Persuading oneself

Going around for interview, I noticed a similar question that most interviewer would ask... "How do you excel in the things you do?"

I am surprised that they would ask such questions nowadays. So immediately I told them how I managed to do it. I persuaded myself. Yes. I did that. It happened when I was 14. You see, I am a playful girl at 13. Never bother about studies. (my parents are busy with their business to really pay attention to us) And so, my result is bad. My mid-year ranking in class is 34/38 students, the guy sitting beside me is making fun of me. But i simply doesn't care. End year came and I was ranked 32/38. So, slight improvement and I overtook the guy. I feel happy when he sulked. During the holidays, I started questioning myself. If others can do it, why can't I? Is it because of the friends i mixed with? Why are we not spending time studying rather than playing?

So when the next school term starts, I told my friends that I'm gonna study hard and to do so, I am gonna spend time with the top students in my class. So i apologize to them for being not able to spend time with them anymore and bid them goodbye. I approached and got accepted by the top student group in my class and I started studying with them. 

I also started telling myself to love the subjects, that it is fun and challenging. And 1 Sat night, i managed to sit myself down proper infront of a desk and read my text book. From page 1 all the way to the end, page by page; taking down notes and making sure I understand what I'm reading. 

And from then on, my results improved tremendously; to a point i was 2nd in class. 

The perfectionist who is contented

This is something that I've always thought about : How to balance being contented and being perfectionist. 

I always consider myself as a perfectionist although not a full fledged one. Because I can be contented as well.

This is something I've came up with during my secondary school years when I start being competitive. 

My Maths teacher asked me.. How much you wanna score for this test. I said 100%. (the perfectionist in me)

After the test, i scored only 87/100. I felt a little disappointed as I lost marks mostly to careless mistakes. Then my protective mechanism kicks in. I managed to convince myself to be contented that at least I scored an A. 

So actually self persuasion works. And with many benefits. Try it yourself. Tell yourself to love whatever you are going to embark on and you will excel in it. To date, I'm still applying this method.