Advanced Essay #1: No shortcuts

Introduction

The goals of this paper is to just tell people that they if they want to achieve their goals they should practice so you can be capable of achieveing your goals. I want people to just understand that if you taake time to imporve your skills it'll pay off in the end. I really proud of what I wrote because it gave me an oppurtunity to reflect and see how much I really grown from this experience.

No Shortcuts

I started to slow down and then... I started to walk...

“Don’t stop running keep going! I DIDN'T SAY STOP YET!!!!” said my coach ferociously.

You could hear the screams of agony fill the room. Everyone was feeling the ache and pains in the hamstrings and I saw the sweat dripping off of everyone. Everyone was putting in the work they needed to succeed in the upcoming track meet, and it was made apparent when we was done running up and down the steps because the smell spoke for itself. All I could think about during practice was pushing myself to go even further beyond, thinking that I could finally reach the gold. Then we started to get acquainted with push-up and all I saw was the dirty, the dusty, and somewhere in between, white floor as I continue to elevate myself to new heights. I started to close my eyes because of the dust but, also of the pain my arms had to endure. All I saw was the blackish red of my eyelids thinking to myself is this enough to get me to my goal.

The following day...

The day of the track meet, I remember it well. It was in the middle of March with a few clouds in the sky but, with the comforting sky blue and shining yellow sun that I know all so well.  It was almost my turn to run the 100 meter dash I heard a guy with confidence saying,

”I’m about to cook yall!”

I started to second guess my abilities...My heart started to race and started beating faster than my legs even move. I could feel an uneasy feeling in my stomach and a nervous drop of sweat starting to drip off of my already hot face. I could hear the the forbidden words from the guy who uses the pistol to start us off saying,

“Next runners take your spots!”

At that moment my heart dropped and I felt my body slowly inching forward to lane 5.

“Runners on your mark!” the man with the pistol exclaimed.

I got into the running position that I practice constantly during practice.  The runners beside me did there own forms and had determined expressions on their faces.  

“GET SET!!!” I slightly lifted my body up and my mind started to go blank like a white piece of paper not yet filled with the colors that makes it was it is.

“POP”  the gun wailed.

I launched myself forward and I can see runners beside me but, most importantly the end in front of me. I could feel the wind hitting my face and how much force applied to each step, quickly getting me to my destination with each second that goes pass. I could even feel my breathing trying to regulate itself to compensate for the speed I was going. Each second that went by I started to not physically see the other runners but, I could still hear the sounds off their feet hitting the ground. Even though my mind only had one goal as I was running, which was to get to the end, I still saw the red color track and the green turf in my peripheral. My arms were moving vigorously, matching the pace of my already tired legs. I was approaching the finish line and my brain started to fill itself with color instead of black and white. I started to remember what the guy said about cooking us in this race and I had a huge smile on my face. I crossed the white line which put a relief in my brain and my heart even though my heart was still racing. I then saw the guy who was talking trash come up right after me with a disappointed look in his face. He didn’t say anything. I started to come back to my senses and I could hear a lot of cheering. I was back in reality. I had a smile on my face but, I could still feel the impacts my feet had sustained from running. Nevertheless, I was happy because I realized that the shining yellow sun was shining on me because that was the first time I heard the golden words.

“You…...Came…...in……..first” my teammates told me.

I was ecstatic. I could not stop smiling my golden smile as my teammates kept trying to congratulate my victory.    

To sum it all up, there is no shortcut to greatness.  If you don’t practice how will you expect to succeed? The answer is you shouldn’t expect it because practicing allows you to improve one’s self and get more skilled at what you do. You need to practice to achieve your goals and watch in the end how all the work you put in it finally pays off. If you try to finesse your way to your dreams you only cheating yourself because when there’s a situation that demands your skill and you have none what then? Where do you go after that? This is why practice pays off because if you practice even the tiniest bit each day you’ll at least start to generate the skill to accomplish your goals.