Im what most people might call lazy, lethargic, and a procrastinator. How did it start? The first specific instance that I can remember was in 5th grade math class. I didnt do my math. My mentality was that school consumed more then half of my waking hours and I wasnt going to let it take anymore then that. So my assignments were partially completed, from the day before, and handed in unfinished. I knew that my parents and teachers would raise hell itself when I did this but my mind wouldnt waiver on this. Since I had been able to get through all of grade school without homework why should I have any now? Great reasoning for a 5th grader, but this thinking contained a few flaws.
To start out, there are 3 types of people in the world. The first kind will generally always try their best and be a competitor in life. They treat life as a marathon that needs a steady vigil pace to complete. The second is the person the will try to complete the absolute bear minimum to survive and occasionally misjudges what is needed done. The third and final is the person that absolutely cannot find any reason to try at all and hope for the best to come to them but never actively seek it. This is the lowest form of life that will suckle away your money, forgiveness, and love never sharing it back with you.
To thoroughly understand the three classes of people, a more detailed analysis is needed. The first kind is the ideal person. One, which all parents and communities hope to produce. They are considered the leaders, overachievers, and well standing citizens. The second class is the C student of life. Theyre the average person who occasionally does exceptional work but for the most part will be in the shadows of the first class. Procrastination and laziness is most common to occur in this class and becomes extreme when we reach the third class. The 3rd class no longer tries or cares too much about their life to do anything about their state. They are the ones that abuse the welfare system and borrow anything and everything from their friends and strangers alike.
The causes for these differences can be attributed to many factors. At one point we are all the in the same class, class number one. Its human nature to want to do our best and be a competitor. The sad thing is that, so is laziness, sloth, and procrastination. The process is best illustrated as slide. We all start out on top, and before us is a giant slide. Just like a slide its easy to go down, but not to stop yourself on the way down, or to climb back to the top.
It becomes an addiction. Each time you skip, call in sick, and cut a few corners, it just becomes easier. You enjoy the quick rush you get when you blow off work and go to Fargo or skip a few classes to go play pool at a friends house. But in the end, like most addictions its self-destructive. You forget how good it feels to complete a large project and know you did your best. You forget what it feels like to be proud of the work youve done. You forget what its like to be proud of yourself. For the short-term it can be fun to do, but when you let it get out of hand it will affect everything you do and become.
Many serious affects happen when youve reached this level. To begin, your work ethic decreases rapidly. Holding a job can be near impossible because youre never there and when you are you try to get by with doing the least amount of work possible. It only takes a short time before the company decides to find someone who will show up to work and do a better job then you. Furthermore, as a student, grades will consistently get worse and you might even fail a few classes. It starts out with a day every few weeks, then it progresses to once a week. Before you know it, you skip an entire day at least every few days. You pick the classes that you want to pass and think you can do with little effort, and forget the rest. Youve become the person you never wished to become.
There are two obvious choices that one can take when they have come to the compromising position. The easiest, and the most traveled, would be the continuation of the path youve chosen. You would decide that the path to recovery and control your life looks too daunting to undertake. The second, and the most challenging would be determining that you would take back you life. This takes lots of courage to believe in yourself again without anyone but yourself that knows you can do it.
To conclude I would like to challenge anyone who reads this to consider where his or her life is going. Life isnt something you should idly watch; indeed it is an experience that begs to be explored and interacted with. If you realize you arent doing so well I suggest trying to find someone close to you that will help you with your studies or work and keep you in check. Nothing helps more then having someone work with you to help with your problems.