Blog post #3

Hugo Engelhardt

Mr. Collier

The Importance of Being Challenged

In my last two blog posts, I gave advice on how to succeed in the classroom, and on the sports field. In this blog post, I will talk about the benefits and importance of challenging yourself, which will enable you to transcend the competition. To be met with the most success, it is imperative to exert yourself mentally and physically. Here is why:

A picture exhibiting adversity and opposition

The average high schooler can often find themselves falling into the abyss of repetition. Wake up, go to school, do homework, sleep, repeat. While a repetitious life can be very boring, this repetition can also stint the brain and reduce brain activity in the individual. Therefore, it’s imperative to challenge the mind by switching up your daily routine or attempting a task that requires you to think critically. Some things that can easily be done to sharpen the mind and break the cycle of repetition include: Reading books aloud, taking new routes to avoid your brain going into autopilot in the car, and simply trying new things. Challenging yourself like this will build your mental toughness which is “the most important attribute a person can have” (The champions mind pg.49). Mental toughness and hard work are crucial to everyone one no matter age, occupation, or background because someone who never quits will keep on getting opportunities and eventually those opportunities will lead to success. Challenging yourself mentality is the easiest way to build mental toughness, to become a better competitor, to reach your goals (SP8).

Whether you’re a professional athlete or just like to get some exercise at the gym, challenging yourself is a necessity. Challenging yourself physically means doing anything from a few extra reps at the gym to playing against a better opponent to improve your own playing at a sports game. But it all comes down to one thing: Hard work (SP10). Challenging yourself and hard work are synonymous when it comes to sports, and just like I stated in the paragraph above, with hard work and mental toughness more opportunities will come your way, which will lead to success in the end. 

As humans, almost all of us are driven by something and almost all of us have an inner drive to succeed at the task at hand. Therefore, we look up to people who have proved themselves in our field or activity and we admire the skill they possess. But what many people don’t see in the famous athlete or brilliant mathematician is the hard work they have put in and the countless hours they have spent challenging themselves. No one is incorrigible, some are just better at hiding it than others.

Glossary:

Transcend: (n.) to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed:

Exert: (n.) vigorous action or effort:

Stint: (n.) a length of time spent in a particular way. (v.) to restrict or limit in amount or number

Incorrigible: (adj.) incapable of being corrected or reformed

Works Cited:

Afremow, Jim. The Champion's Mind. Rodale, 2015.

Rosengren, Curt. “Why You Must Challenge Yourself.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2010/02/18/why-you-must-challenge-yourself.

Challenging Feats 2006 John Holcroft (b.20th C. British) Computer Graphics . Fine Art. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016. 
quest.eb.com/search/107_3364896/1/107_3364896/cite. Accessed 27 Jan 2019.