Practice vs. Not Practice

Success requires efforts. The majority of the people in society practice to achieve their goals. Some people avoid practice and consequently fail to achieve their goals. I am the testimony to the fact that practice leads to success and lack of it leads to failure. After high school, I felt I knew it all. When I took the SAT test I did not study, I lacked motivation and failed; however, I learned from my failure and successfully passed my ASVAB test. While preparing for the SAT, I held the assumption that reviewing the material once was enough. I did not practice with intent. I spent time working on my part time job. I worked far more hours than scheduled to pass the time and earn more money. Additionally, I spend more time browsing the web searching for random material. On the other hand, when I was preparing for my ASBAV test I spent two hours every day practicing. Every other week I prepared quizzes to test my knowledge. I took time off my work to spend more time preparing for the test. In addition, every month I visited my recruiter’s office to get feedback on my progress. Thanks to this practice became successful in my Air Force career.

My experience with the SAT test and ASVAB test has also shown me that motivation is critical to success. While preparing for the SAT, I had not quite learnt the importance of taking life seriously, and so I was not motivated to pass the SAT test. I did not see the importance of the SAT. To me, it was just another step along the way, a formality, something that did not really matter. Why then, would I crack my head over it? I took my part time job more seriously because its returns were more immediate and, at the time, more visible. I spent my preparation time on far less important things, which I believed to be more important at the time. When the SAT came, it took me aback and I failed it as a result. Conversely, I knew that the ASVAB was a serious matter, and it would lead to better things if I performed well in it. Therefore, I took it as a life-and-death affair. I knew my I concentrated on my preparations and I stuck to my preparation routines religiously. My motivation even made the preparations enjoyable. I would encounter some question so many times that I knew its answer straight away, and this boosted my confidence. Eventually, my motivation paid off and I got desirable results on the SAT.

Failure and success also have a role to play in future challenges. My SAT results gave me a rude awakening. I knew that if I would not tighten my belt, I was headed for failure in my ASVAB test. This gave me the much-needed incentive to pursue success in the ASVAB test with fervor. I had learnt from my experience. Failure has a way of changing one’s attitudes for the better. Almost naturally, I gave the ASVAB my best shot. Thankfully, it paid off, lending credence to the maxim “once beaten, twice shy”.

Indeed, success is heavily hinged on these three things: practice, motivation and experience. I am proof of this, and I know all too well that it is not empty talk. Deliberate practice sharpened my skills and improved my responses. Motivation helped me overcome many challenges, stick to my schedule and love my preparation, and previous experience propelled me on to success, for the fear of failure. As a consequence, I passed my ASVAB test in spite of having failed in my SAT.