UGGGHHHH.....RESEARCH PAPERS!!!!!

A year ago I made the decision to return to school....if I had known that doing research papers was gonna be part of my curriculum I would have better prepared myself for this roller coaster ride on the "Kaplan Educational Highway". I love and enjoy doing the research for my papers but I however do not enjoy the process or the formalities involved with having to make it ready for "publication". It makes it even harder when I have two papers to work on at the same time. However I am staying strong , my classes have gotten a little harder as i get closer to my mark, and no matter what adversities may come my way, I am going to continue to press my way through.

PROCRASTINATION & DETERMINATION !!!!

I can recall times in my life, oh so bittersweet, where one of my biggest habits was to always put things off until the last minute. I felt like the stress and pressure of knowing that I was pressed for time and that I had a major deadline to meet made me work harder and that my work turned out better. Yes, I though this was true until about a year ago when I began taking online classes at Kaplan University. I must say that I have been "whipped into shape" I no longer wait until the last minute to do my assignments and I take great pride in my work and assignments. I have faced several adversities during my schooling in the past four months. I lost my home to a fire in April, I have had several deaths in my family in the past few months also but through it all I have remained steadfast and I am gong to remain strong and continue to do what I have set out to do, and that's to graduate and get my Associate's Degree in Applied Science focusing on Medical Office Management. I have received much encouragement from my family and friends , and I also want to encourage any one else out there who wants to go back to school just put your mind to it and it can be done, don't let it anyone tell you anything different.

" IF WE COULD TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME"

If we could turn back the hands of time ...to the days when we were young...and the hardest choices in life that we had to make were...do I wanna get on the merry-go-round or the swings...do I want the 48-count or the 64-count box of Crayola Crayons... when you didn't know what the in-crowd was or even much cared...when you went to school and actually learned something..and when friends stayed true no matter what and wasn't always trying to compete with one another. some parents today put so much pressure on their children to do good that eventually the pressure and the strain that it puts on them begins to be a weight to heavy for them to carry, and for some children this begins in their early childhood between the ages of 6-8. I myself have seen this firsthand....even to some children the importance of winning a simple card game may define to them their importance and significance of feeling like a winner. Simple games that are looked upon at being just for fun is a competition. a parent does not realize that this type of behavior may eventually lead to low self-esteem and can also lead to depression and suicidal thoughts should they ever lose in an competition that they feel may mean their life to them. So maybe incorporating into a young child's life the need to be so competitive, teach them to have fun and to enjoy what they are doing, because once they lose that innocence...they also lose a part of their childhood.

" BACKSTABBERS"

As we are children we are taught to always be careful and cautious of the people that we choose to be our friends, unaware at the time that our parents are merely teaching us that we simply can't trust everybody. Sometimes the main people that we place trust in are the main ones that turn around and stab us in the back and hurt us in the long run. Some people truly don't know the meaning of the word friend. A friend is someone who is going to be there whenever you need them, who will never turn their back on you, and when the going gets tough they are right there riding those tough times out with you. In the past ten years I have truly found out the hard way who my real friends are, and who they aren't. I appreciate those who stick by me when the going gets tough, and they help me through it. I appreciate those that are truly "GROWN" enough to accept me for strengths and my weaknesses and are "REAL" enough to tell me to my face when I've done something wrong or out of order. REAL friends stick together and won't talk about you behind your back they will always come to you and maybe even help you. Sometimes it is an even harder job being a friend to someone because some people really make you upset and will try to take your kindness for a weakness. So beware of those 'smiling faces' they don't always have good intentions in mind.