Anger makes motivation?

evolvedbullet

Senior member
Mar 11, 2006
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Alright, at the beginning of the year, I was rocking in school. That has it's reason; my step-cousin, Jennie, graduated High School as the top of her class and got accepted into UW-Madison. I have no idea if you know what this school is but this school is one of the top 3 colleges in the U.S (please pardon my English, for it is very bad :( ). I looked up to her as a friend and now seeing her make a success out of herself.. it makes me mad for some reason. I'm proud that she is making something of herself but I look at my situation and I am no where near the success that she has accomplished. I was barely getting straight A's (In my CAD class, I had a F; my German was a D; and my English was a C+) but I was well on my way to getting A's. I knew with that kind of commitment I had, I could get to the top. I lost that motivation now, I based all of my anger onto my step-cousin for being so smart and successful; that idea was a sponge, a sponge that ran dry.

I am now a Junior in school, coming up on the end of the year. I have 3 or 4 days left before the year ends and I want to leave my Junior year with a good mark. I have straight B's, an A, and an F in my CAD class. I know if I get my CAD class back up to an A, I can get put on honor roll :). But Straight B's is not acceptable, it is a good grade but it is no where near the expectations I set for myself. Perhaps I am being too hard on myself but I know that such a goal (the goal of reaching A's) is in reach. I couldn't got for this before since I was a bad student in the beginning of the year but now I am ever closer to accomplishing a dream come true.

If I get straight A's on my report card, I would be happy but that is only step one of three that I need to go through. I want to be alright with some musical instruments and then maybe know the German language all together. Such things would be hard to accomplish but with time and effort, anything is possible.

Sorry, I went on a big tangent there. My real question was can anger make me motivated? Is anger the missing key of being smart? Does it depend on the situation? Does it depend on my state-of-mind?

Why I brought such a question is up is because I spent an hour after school today talking to my teacher, after school that is. She told me alot of things, she is a good person to talk to and since she goes to college, I can get some info out of her about college. She looked like a very boring person, and I was right! Well anyway, today she kind of opened up to me. It was something unexpected but cool because we have discussions on occupations and this fuels the fire to that. She told me she made herself angry and sad so that she could do her business, thats how she finished High School a year before senior year (I really don't even think that's possible. She skipped her senior year in High School?!). The prospect of her graduating before many others was a depressing fact to face; right now I am feeling it and it sucks! It makes me feel as though I am not trying hard enough, I don't think I'm giving the best of my abilities to school. I truly need to make school an obsession or else I might regret it for the rest of my life.

I need to make some tough calls here. Sorry I went a little off-topic (or completely off-topic) but I think you folks got my point. Thank you guys for reading my essay. Have a free cookie :).

*I'll email it to you*
 

HN

Diamond Member
Jan 19, 2001
8,186
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Originally posted by: evolvedbullet
My real question was can anger make me motivated? Is anger the missing key of being smart?
Originally posted by: evolvedbullet
I lost that motivation now, I based all of my anger onto my step-cousin for being so smart and successful; that idea was a sponge, a sponge that ran dry.

I'm going to go with 'no'.
 

loup garou

Lifer
Feb 17, 2000
35,132
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I didn't read all of your post, but if it helps, UW is not anywhere near a top 3 school (it is within top 50 though).
 

rsd

Platinum Member
Dec 30, 2003
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Originally posted by: loup garou
I didn't read all of your post, but if it helps, UW is not anywhere near a top 3 school (it is within top 50 though).

I stopped reading when I saw that..
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
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I really didn't read your post, but anger can be a motivation. There's a theory (forget what it's called atm... right on the tip of my tongue too) that we need a certain amount of CNS energy to do things, especially focus. Emotions play a huge role in it, which is why if you're excited, happy, or angry, you can get certain things done faster.

It's used to help explain why stimulants help ADHD people... it's an oxymoron: you need stimulation to help calm overactive kids. But the theory goes, ADHD people have a sub-optimal level of this CNS energy, so they get distracted and seek out things that can increase this energy in them. It's similar to a coffee addict who wakes up in the morning before their coffee... they're slow, distracted, have difficult time concentrating, but then get some stims in them via coffee, and they're alert and can concentrate. Or if they wake up, before their coffee, walk down the stairs, and see the xmas tree on fire. They wouldn't need the coffee, because their CNS would kick in and the stimulation of a fire burning down the house stimulates them into acting.

Stimulants does the same thing to ADHD kids... it increases the CNS energy, so that their brain doesn't wander off and try to find other sources of experiences to increase the energy.

 

pcslookout

Lifer
Mar 18, 2007
11,959
157
106
Negative energy helps me gain a lot of position energy. Like when people curse me out I will get a lot of positive energy from that. I don't really care and love to take in negative energy.
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
5
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Originally posted by: pcslookout
Negative energy helps me gain a lot of position energy. Like when people curse me out I will get a lot of positive energy from that. I don't really care and love to take in negative energy.

Well, if you look like your avatar dingleberry, i can see why: you've had no choice but to adapt.
 

Dacalo

Diamond Member
Mar 31, 2000
8,778
4
76
Originally posted by: rsd
Originally posted by: loup garou
I didn't read all of your post, but if it helps, UW is not anywhere near a top 3 school (it is within top 50 though).

I stopped reading when I saw that..

Same here, the post lost credibility after that.
 

pcslookout

Lifer
Mar 18, 2007
11,959
157
106
Originally posted by: Looney
Originally posted by: pcslookout
Negative energy helps me gain a lot of position energy. Like when people curse me out I will get a lot of positive energy from that. I don't really care and love to take in negative energy.

Well, if you look like your avatar dingleberry, i can see why: you've had no choice but to adapt.

Adapt or die.
 

mooglekit

Senior member
Jul 1, 2003
616
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0
Originally posted by: evolvedbullet
...UW-Madison. I have no idea if you know what this school is but this school is one of the top 3 colleges in the U.S (please pardon my English, for it is very bad :( ).
Aha....ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahha
Thanks, that just made my morning! :D

Originally posted by: evolvedbullet
I was barely getting straight A's (In my CAD class, I had a F; my German was a D; and my English was a C+)
Now I'm seeing a bit of an issue here...

Originally posted by: evolvedbullet
but I was well on my way to getting A's.
Riiiiiiiiight...:confused:
 

Barfo

Lifer
Jan 4, 2005
27,539
212
106
Anger Leads To Hate, Hate Leads to Suffering...

anger is bad mmkay? it will take you to the dark side of the force.
 

IeraseU

Senior member
Aug 25, 2004
778
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Any emotion, including anger, can potentially be channeled into something positive.
 

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
11,631
11
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I went to UW madison and it's not the top 3. There may be some fields where it is among the best. I think it was in the top 20 for comp sci when I went per US N & WR.

The word is jealousy, not anger. Jealousy is a mediocre motivator. And so's anger. The only useful motivations are internal.