My First Blog

           Virtues are the lifeblood to our character, and we need them in order to have morality. Improving our virtues can allow us to open up into new perspectives, and live a fulfilled life. To be honest, I have many virtues that I need to work on, and with this experiment I am hoping to at least develop a little bit. My first virtue refers to the ability to become dauntless, and yes that was a faction in the movie Divergent. If you do not know, being dauntless means to show fearlessness, determination, and of course bravery. When someone is dauntless, they are incapable of becoming apprehensive or timid, like me. They are not afraid of literally anything, and they can overcome any obstacles and challenges that try to stumble upon them. Being dauntless allows you to go beyond the limit, and it helps you conquer both your fears and anxieties.

            I selected the virtue of being dauntless because I am very, very shy when I have to present in front of the class. When I stand there, I begin to shake so much that people probably think that I am a Chihuahua stuck in a human body. Before I even present, I feel very nervous, and my hands begin to sweat a lot, causing me to feel even worse. Well anyways, I just want to improve as much as it takes to become at least slightly fearless. I want to eliminate that nervousness, and replace it with a bold and brave personality. I hope I am not the only one who is stuck in this situation, like the gum under the desks. It is very hard to get over this shyness, but I am on the search for the cure. Or at least a way to keep me from trembling, and causing a massive earthquake.

            After taking a moment to think, I have come up with a plan to improve this virtue. First off, I would like to practice as much possible to know exactly what I am going to say before the time comes to present a project. Also, I should occasionally rehearse in front of a couple of friends or even just face a mirror. I would also like to take advantage of presentations in which we have to present as a group, like debates. This is pretty helpful, because I would feel more comfortable with people I know around me. In addition, I will attempt to raise my hand more often to either answer a question, or just ask one. I truly don’t know why I am very timid when it comes to raising my hand. It just feels as if the force of gravity is pushing down on my hand too hard, restraining me from lifting it.   

            The next virtue that I am wanting to develop is to be slightly more calm or relaxed. This value is pretty straight forward, but it means that you are relieved of tension or worry. One who is tranquil feels free from all pressure and stress involved throughout their lives. Just thinking about these words makes me picture the soothing ocean waves on a beautiful sunny morning. Being relaxed does not mean to be a couch potato all day, and to give up on your life. It simply just means that you don’t always have to be so strict, and you could be more at ease. There are also moments in life when the strain gets the best of you. However, when you can be serene in these situations, you can resolve them in a short amount of time without even noticing. These type of people seem to be flexible, and adaptive to any sort of change given to them.

            I choose this particular virtue of relaxation because I get really stressed out for many reasons. For one, when I get piles of homework, all my mental pressure begins to surface, and I get overly tense. This is really hard for me because once this happens, I cannot concentrate in my work, and that pulls me down to the ground, like a magnet. Also, when it comes to a final exam, I get very stressed because you have to study what you have learned all through-out the year, obviously. It is not the test that scares me, it is just the actual preparation for the test. For instance, when I am studying for those very crucial tests, I constantly get worried that I would not have enough time to cover the years’ worth of notes. I know it is normal to be stressed out, but I do not want to deal with so much pressure at times. I want to lower the amount of stress so I don’t grow too many gray hairs in my youth.

In order to become more tranquil, I need to build up a strategy to help me achieve that goal. One major method should be to manage my time. I normally do not think of this when I am trying to finish all that work given to me for home (Other known as homework). This is mostly because I am spending most of my time trying to finish those assignments in one day. Now that I am in High School, I now know that is not how things work around here. I need to buy some sort of calendar so I can plan what I am going to do each day before the deadline creeps around the corner. This way, I will have a sensation of relief that I was able to finish everything before it was due. Also, it would allow me to spend more time with my family, and may give me a more extended break period at times.

My final virtue that I will be focusing on throughout this experiment is pride and confidence. I know many of you readers may be relating this to being dauntless, but I am referring to this in a different way. When you are confident, it means that you have the quality of feeling satisfied with yourself and/or your abilities. Someone who may be confident knows that they put enough effort in their work, and they believe that they will greatly succeed at something. These type of people are greatly satisfied with the exertion that they put up with in order complete anything in general. One is confident when they never question or have lack of faith in their personal opinions. They do not hesitate, but they are one hundred percent assured with their answers. When you believe in something so very strongly and deeply, soon enough, those dreams will be accomplished.     

Being confident is pretty much the complete opposite of what I am. Someone who is confident is in the North Pole, and I’m down here in the South. I selected this virtue not because I do not put enough effort in my work, or not want to be something or someone in life. It’s just that whenever I either turn in my work, or complete an exam, I do not have enough self-confidence to think that I would do well. I may want to be more confident, but not over confident or immodest. That would just be plain rude. I would not like to brag to others about how amazing I think I did, leaving them to feel bad about themselves. Anyways, I want to gain enough dignity, so one day I can walk in without thinking twice, and answer a question that I truly know is right with all of my pride.

To make my virtue of confidence improve over time I have created my final experimental plan of action. My primary approach would be to try to incorporate my answer in a class discussion, whether it be right or wrong. This may help me over time, so I can gain a more mental and inner strength, and I would be able to express my opinions freely. Another option would probably be to study on a daily basis so I would feel more prepared for an exam. In addition, I would stick to my guts when all of a sudden a complex problem appears out of the bloom during a test. At times, I know my gut could be mistaken, but I’d rather stay attached to them, if you know what I mean. Yay, you have reached the end of this very long essay! I hope you enjoyed, and please leave comments below if you relate in any sort of way.