Thursday, January 17, 2013

A Positively Long-Term Writing Assignment

Don't lie. You know you sighed in sympathy just reading the title of this post. What average American college student wouldn't groan at the thought of a ten-week-long continuous writing assignment?

Well, to name just one, me.

And hopefully, after reading my blog, we can add your name to the list of people who forgo groaning, if not over an English project then over a coffee shortage or a bad exam grade or that one class that is just never cancelled or whatever other problems trouble the collegiate mind. Welcome to The Positivity Project, a happy spot on the web where life looks a little brighter.

Through this blog, I hope to bring you a better understanding of what it means to think positively. So many situations in life beat us down and stress us out, causing us to doubt ourselves, lose our faith, and eventually just give up. A lot of this stress arises from us trying to control situations that we truly cannot control. We struggle to change the way events happen and the way other people react to them, when in fact the only thing we can really control about most situations is the way we personally view and react to them.

Enter positivity. If, when faced with a stressful situation, we allow ourselves to be dragged down by it, buying into the negative mindset that we aren't strong enough and can't handle the trials life throws at us, we will undoubtedly spiral downwards into hopelessness and pain. If we look at the (literal or metaphorical) ten-week-long English assignment in our lives and think only, "I hate writing, I'm bad at writing, I don't have time for this project, I'm going to fail," well, then, we will fail. We might pull a passing grade out somehow, but we will fail to gain any real knowledge from the experience, being as we are too anxious to really perform well.

If, however, we look at the assignment with hope and joy, excited to try something new and thinking, "I've never done this before, but neither have most of my classmates. I resolve to try my best to enjoy the learning process and gain some new knowledge through this assignment," suddenly the project takes on a wonderful new quality. It's not a punishment, a struggle, or something to be feared. It's a challenge, a learning experience, and an exciting journey.

See how easy that was? It just takes a little conscious change in thinking to turn struggle into satisfaction. Thanks for walking this road to positivity with me. I hope you enjoy the ride.

3 comments:

  1. Peer review questions:
    1. Is this topic presented in a way that is interesting and applicable to you as a college student?
    2. Is the style readable/informal enough that it sounds like a blog but not so informal that it's annoying to read?

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  2. Yes, this topic is presented in a way that is interesting and applicable. One interesting thing is how much of a negative mindset can really affect us especially as a college student. Making the transition from high school to college... its a whole new world. This topic is applicable in so many ways, a college student can truly see where the negativity comes from and be prepared to overcome these stressful situations.
    The style is readable enough that it sounds like a blog, it includes a different mindset of negativity one can foresee, I find that truly to be helpful to a college student to be mentally prepared for these situations.
    -Henry Garcia

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  3. I love this idea! Yes, I think the topic is interesting and definitely applicable to the life of a college student. What college student isn't bogged down by the stresses of classes, work, extracurriculars, and having some sort of social life? It is so easy to get caught up in all of these issues and to think negatively about them. This blog puts a great spin on how to turn your thoughts around; which, I believe can really make a difference in a person's overall success. I think you are covering an extremely relevant topic and reaching out to a group of people who could really use this advice.
    I think your stye is a great compromise between formality and informailty. You present complete thoughts, but the way in which the thoughts are written is approachable, readable, and engaging. I also really liked your title and the use of intertextuality with thinking positively. They are both excellent ways of introducing exactly what your blog will consist of. Overall, I think you are on the right track with this blog!
    -Meghan S.

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