How the Cold and Dark Can Lead to the Warm and Bright by Gregory

How the Cold and Dark Can Lead to the Warm and Bright by Gregory - September 2014 Scholarship Essay

The morning was still dark and since Boise, Idaho is a desert it was also chilly. My dad stood in the room telling me it was time to get up to go to work. I wanted to say “No other kid has to do this.” However, knowing I would be in trouble I said, “Getting ready now!”

For most of my life I worked for my dad in his Mobile Home Park. He didn't want a bunch of city kids who sat around playing video games or kids who earned money for chores they should have been doing anyways. We needed to learn how to work and to work hard. We were taught the lifelong skill of discipline.

At first I thought my dad was just overly strict. We even had to work on weekends sometimes. “How harsh is that” I would think. We also could not go out with friends the next week if we were too tired to work the week before. Over time I began to realize the usefulness and the joy of being self-disciplined and motivating oneself to complete difficult tasks.

My realization began in high school. I was home-schooled and my program ran through most of June but I wanted to have a full three months of summer break. Since I had some control over when assignments could be completed, I worked hard at coming up with a schedule where all tests and assignments were completed by May 31st (I have a habit of being exact). I also worked in time to have fun with my friends.

I fully realized the usefulness of self-discipline in college. I was in work study on the grounds crew. You could make whatever schedule you wanted and change it whenever you wanted, as long as you got your work done. Not only was I able to arrange for going to the Opera and other fun events, I could also arrange the schedule to fit the needs of my classes. This was a great help in keeping my grades up.

I observed some of my classmates who struggled with self-discipline. They were in trouble with both classes and their work study. Class assignments and work hours would pile up because they would put them off for fun activities. Some of them still graduated but I could see that they were not able to enjoy school and college life as much as I was. Plus those grades I received have helped me get into the competitive Radiography program I am passionate about. In fact I would love to go on a tangent about that but I will restrain myself.

I now thank my dad over and over for getting me up on those cold dark mornings. My future has been warmer and brighter ever since then.