Undergraduate /
"Come on man, one more rep, one more!" - Shooting for above average [11]
I want to give you a huge thanks on the advice man.
Here's what it I decided to change the beginning of the third paragraph to this - Everything worked out for the better I am glad to say. However, for some reason, the whole episode led me to think about how much time I have wasted in life. I realized my life lacked proper planning, preparation, and discipline...
I made a lot of other changes - here's how it reads now
"Come on man, one more rep, one more!" shouted my gym partner as I forced the measly one hundred thirty-five pound weight off my chest for the eighth time. I re-racked the weight and sat up. Feeling my chest muscles swelling up and being engorged with blood, I was experiencing "the pump," and it was glorious. Then I receive a message on my cell phone that replaced the euphoria with dread. I had forgotten something of great importance.
Earlier that day, I had made a promise to pick up my cousin's son from school at five o'clock. It was six when I listened to the message, "I forgot to remind you, but I'm assuming you already got him." My mind flooded with wild thoughts of what would come of my blunder. "What if he is fined? What if this incident is reported and he loses custody of his child? What if I'm responsible for a major change in my cousin's relationship with his child?!" I rushed out of the gym, hopped on my bike, and restlessly pedaled with a strong mix of anger, fear, and stress.
Everything worked out for the better I am glad to say. However, for some reason, the whole episode led me to think about how much time I have wasted in life. I realized my life lacked proper planning, preparation, and discipline. I decided that I would put an end to it. From that point on, I meticulously scheduled each waking moment of my day; specifying what hour I would execute each task and for how long I would work on it. Through rigorously planning my daily schedule, I managed to minimize the amount of time wasted on being unproductive and maximize productivity and growth. It provided a secure and reliable structure that I could rely on and relax into, never having to deal with the question of "What should I do next?" and eliminating my proclivity to procrastination. My tasks were doable and I felt that I was in total control of my life. When I write down a task I ask myself, "Is this adding value to my community or myself?" and place it in an ordered list from least important to most urgent. I made my life more meaningful and was able to rebuff distractions that many teens my age face. And of course, if better or more important opportunities presented themselves, I was flexible enough to make a change of plans; ensuring among many things, that I'd never forget to pick up my cousin from after-school again.
Let me know what you think.