leaving only waves and ripples of what could have been, but wasn’t. But once we throw down the anchor of this want or desire, only more thoughts can appear and ride in as small as paper boats or as grand as cargo ships, all contributing to the one thought that started it all. This is called motivation, and the more ideas that are written form greater perspectives almost to the point to where you can picture yourself accomplishing your goals or achieving your wants.
    Last Sunday, I attended a church because my parents are searching for a new one after leaving a previous one. I was then forced to attend a youth service with my two younger sisters. After worship that consisted of many melodious songs, we were then separated into different groups based on gender and grade. Moments later, I associated my being with those similar to these previously stated attributes in which a circular shape formed and a youth leader commenced with his briefing. The service’s lesson concerned itself with what you are going to do now and how it will affect your later. This being the case, much of the service focused on the steps one would need to take to achieve their “later”. At the end of the briefing, the counselor in my group had us write down one goal or desire we wanted to complete that week, and what we would do to get there. Following his instructions, I proceeded to write down “Qualify for CIF Finals this Friday in Cross Country” and wrote down steps consisting of keeping nutrition balanced, stretching and training properly, not getting injured, and to run hard. Later that Friday morning, the top 15 runners out of each heat, or group, qualified for CIF Finals, and even harder, I was in the fastest Division 1 heat. The results? 8th out of 137, which meant I was moving on.
   Now, what almost every person will see from now on is my performance this day and the labeling as follows, but what they did not see was how in order to “Just Qualify”, it took an initial thought, adding more onto it about how it would be carried out, and actually following through no matter how tough it is. No one cannot just do something unless it is “Just Winning the Lottery.” Just like how every day following up to this race I ran and ran, said no to sweets and the wonderful fast food we all love, paid attention to how I felt and most importantly how my legs felt, it takes work and discipline, because once that motivation that lasts for only a short period of time, the only thing that’s gonna keep a person going is discipline, or continuing to do a beneficial thing even when you don’t see immediate results or just plain out don’t want to do it. So, the definition of an action is not only what happens, but the whole process of how it was made to happen: Starting with a thought, jotting it down, adding steps, and executing through
work. Now don’t let the “work” part drive you away, because “an act of will” is a desire, and working towards a desire that you would love to see yourself accomplish in the future, whether it be a week or a year from now, will soon seem nothing like useless effort, but life-changing exertion which is also the definition of passion.


Sources:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/ http://www.finishedresults.com/

13 comments:

  1. Action always starts with small steps and builds. I enjoyed your piece talking about this and how it applied to your own life. It is too often people say they want to do this ______ thing and never take the steps to do it and finding the motivation to do whatever that thing is, which is unfortunate. Though it is remarkable you reached 8th in your division for CIF Cross Country by taking theses steps and achieving progress.

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  2. I really like how you take an over-simplified action like Nike’s “Just Do It” and break it down into a seemingly more complicated process. However, what this actually does is help the reader stay on track with their goals and aspirations by adding a helpful guide when performing these “actions.” Helpful understanding of being a “doer” as it is inspirational.

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  3. I really liked how you used Nike's trademark to elaborate on your idea on the word action. I also agree on how in order to do something, like running a race, you have to put in work and be dedicated to whatever it is you want to accomplish. Overall, amazing work! -Halie Montes

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  4. Your incorporation of Nike's motto was an excellent choice and really engaged me in the beginning. I also liked how you included your own experiences as it helps the overall passage feel more relatable to readers who may be in a similar situation like yours such as other student-athletes. I thought it was good how you didn't downplay hard work either. Overall, I really enjoyed your piece and motivates me to work harder for the things I want.

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  5. The first paragraph hit me hard, you had an abundance of questions thats truly hooked me in. I completely agree that an action is way easier said than done. I think the example of Nike’s signature phrase “Just Do It” was a great point, you had me actually analyzing what goes behind just doing it. I never really thought of what it takes to create action I alway thought it just happened but you really opened my eyes.

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  6. First off, Congrats on doing so good in CIF Adam! I really liked how you used your own experience with cross country and you working hard and being determined to qualify for CIF. I really like how you used Nike's motto though. This motto really furthered your argument, saying that it is easier said than done. Ultimately, I enjoyed this peace and it has encouraged me to stop being so lazy and talking the talk. I know feel that I need to walk the walk.

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  7. Your writing is amazing and I like how you built off of the definition of the word. I also found your piece to be really relatable and I liked how you compared our brain process to a jet ski. I really think that it is important to write down your goals and ideas to make a plan of how to accomplish the goal. -Linda Hung

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  8. This was an amazing insight into your experiences and process of becoming a successful runner! The details were vivid and I was truly able to experience your thought process while being in the new church. It’s great that you were able to qualify to CIF finals and have your hard work create such a commendable outcome!

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  9. Just from initially reading the first few sentences, I felt utter guilt, thinking "Wow, he does not have to be this loud calling out my very insecurities and personal mistakes that I can never bring myself to own up to." Though you are absolutely right, action comes from straight motivation and pure desire, feelings that sometimes are difficult to find when actions taken may seem almost impossible to achieve. Your placing in CIF definitely showed your strive for action and demonstrated your perseverance, which, big congratulations by the way!

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  10. I just want to say i'm super proud of you making it to CIF and the commitment and dedication you have managed to keep since freshman but overall I love the part about how this whole experience started with just a thought in your mind that you decided you would write down and actually follow through with it rather than let it just pass through your mind as fast as it came. It is easy to just let these thoughts pass through your mind but you had the strength to actually take this and dedicate your mind and body to actually accomplish your goal. -Kaj Miranda

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  11. I loved your piece and I could not agree more. I believe the same about how you need to make things happen yourself and not wait but do it at the moment. I also like how you made it more personal and related it to your own life experience and what it taught you because it made it more relatable.

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  12. Its crazy how you tied this piece to a description to a narrative because you talked about "action" which is the main thing that keeps us moving physically and mentally. But overall your piece was great because you explained, asked questions, and emphasized how motivation has to do a lot with action. Other than that you made it universal for us readers to relate to so that's a bonus and I appreciate you sharing your piece with us Adam.

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  13. When reading this I really enjoyed how you structured the blog starting it off with actually defining action and then adding a personal experience of you taking action and how you benefited from actually carrying out your goals by taking action on achieving the goal and the results from this in the last paragraph. -Jessica Q

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