Can I get all of your critique/ opinion pls?
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 12:46 am
Before you even read:
Pls. don't recommend I start Over with a new topic, as this is what I chose to write about. However; I would love to hear recommendations on all aspects of improving this PS. All help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
As a young teen, I was a strong-minded, defiant kid, who lacked a sense of respect for authority, the law, or any set of guidelines. I couldn’t control my inclination toward impulsivity. Thus, I was at the top of the class academically, but near the bottom behaviorally. I caused my parents and teachers much heartache and anguish. I wasn’t at all happy with my behavior, I desperately wanted to change my tendencies and act in a more respectable manner, but for many years I struggled mightily with these tendencies.
One of the most impulsive decisions I ever made, was to begin smoking cigarettes when I was just twelve years old. I got addicted to smoking shortly thereafter, and smoked between two and two and a half packs a day. You can’t even begin to imagine how much damage this habit caused me. A lot of the trouble I got into was a direct result of my addiction. For instance; There were times while I was in school that I was unable to smoke for a couple of hours, I would go crazy, craving that cigarette, and even the slightest amount of stress would set me off. I was incapable of having any meaningful conversation without engaging in smoking. Needless to say, that didn’t go over very well, when it came to my parents and I having a routine chat. In addition to these psychological struggles, smoking was adversely affecting my physical health as well. I had developed a severe case of chronic bronchitis. Smoking had taken over my life and I couldn’t stand it. Despite all the good incentives I had to quit smoking, I wasn’t having much success doing so. After numerous failed attempts I began to lose confidence in my ability to accomplish any of my goals, let alone quit smoking. My thought process was, “If I couldn’t quit smoking, a goal I wanted to achieve badly and one that I stood to gain a lot from, how I would be able to accomplish any of my other goals in life?” In December 2008 just before my 18th birthday, I got sick with the flu. The flu symptoms coupled with my regular bronchitis symptoms made for a severe combination. I spent a full week on bed rest. I spent the many hours of that long and painful December week in bed, thinking about both my immediate and long term future, as well as my smoking addiction. I came to the realization that if there was ever going to be a time that I would finally quit, now would be the best, because I had a week’s head start. I reaffirmed to myself better than ever that the pros outweighed the cons and I made the commitment. I have been smoke- free for three full years now. Why was I more successful quitting on that day as opposed to during previous attempts? For one reason; on that day I made up my mind that I was absolutely done with smoking, a decision I made with absolute certainty. This level of commitment was lacking in previous attempts. It was only with steadfast commitment and dedication, that I was able beat my addiction.
I had always viewed smoking as an impulsive behavior. When a smoker lights up a cigarette, he makes an impulsive (addiction aided) decision to choose momentary pleasure at the expense of his long term health. My decision to quit smoking was really a much greater decision, it was the decision to change the way I made my decisions, to go from being an impulsive decision maker to a premeditative one. Quitting smoking was that “Big First Step in the Right Direction” so to speak. I slowly but surely went on to eliminate all of my impulsive habits, using the same method I used successfully to quit smoking; logic, commitment, and dedication.
Today, I am a completely different person than I was back then, However; I’ll never forget the tremendous feelings of accomplishment and self confidence that I experienced, as a result of my achieving my goal of quitting smoking. Those feelings helped fuel an enormous amount of personal growth on my part. In addition to those feelings, the model of hard work, commitment, and dedication that I first started in my quest to conquer my nicotine addiction, has personified me. I now feel fully-equipped, as I embark on the journey to becoming a successful lawyer.
Pls. don't recommend I start Over with a new topic, as this is what I chose to write about. However; I would love to hear recommendations on all aspects of improving this PS. All help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
As a young teen, I was a strong-minded, defiant kid, who lacked a sense of respect for authority, the law, or any set of guidelines. I couldn’t control my inclination toward impulsivity. Thus, I was at the top of the class academically, but near the bottom behaviorally. I caused my parents and teachers much heartache and anguish. I wasn’t at all happy with my behavior, I desperately wanted to change my tendencies and act in a more respectable manner, but for many years I struggled mightily with these tendencies.
One of the most impulsive decisions I ever made, was to begin smoking cigarettes when I was just twelve years old. I got addicted to smoking shortly thereafter, and smoked between two and two and a half packs a day. You can’t even begin to imagine how much damage this habit caused me. A lot of the trouble I got into was a direct result of my addiction. For instance; There were times while I was in school that I was unable to smoke for a couple of hours, I would go crazy, craving that cigarette, and even the slightest amount of stress would set me off. I was incapable of having any meaningful conversation without engaging in smoking. Needless to say, that didn’t go over very well, when it came to my parents and I having a routine chat. In addition to these psychological struggles, smoking was adversely affecting my physical health as well. I had developed a severe case of chronic bronchitis. Smoking had taken over my life and I couldn’t stand it. Despite all the good incentives I had to quit smoking, I wasn’t having much success doing so. After numerous failed attempts I began to lose confidence in my ability to accomplish any of my goals, let alone quit smoking. My thought process was, “If I couldn’t quit smoking, a goal I wanted to achieve badly and one that I stood to gain a lot from, how I would be able to accomplish any of my other goals in life?” In December 2008 just before my 18th birthday, I got sick with the flu. The flu symptoms coupled with my regular bronchitis symptoms made for a severe combination. I spent a full week on bed rest. I spent the many hours of that long and painful December week in bed, thinking about both my immediate and long term future, as well as my smoking addiction. I came to the realization that if there was ever going to be a time that I would finally quit, now would be the best, because I had a week’s head start. I reaffirmed to myself better than ever that the pros outweighed the cons and I made the commitment. I have been smoke- free for three full years now. Why was I more successful quitting on that day as opposed to during previous attempts? For one reason; on that day I made up my mind that I was absolutely done with smoking, a decision I made with absolute certainty. This level of commitment was lacking in previous attempts. It was only with steadfast commitment and dedication, that I was able beat my addiction.
I had always viewed smoking as an impulsive behavior. When a smoker lights up a cigarette, he makes an impulsive (addiction aided) decision to choose momentary pleasure at the expense of his long term health. My decision to quit smoking was really a much greater decision, it was the decision to change the way I made my decisions, to go from being an impulsive decision maker to a premeditative one. Quitting smoking was that “Big First Step in the Right Direction” so to speak. I slowly but surely went on to eliminate all of my impulsive habits, using the same method I used successfully to quit smoking; logic, commitment, and dedication.
Today, I am a completely different person than I was back then, However; I’ll never forget the tremendous feelings of accomplishment and self confidence that I experienced, as a result of my achieving my goal of quitting smoking. Those feelings helped fuel an enormous amount of personal growth on my part. In addition to those feelings, the model of hard work, commitment, and dedication that I first started in my quest to conquer my nicotine addiction, has personified me. I now feel fully-equipped, as I embark on the journey to becoming a successful lawyer.