The Importance of Discipline by Ivy

The Importance of Discipline by Ivy - February 2023 Scholarship Essay

The most important soft skill that I believe a person must possess to be able to do well and push themselves in their education is self-discipline. To put it in perspective, for almost any goal or plan that someone may have, the biggest obstacle that usually deters that person from accomplishing it, or even taking the first step, is themselves, to be more specific, their own mind. Those who are unfortunate enough to not possess self-discipline most times end up selling themselves short on their pathways to success or even give up halfway through their journey pursuing higher education. However, when someone possesses a highly developed sense of self-discipline, they are more willing to make ambitious goals, work towards them, and continue pushing forward when met with obstacles.

For example, when I was preparing to attend high school, in a meeting with my counselor and teacher, she saw my exemplary school records of perfect grades and performance. With that proof of my ability to learn quickly and excel at it, she recommended that I try a new fast track offered by my high school, Epic Charter School, that would allow me to graduate more than two years early at the age of fifteen. Basically, how the fast track operated was that I, the student, would complete an entire year of schooling in one semester; and therefore, completing four years of schooling in only two. Intrigued, I agreed that I'd try it and if I found I couldn't keep up with my current responsibilities as the oldest of five children, my extracurricular activities, and helping my family with our family business, then I would tell my counselor and I'd go toward the normal pace of schooling. At first, I found it not as difficult as I had initially thought considering I had already been taking advanced classes in middle school. However, that changed when I started to quickly lose motivation in my junior and senior year of high school.

During this time, my self-discipline was more important than ever. In order to maintain my work progress so that I could complete my schooling on time, I had to study for hours on end and continue to complete my assessments and assignments, and I had to do exceptionally well while also keeping up with everything else I had to do. I vividly remember sitting at my desk at six in the morning studying for exams as my sister had been promptly woken up from the sound of my fingers clacking at my computer keyboard and the sound of my pencil as I hastily scratched notes down onto my journal so that I could review it when I made my siblings breakfast two hours later when they would wake up. During that time, the very last thing I wanted to do was study, do tests, or anything related to my schooling. I would wake up at 5:30 in the morning and go to bed well after the rest of my family just so that I could cram in the remainder of what was due for my personalized schedule I made for myself. However, I knew that I could do it; I just needed to push through for just a while longer and it would be done. And I did it. I graduated high school more than two years early at the age of fifteen and am preparing to enter college at the age of sixteen.

The most important thing that I had needed in order to accomplish one of my greatest achievements, was self-discipline and in order to continue on striving toward my future goals and opportunities, self-discipline is as important as ever. I would have never made it this far without this skill and I know that many others have the capabilities to push themselves to do amazing things; they just have to be able to control themselves and have the strength to move forward. In conclusion, the soft skill that I believe holds the most important impact on our education, is our own self-discipline.