Importance Of Planning Ahead Essay Example

A trait that separates successful individuals from the rest is their ability to plan ahead. If you do not begin with a plan you are way less likely to succeed in life. Your ability to deal with distractions and temptations can either guide you to success or be the reason you miss it. Unfortunately I learned this the in the worst way during my high school junior year in the SATs. I was careless in High School and did not realize my actions would have a corresponding outcome. I believed I had plenty of time to get my act together. This proved to be barrier and made me less involved in my studies. 

As the SATs were approaching a month before it became a hot topic that everyone was talking about. Teachers started advising the students that this is a very important exam if not the most. Many teachers even started easing their coursework allowing students most time to study. While the others used this extra time to study. I instead used this extra time to slack off and play games on my console. I continued to ignore all the reminders given by my teachers and peers assuming I didn't need much time studying. There’s a famous quote and one my favorites “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” by Benjamin Franklin. I failed to set up a productive study plan which led to the predictable outcome of me getting score that I was very unsatisfied with. I failed understand the situation I was in. I later came to the realization when came the time to select Colleges to go to. Many of my peers and close friends were able to apply to top colleges because of their SAT scores and grades. This proved to be a big time wake up call for me. I had grown so use to my high school life that I forgot it had to end sooner or later and it was only temporary. I overlooked the importance of having a plan after high school. 

In “Failure is a good thing” by Jon Carrol discusses the concept of  how failure is often misunderstood, it can lead to better choices and positive changes in one's life. He uses his granddaughter as a reference, He talks about how he wishes she fails not because he does not care for her. Instead its because he is confident in the power of failure. He argues that this will prove to be a turning point for her and she will do better next time. Jon Carroll suggests that “Failure is how we learn”. I firmly agree with this statement. Through the criticism of my family and friends about my SAT scores I learned the skill of planning. I taught myself to get into the habit of creating checklists and setting reminders on the calendar app on my phone.