At the beginning of the year, I was facing a wall with no way to get over. My grades were dropping from easy A's to B's, and I didn't understand why I was doing so poorly. I started getting frustrated. My frustration lead to my grades dropping even further to two high C's on my report card in the second quarter of the year. During winter break, I was scared about what I would do to survive this year and get promoted to my next. Then I discovered Three Days Grace, now one of my favorite bands. The music was instantly a hit among my musical taste. This band led me to start listening to rock music, but that's another story.
During the third quarter of the year, I started working harder than before. Frustration built up inside me when I saw my progress report for the quarter, which was dotted with C's, so I kicked it up a notch. I started studying more than I had before. I would even stay up late reading textbooks and studying notes as soon as a test date was revealed to me. My grades got better, but my reading average was still poor by the end of the quarter. During the 4th quarter, I was lead to victory.
I was finally doing well in school. But my grades were still the bare minimum. One day, my friend (who went to a different school than mine) suggested I try finding my "calling." So I engaged in crafts. Sewing, origami, writing--they all worked pretty well. For a short while. Then I found it. Duct tape. I found a roll in the home improvement aisle at Target while my grandfather was shopping for light bulbs for our house (he was visiting from his home). I asked him if I could buy a roll.
This was his reaction: "Why do you need a roll?" I didn't know it at the time, but that question somehow changed my life. At least up to the point of it I'm at.
He eventually bought me the roll, and I went to work as soon as I got home. I started making things out of the tape, such as a wallet, an iPod case, and even a beach bag. It was the socket I was looking for. I noticed my frustration went away more quickly, because I had finally found something that no one else I knew could do. I started doing better in school because of this. With my frustration gone, I could use my patience to clear my mind and understand things I learned in class better. Finally, finally, I was seeing improvement in my grades.
By the end of the 4th quarter, all my class averages were over 86 and I had only missed 1 question on each of the two standardized tests we had taken.
