LCurrently I am enrolled in 3 band classes, volunteering in another, and taking piano. This makes my time very limited, and I've found that I tend to procrastinate homework - not a good idea. In the past few years, I would write down all of my assignments and look at them when I got home. I would complete my homework and turn it in on time. "Magically", I got straight A's. This year, I rarely pull out my planner and when I do, I haven't written down what I was supposed to do and I forget "just what page were we supposed to read to...?". Now I'm struggling to crank out the good grades, and I am constantly emailing my teachers about assignments that I had to make up. Now, not all of this is because of me being lazy (or rather, busy). Most of it is because I have been absent on the days in class when we take tests or do reviews (or whatever junk teachers assign). This first part is to say that I pledge to do better with remembering when assignments are due. This is going to make my friends relieved, because I've kind of been pestering them lately...
Okay, now on to band. Another part of my being busy is that I have to practice. And I mean PRACTICE. I am in band on two different instruments, and my mom is very strict about the piano - 45 minutes each day, no questions asked. Now, add 120 minutes of practicing on clarinet each week and 60 minutes of trombone to that. This makes a grand total of 225 minutes of practicing per week. Not counting lessons.
Like I said, I'm busy. Busy with school and busy with band. Throughout all of this, I still find time for scriptures.Yes, I do read them right before I go to bed, causing me to stay up longer. But I read them. It's like the piano, practicing, and homework. I'm very strict with it, but I'm telling MYSELF to read them. In Seminary we're supposed to set a scripture study goal, and we record how many school days we accomplish it. We then get rewards each term/every couple of weeks if we stay within a certain average. This is fun and it's a good incentive - but it's not good enough, at least for me. To me, reading the scriptures isn't just an "I'll do it to play games in class" sort of thing. To me, it's reading them every day - weekends included - and wanting to read them every day. Sort of like practicing. The more often you do it, the better you understand things and the more fun it becomes. Last year, I carried my scriptures with me everywhere. They were the only thing I read. Soon enough, I became sort of addicted to them and never wanted to do anything but read. I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time this February. And I must say, the amazing feelings I got when I read the Book of Mormon are the reason I read them every single day - without fail. Even if I'm collapsed on the couch throwing up all day. It's because I want to understand, I want to know, I want to read my scriptures and feel the spirit.
To sum it all up, be responsible. Be self-motivated. And most of all, care about what you're doing and think about WHY you're doing it. It isn't enough if it's just to humor your parents...
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