Weekly Wisdom

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." - Aristotle

I like to consider myself a pretty good student. I am normally good about getting my homework done on time and being prepared for class. In turn I would say that I became an excellent student. But everything changed this semester. I am in a class where all motivation is lost; all habits I once possessed got thrown out the window as soon as I became aware of the "no-so-negative consequences--at least I thought. It turns out now that I have just set myself self up for defeat. I have put off a major paper and am struggling to do everything last minute. This might sound normal for many of you, but for a major research paper like this it is not good for anyone to wait until the last minute to still have research to do. I put this upon myself as soon as I checked my good habits. It will be a struggle, but I am going to work hard to get out of this rut; it is not too late. 

I want to remind you all the same: it is not too late. The semester is coming to a quick close and many things must get done. To be frank, you would be surprised how much you can actually accomplish if you resist taking a two hour nap in the afternoon, find a good study group that motivates you to actually work, shut off the television while you work, and many more... As Aristotle has made plausible, it is not about whether or not you have the ability to do something but rather if you have the will to get it done. These are two different things; don't let you fear of incapability get in the way of trying to be excellent. In this sense you truly can accomplish anything you set you mind on.

-Margaret Gruhler