These last few months I’ve had to ride some waves of change. During the course of two weeks I learned some interesting facts about myself.

One thing I came to grips with early, is that when I am motivated or if I have deadlines due, I am self-confident and motivated enough to wake up and conquer challenges. I’ve also learned that if you aren’t ready to wake up and put a fight each day, you’ll end up with your ass in the sand. Once you begin to realize that if you are willing to put forth the effort, you can wake up each day bright and early and face your obstacles head on with success, everything else can appear dispensable. However if you aren’t driven enough or motivated enough to make each day a success your results will let you know.

Reality and results will always keep it real with you. Reality never passes you a free golden ticket to freedom or adventure.

Sometimes this can be learned the hard way, unless you happen to be a child born of a privileged family who can have access to experiences and events at a much sooner stage.

So let me begin by telling you what I learned. Although I spent two and a half weeks in a constant forward motion, trying to master as much information as I possibly could and regurgitate it out every morning in order to pass and prove my abilities. I discovered something about myself and school in general. I could do the work and survive the grind day in and day out, but my problem wasn’t the work itself. My problem had been and continues to be the results.

When you do the hard work and your knowledge is tested when it matters most, you have to be in fluid form. In other words you need to be in sync with the rhythm of tasks that you need to conquer. However at the same time you also need to be consciously aware of what you’re doing at all times. One area that I seem to suffer with is maintaining my focus at a conscious level so I can actively reiterate what I’ve learned. Getting caught up in the abyss of thought and the distracting patterns of the technological world can really kill your focus.

After studying all day and placing my full effort into the assignments and quizzes I would go to sleep quite late. I would get to the point where I was completely immersing myself in the curriculum and I wouldn’t do anything else but think about finding a solution to my coursework problems. From a productivity stance, it was great and it was necessary, because their was no other way I could complete that level of work without being completely focused and driven.

What I feel is happening is that the very system that we are implementing is currently pushing students to a high limit and it is educating citizens across the globe at an unbelievable level. That being said, it is becoming harder than ever to balance daily life and it’s demands while simultaneously being productive at a masterful level.

I will provide my very own reason I believe this change is happening.

There was a week where I had to watch over a large property, feed a German Short-hair, and take care of two chicken coops. At the same time I was carrying a full load of a minimester class and conducting Finite Mathematics in the time-span of two-weeks. It was at this moment that I felt I had reached a certain peak. I was living in a position that may have felt surreal to some.

In this position I had control and responsibility over a property that I could only dream upon owning one day. I was in the presence of a fancy property all under my control. With this responsibility came work and the need to prove myself. It was through the action of providing for the animals and for myself, that I began to feel a renewed sense of responsibility and an elevated feeling of pursuit. It was no easy task waking up at 4am or 5am each morning, it required discipline and determination in order to defeat and overcome obstacles.

When I woke up I knew that I was not only caring for myself but also the surrounding animals that accompanied the property.

I would wake up each day ready to go put myself to the test and realize my limit of potential. When you’re dead tired and you spent the entire day working mentally and physically, sleep is one of your best friends for maintaining a healthy mind. My problem was balancing the obscene amount of mental work and conducting my learning in completely fluid fashion.

I quickly learned that it would be a daunting task, however if you set your mind to work anything is possible if you put in the hours of work and you remain focused.

I’d have to say that preparing daily meals from scratch, feeding chickens, dog watching around the property and learning new mathematical material at an alarming pace has been one of the greatest challenges that I’ve undertaken. It has been through experiences like this past minimester that I feel I’ve learned a lot about what I am truly capable of.

Although I may not have been entirely successful in my venture and classroom experience, I feel that the settings and tasks that I had to complete helped me realize what prioritization is. When you work hard and you don’t necessarily meet a certain standard of success, there is still something to be gained from the experience. It is through the actions and by seeing the end result that you can begin to envision what it takes to reach a particular level.

Assignments suit the purpose of practicing material in order to become more familiar. The ultimate hope is to learn and master the skills of problem solving. Ultimately it is the habit of doing work and productivity that will lead you up the tower of your own personal pursuit.

As stated by Peter F. Drucker, “The only way to increase productivity of “labor” is to increase the productivity of the people, that is, the productivity of time and the productivity of knowledge.”

Results will always differ depending upon your results that you put forth. If you only put forth average quality work of average work ethic your fruit of your labor will simply be average. It is not until the awareness of performance, obeying strict orders, and doing skilled motions that one begins to form any realization of their possible value.

Once you begin producing high results you may finally get a glimpse of what you could be. If you put in the time and dedication you can begin to realize how much you can still improve or strengthen weaknesses. Productivity and excellence can only be accomplished when you have a hunger for continuous learning. The hunger for continuous learning will only lead to a better presentation of what you do best!