Good? Or just better than the next guy?
I wrote something to my friends journal right now that said, "I used to play tennis but I've all but forgotten. Apparently I was good, I have trophies n stuff..." This comment is 100% true. I began to think back to this tennis tournament I played in and I remember doing well however it was effortless well. I didn't remember trying to terribly hard.
One of my biggest fears is that I am not intelligent. I know, of all the things in the world to fear! I wonder sometimes if I have intelligence or I'm just better than the next guy. I can't help but wonder these things when I see that someone is 'board," or they want to know "were you going?" Granted, these could be auto-corrects but still...
No, it's more internal than that. When I hand my paper to someone to peer edit and I get it back with the words, "It's great. Reads clear. Can't find mistakes. Good job!" I have to wonder what this person is basing their opinion off of. Their intelligence, clearly, is one. Do I really have no mistakes? When I get a paper back from a professor with 100 on the top and then I re-read and catch off sentences, incomplete thoughts, or missing punctuation I question the professor. Granted, I have a horrible habit of writing my first draft as a final draft, but still. I'm finding mistakes and either others are not or they don't care.
It amazes me what I find easy: nearly everything. Then again I think that these things are not really easy, that I put time and effort into doing what I do be it writing, research, whatever. I get amazing grades but I work for it. Somethings come easier than others, some do not. Spanish was a bit hard, but I didn't put nearly as much effort in to that class as I did other classes. Which makes me wonder, is it intelligence or diligence?
I tell Cody repeatedly, "You don't have to be smart to go to school, you just gotta work hard." This is what I have noticed. When my friends begin to fail classes it is because they go out partying, or anything else too much that doesn't involve studying. Which brings me back to me...
I don't do the partying thing while in school. I may go out here and there but it's one night on rare occasion - my biggest "distraction" is wrestling. So what is it? Hard work or intelligence? I begin to doubt that my intelligence is real and that my knowledge is surface. I doubt that I know anything more than enough to sound like I know what I am talking about and have the ability to carry on in conversation. What's worse is when you read articles that people lacking intelligence generally have no clue that they are lacking. Is that me? Am I clueless? Do I not know enough to be considered intelligent or am I just knowledgeable than the next person?
One of my biggest fears is that I am not intelligent. I know, of all the things in the world to fear! I wonder sometimes if I have intelligence or I'm just better than the next guy. I can't help but wonder these things when I see that someone is 'board," or they want to know "were you going?" Granted, these could be auto-corrects but still...
No, it's more internal than that. When I hand my paper to someone to peer edit and I get it back with the words, "It's great. Reads clear. Can't find mistakes. Good job!" I have to wonder what this person is basing their opinion off of. Their intelligence, clearly, is one. Do I really have no mistakes? When I get a paper back from a professor with 100 on the top and then I re-read and catch off sentences, incomplete thoughts, or missing punctuation I question the professor. Granted, I have a horrible habit of writing my first draft as a final draft, but still. I'm finding mistakes and either others are not or they don't care.
It amazes me what I find easy: nearly everything. Then again I think that these things are not really easy, that I put time and effort into doing what I do be it writing, research, whatever. I get amazing grades but I work for it. Somethings come easier than others, some do not. Spanish was a bit hard, but I didn't put nearly as much effort in to that class as I did other classes. Which makes me wonder, is it intelligence or diligence?
I tell Cody repeatedly, "You don't have to be smart to go to school, you just gotta work hard." This is what I have noticed. When my friends begin to fail classes it is because they go out partying, or anything else too much that doesn't involve studying. Which brings me back to me...
I don't do the partying thing while in school. I may go out here and there but it's one night on rare occasion - my biggest "distraction" is wrestling. So what is it? Hard work or intelligence? I begin to doubt that my intelligence is real and that my knowledge is surface. I doubt that I know anything more than enough to sound like I know what I am talking about and have the ability to carry on in conversation. What's worse is when you read articles that people lacking intelligence generally have no clue that they are lacking. Is that me? Am I clueless? Do I not know enough to be considered intelligent or am I just knowledgeable than the next person?