hurrying by
weaving through
red light green
changing hue
over bumps
slowing speed
drawing close
to the need
powered door
take a right
Writing Center
now in sight
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Pain and Pleasure
I am reading a personal development book* that discusses how humans tend to avoid pain and pursue pleasure. Without long-term thinking, this is often done to our detriment: short-term pleasure can lead to long-term pain or vice versa. For example, the short-term pleasure of eating junk food may lead to the long-term pain of being overweight and unhealthy. On the other hand, the short-term pain of sacrificing time and money to pursue an education may lead to the long-term pleasure of being able to work in a field that excites you.
So what does this have to do with writing? Sometimes we avoid the short-term pain of getting our writing critiqued or spending the time for a writing center appointment to get help on our papers. It is easier to just hand it in. Or maybe we know that writing is a weak area and we would highly benefit from the Academic Writing Seminar semester-long course, but it is painful to sacrifice the time and admit that we need the instruction. But here is where the switch must be made. Think about the long-term pleasure that you will feel not only passing your classes but excelling in them. Imagine how you would feel if you could spend half the time working on a paper and still achieve a better grade. Would it be worth some short-term pain to achieve this long-term pleasure? What about avoiding the long-term pain of failing a class or missing out on that promotion or opportunity due to poor writing skills? These are the questions that we must ask ourselves.
So stop by the Writing Center this new year. We can help you avoid the pain of tomorrow by helping you with your writing skills today.
*Anthony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within
So what does this have to do with writing? Sometimes we avoid the short-term pain of getting our writing critiqued or spending the time for a writing center appointment to get help on our papers. It is easier to just hand it in. Or maybe we know that writing is a weak area and we would highly benefit from the Academic Writing Seminar semester-long course, but it is painful to sacrifice the time and admit that we need the instruction. But here is where the switch must be made. Think about the long-term pleasure that you will feel not only passing your classes but excelling in them. Imagine how you would feel if you could spend half the time working on a paper and still achieve a better grade. Would it be worth some short-term pain to achieve this long-term pleasure? What about avoiding the long-term pain of failing a class or missing out on that promotion or opportunity due to poor writing skills? These are the questions that we must ask ourselves.
So stop by the Writing Center this new year. We can help you avoid the pain of tomorrow by helping you with your writing skills today.
*Anthony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within
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