How difficult times helped reshape my academic performance

Life, they say, isn't a bed of roses; even if it were, we've got to learn that every rose has thorns, and difficult times are like the thorns in our Rossy life. A lot of people have gone through difficult times at one point or another in their lives, but then some traits or things they put in place helped them overcome those times. So have I, and I'll love to share my story with you all.

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I wasn't born with a silver spoon, so challenges have over time become one of my constant pals that I'll most likely face at almost every stage of my life, such as academic, relationship, financial, and several others. Although each seems to weigh me down at some point, at the end I usually overcome it when I put somethings in place, and those are what I'll be sharing with you all today.

I can vividly remember how bad I felt in my first year in the university after seeing my results. I was so disappointed in myself, dejected, and unsure of what the future had in store for me. Prior to gaining admission into the university, I was an average student in my secondary school days, but fast forward to my first year in the university, and everything has drastically gone south as regards my academic performance.

By the time dad saw my results, he was furious, he even threatened to stop funding my education if there isn't any significant improvement in my academic in the next section, can I blame him?Personally, I might do worse than that if I were in his shoes because I understand how bad he'll feel knowing fully well that the amount he paid to sponsor my elder brother's education until he was in my final year wasn't even up to what he paid in my first year at the university.

With all of this pressure from him. I put more pressure on myself because I knew I ought to do better. I can't repay the old man, who I know had to dive into a loan to sponsor my education with poor grades, so I made up my mind to make a difference and turn things around for myself. Among the things I put in place are those listed below:

• Try to identify the problem: One thing I did differently in my bid to make a difference was to engage in critical thinking aimed at identifying what I'm doing wrong and what stands as a barrier between me and good grades. I got to realize that one of such barriers is the friends I moved with, and another is simply because of some activities I indulge in, such as gaming when I ought to be reading.

_{***Thumbnail designed by me on canva.***} * **Cutting off the tides:** After identifying these barriers, I began to cut off my connection with each of them. The friends I moved with then weren't ones that were serious about their academics, and I guess their way of relating to their studies had a big impact on me, so I had to let them go. Another is gaming. I enjoy playing games a lot, and these got me addicted to the point where it took most of my time away from my academics.

• Building new/solid connections: As I was clearing out the bad eggs in my life, I also took out time to be on the lookout for my coursemates who are more intelligent and whose lifestyle suits mine, and then I tried to move closer to them and then learn and adopt their reading and serious mentality towards their academics. Rather than playing games too, I spend more time in schools attending any tutorial classes I come across that are related to the subject I'm offering.

• The difference is clear: Fast forward to several sections after, and my grades were getting better and better until I graduated, and the reasons for that can't be far-fetched. My dedication towards the bigger goals, which were to improve my academic performance in order not to disappoint my parents, kept me going, and that's how I moved from someone who narrowly escaped getting advice to withdraw from university to someone who graduated with good grades.

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That's about all on my entry for the Hive Ghana writing prompt. I hope you enjoyed the read and have a blessed and productive weekend experience.