rebelling against low expectations

How do you stay motivated?

By Discussion Questions
April 7, 2015
639 comments
H

ALANA WRITES: Lately, I’ve been in a slump where I know I have to do something, but in the end nothing is usually done. I want to want to do hard things, but I’m backsliding on this commitment. How do I get out of this? What tricks have you discovered for staying motivated?

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Discussion Questions

are submitted by real rebelutionaries who are looking for godly answers to tough questions and lively conversation with other young adults. You can join the conversation by commenting below. If you'd like to submit your own discussion question, email us at [email protected].

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639 comments

  • I’m not really one to answer this… I constantly lack in motivation! I have figured out a couple of tricks, though:

    *Prayer. Praying for motivation is very helpful. But when God gives you that spark of motivation, hold onto it and don’t dismiss it.
    *Get rid of distractions that will draw you away from what you feel called to do.
    *Have accountability. Tell your parents or other family members what you want to do and allow them to push you to do it. (Ooh! I have an example! Earlier I told my mother, “Mom, this evening I need you to tell me to get on the treadmill.” Because I knew that with her pushing me to do something, I would.)

    Yeah, so there’s my limited advice!

  • What usually helps me to stay motivated is hearing other people’s stories, talking with them about whatever it is I’m wanting to do, and having someone else keep me accountable (as applicable). For example, if I’m trying to be a better sibling, and I’m feeling discouraged or overwhelmed, it would help me personally to talk to someone else about what I’m dealing with, and hear their story of what they’ve done to be a better sibling to their own brothers/sisters, or what they’re doing to fix it. Hope that helps!

  • to stay motivated you have to want it or have a burning desire to do it

  • Umm…I’m probably not the greatest one to answer this, but I’ve found that if you remind yourself why you want to do something, and why you committed to do it in the first place, it gets a little easier. To be honest, perserverance can be the hardest part of doing hard things, but keeping going, even in the little things that don’t always look like they matter is super important. Little steps add up! 😀

  • I strugle with this a lot when it comes to school. And I’ve come up with what helps me. It might not be the best but here it is.

    I simply have to keep my eyes up and remember why I’m doing what I’m doing. For example my goal is to attend the United States Naval Academy. It’s really hard to get in and the only way I have a fighting chance is if I get good grades among other things. So I made a card that says in big letters, “United States Naval Academy. Class of 2021” and I put it on my desk so I can see it while I’m doing my school work. That way every time I see that card I can look forward to my goal of getting into the Naval Academy and I’ll be willing to put the extra effort into what I’m doing. I simply have to remember why I’m spending hours on science I don’t like.

    Does that make any sence? I hope it helps.

  • I have the problem of needing motivation a LOT. One thing I really need to remember is to not over-commit myself in the first place. I may be a Rebelutionary, and I definitely want to push myself to do hard things, but I am a mere mortal. There is only so much I can realistically do. Don’t set yourself up for failure by making impossible standards!
    When trying to self-motivate, keep in mind that every person is different, and something that really motivates one person may just distract the next. Here are the top 3 things that usually work for me:
    1) Remind yourself (often) of the goal. If I’m doing school work, I think of how nice it will be to graduate high school early after working extra hard now. If I’m organizing my bedroom (bleh) I think of how easy it will be to locate my things in the future, now that my system is more efficient.
    2) Get accountability. This could be a friend, parent, teacher, anyone who will make sure you live up to self- or outside-imposed deadlines. Maybe even have them check up on you at a set regular time, to see that you’re on task.
    3) Set up a reward system for yourself. This could be as small as saying, “Okay, I will not check email until I get ___ amount of school work done,” or “I will not eat lunch until ___ is done.” Maybe it will be bigger, like “I will buy/do [thing you really want] if I finish school for the year by [realistic, set date].
    This turned out kinda long, but hopefully you got what I’m trying to say. 🙂 Great discussion question, Alana!

  • This is a really great question. I am someone who gets bored extremely easily. It is very easy for me to get discouraged (if anyone can relate to that). But what I find most helpful when I am lacking motivation.
    Accountability and prayer partners: I think a lot of the times Satan tell us “You are fighting by yourself. No one is here to fight with you, so why even try to do the hard things?” But he is wrong. Brothers and sisters in Christ are there to fight low expectations with you. They are there to pray with and encourage you. But they are also there to hold you accountable to your words and actions. Ask someone who you trust and is God-honoring to fight with you and do the hard things.

  • Hey Alana! First off, thanks for asking this question! I think it is something we all struggle with at some point. I know i do! Here’s a few things i try to keep in mind, though.

    Pray for God to give you a desire to do things for His glory. Rely on Him for the strength and motivation you need. His Word is a great place to find motivation, (or in my case, conviction to get off my couch and do something;))

    Accountability is the first thing that came to my mind when i saw this question. Staying motivated in tasks is sooo much easier with a friend to help you through it 🙂

    I hope this helps a little!

    ~Haylie

  • Not really…You have to stay motivated to do chores otherwise they wouldnt be done,and I dont think many people here like chores. There is lots of other versions/ways I could describe your wrong,but I dont want to waste your time.

  • For me being part of a church who are committed to encouraging and praying for each other is HUGE.

    And of course, always go back to the Bible. Because when things get rough you’re not going to stay because somebody said it’d be a good idea. But if the God of the universe is demanding obedience, you’ll do it.

  • Good advice! 🙂 I think that just because it’s something we’re figuring out ourselves (myself included), it doesn’t mean that we can’t share the ways we’re trying to get it right. You know what I mean?

  • “I am a mere mortal.” I’m sorry; even though it doesn’t even make any sense for him to say something like that, I heard those words in Loki’s voice. XD wow…
    But in all seriousness, great thoughts! 🙂 I’m not very good at the reward system, though. After one or two times, I tend to skip the work and go straight for the reward. 😛 I know, very Rebelutionary of me. I’m working on it! 🙂

  • A few practical ways of getting through the day…

    First off, what distracts you? What is UNmotivating you? For me, my phone and computer are huge distractions from doing things. (Like now, when I’m supposed to be getting ready for bed… oops) So when I know I need to be fully focused, I hand in my phone to my mom, with strict instructions to not let me have it back until my work is done.

    Secondly, you might feel a bit more motivated if you get up earlier in the morning. Don’t let yourself drag out of bed and start the morning lazily. Jump out of bed, eat some breakfast, sing to some music, read a book outside, do something that gets you energized and motivated about life in general. Something that gets you happy and cheerful and ready to start the day and praise the Lord!

    Lastly, it helps me to have someone else in the room. I know they’re watching me and can see if I’m getting distracted or not, and while it’s extremely frustrating at first to not let yourself be distracted, you’ve just got to train yourself out it.

    And like everyone else is saying, prayer is good. But (for me, at least)
    prayer can also just be another distraction or drudge from doing what I
    need to do.

    The hardest part is starting. When the backyard is covered in weeds and my dad tells me to pull them all, I figure that if I just start, I’ll eventually be done. It’s not going to take forever if I force myself to start the work. After I force myself to start, I can make the work entertaining by praying and/or listening to music or something.

    Just force yourself to give up the distractions, be happy about it, let someone keep track of your work, and START.

  • Haha! I like *having* a clean room, but the whole process of cleaning and organizing seems like a waste of time when I have other stuff to do…

  • Exactly!!! Especially when you’re going to reuse the stuff on the floor soon (aka in a few weeks or never), so what’s the use of putting it away now? 😛

  • I have always been an early riser, but when I was younger I used to go to bed at 9 or even 9:30 pm! I also used to read secretly after my light was turned out, and I was finding it so hard to get up in the mornings and concentrate on what I was doing during the day. Now I go to bed at a reasonable 8 pm and don’t read after the light was put out, and now I get up at 6 or 6:30 am and accomplish so much more in my day! Also I feel more alert and able to concentrate than I used to!

    Hope this helps 🙂

  • Wow I never go to bed at 8! Most nights it’s past 9:30… Sometimes we have something going that prevents me from getting to bed on time, but even if getting to bed late is preventable, I still find it so hard to do! UGH!! Great job on disciplining yourself and getting your sleep! 🙂

  • Was it? I just didnt think he was right and I said why. But if you say it was rude,im sorry.

  • Lol I need to get to bed by 9, lately I’ve been up watching the Andy Griffith Show (I know…gotta love old TV shows!) so it’s more like 9:30 now. It’s kinda hard to go to bed earlier once you get used to staying up later 🙁

  • I don’t think you meant to come across harsh or rude, Benji.

    But you have to be careful writing online because people can read your comments in a different “tone of voice” than what you intended.

    It’s always a good idea to pause before submitting a comment and ask yourself whether it could be taken the wrong way.

  • Kate, I get bored easily too! (and distracted) 😛 But, good thing I’m homeschooled so I wouldn’t get in trouble at school! 🙂

  • I know! I’ve been getting to bed at 10-11pm=P it’s a bad habit my whole family is trying to break. For awhile, I had been getting up at 5:30 so I would have time to read my bible and pray before I had to make breakfast (that’s my job every morning). Unfortunately, that only lasted for about a week. I had a couple bad days where I got to bed at 11:00pm or later, and I was toast. I really need to get back into getting up early.I know that I always felt so accomplished when the clock would roll around to 8am and I had already done so much! (as opposed to dragging myself out of bed at 8:30…)

  • Oh my gosh, I would ALWAYS read under my covers with a flashlight until 2-3am when I was younger! I miss having time to just sit and read for hours, I was always such a bookworm:) but now with my procrastination and other bad habits, I haven’t had time to do the things I enjoy!

  • Haha yeah. I am pretty good at procrastinating:) Agh, homeschool is great. I was homeschooled for two years! I got to spend a lot of time with my mom and little brother. And wake up late.

  • Yeah, ikr? I should stop going to bed so late. I usually go to bed between 11 and 12. I don’t recommend that 🙂 *yawns*

  • I know I would! Sometimes I manage it, but I just can’t keep it up. It’s tough because my parents go to bed pretty late too, and I can’t imagine going to bed while they’re still up. 😮

  • Like Gabrielle S. said… Get rid of all distractions! My mom calls it “detoxing.”

    Then it’s time to refocus! I personally “refocus” by reading the entire Book of Revelation. I always feel the Holy Spirit nudging me to “get started” when I get to the end of the last chapter and I read the the following words: “And, behold, I [the LORD JESUS CHRIST] come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according to his work shall be… Surely, I come quickly!”

    We don’t have much time left here on earth to serve our Lord Jesus Christ… so keep your lamp burning! Don’t let it fade or go out! Be sure to have extra oil on hand… The Bridegroom is on His way!

  • I know what you mean! I usually get up around 8:00, and I walk around in a daze for a couple hours without actually doing anything. But if I get up around 6 or 7, I feel energized and get a lot of stuff done. The problem is being able to get up. 😛

  • This is so true… Usually when we’re unmotivated, we aren’t just sitting in a dark room somewhere staring at the four walls! We have our phones, tablets, tv, etc.

  • Haha, it was too stuffy to sit under my covers, but I would always have a flashlight or two on hand and I’d read with my book and half of my head under my pillow! XD

  • Yeah… But if I happen to get to bed early, that’s automatic reading time for me. 😉 Maybe I could talk to them about figuring something out…

  • Btw, thanks for the follow on my blog! I’m going to check out yours as soon as I get the chance. 🙂 I didn’t even know you blogged!

  • That is well said. I really struggle with staying motivated, and part of the problem is that I tell myself whatever it is I am trying to do can wait…yet like you commented, Christ is coming soon. Thank you!

  • Oh no problem! I was excited to see that you had a blog. I really like it!

    Yeah, I love writing! I don’t have very much on my blog yet, but I’m working on it. 🙂

  • Thanks!! 🙂 I’ve fallen behind in writing but I’m trying to get back into the habit. So how long have you been blogging?

  • Weeeeeell, it’s been off and on for about four years. I used to have a blog on blogspot.com, but I didn’t really like how the website operated, so I made a WordPress one in December. I’ve been blogging more seriously since then. 🙂

  • Cool! I’ve only ever used WordPress, but from what I’ve seen it’s the best out there. I’m coming up on five years of blogging this summer. 🙂 so… Why did you start blogging?

    (p.s. “Weeeeeeell”–I like that:)

  • That’s my mentality with the bed. Why make a bed? I’m just gonna pull it back again tonight. Why do my parents not agree… 🙂

  • WordPress is SOOO nice! I love how simple and pretty it is. 🙂
    5 years! Thats a long time! I started blogging on a whim. I knew I liked to write and journal, so I decided to start sharing thoughts with the world. My purpose now is to advocate and educate. 🙂 You?

  • That’s something I now manage to get done in the mornings now that I can get up at 6 – I couldn’t change the sheets on my bed every week without M and D ‘s help tho until just a couple of months ago 🙁 Your bed does look much nicer during the day when it’s made tho. ;-D

  • Yes! By the way, how long have you been on the Reb? I don’t think I’ve seen you before–but forgive me if I’m wrong because that’s totally possible! 🙂

  • Yes! 🙂 Even though staying up late isn’t that big of an imperfection, it’s really nice that we are able to share our struggles.

  • I have to listen to music while I read or else I’ll start day dreaming. It sounds weird but it helps me focus.

  • Hmm, okay, that sounds like a good reason. I’ll admit, I listen to music sometimes while I do school, but it’s just hymns on the piano with no singing, and I have the volume low, so it’s not too bad.

  • Yes! And it’s a great community as well.
    That’s awesome! I love how, over time, we begin to discover what exactly we’re trying to achieve. The blog starts to reflect us more, if you know what I mean. 🙂 I started the day after I started reading Do Hard Things. I’ve always liked to write as well, and I think, as I read the book, I felt God calling me to write about Him–and I have been ever since! 🙂

  • His song “The gift” is the only song I’ve ever heard that made me cry! It was playing during a really convicting email on world missions, and I cried because of the email. Now I think of that every time I hear the song. He’s an amazing pianist!

  • Yes, for sure! He’s got some amazing piano hymns, and a lot of other songs that are also that soft, relaxing style that aren’t hymns but are still incredible!

  • I can’t imagine life without those things! I’m not going to rob girls of them! I can’t imagine not being able to do that stuff when I’m stressed. Or just in need of some fun! Oh, and kayaking!

  • Lol, yup. Well, the lunch may not be boring, but I don’t like eating and just staring into space. So what kind of books do you like to read? 🙂

  • Mostly theology. Some light theology (David Platt, Francis Chan) and some deeper stuff (Michael Horton, just getting into C.S. Lewis’ theology books). An occasional novel or historical fiction. I’ve read quite a few biographies too, although not in quite a while! How about yourself?

  • Yeah, stop ruining my rep! Pardon defyingdepravity, @Kittenese:disqus she forgot to take her anti-delusional meds last night.

  • Oh, yeah, I always forget to take those too! XD
    And @defyingdepravity:disqus …it’s my fault for not reading your bio, but for some reason I assumed you were a guy. 😮 sorry! Lol 🙂

  • Nice! I read some biographies and Christian non-fiction (I guess theology would fall there; I’ve read Francis Chan and I’d like to read C.S. Lewis’ theology books as well). Any novel that catches my eye, though not as much anymore. I love classics as well. Tolstoy’s War and Peace is one of my favorites. 🙂 The books that have been keeping me up lately are mostly Christian fiction.
    How about favorite authors? (I know this can be a tough one.)

  • Oh my, umm, Michael Horton is a good, thought-provoking one, although I’ve only read one of his books (trying to read another). C.S. Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters” and “Mere Christianity” definitely put him high up on the list. Again, what I’ve read from John Piper is very good.

    What about you?

  • Totally! I do that all the time, but I’m trying to quit, because it’s ruining my concentration in school. And also I’ve heard that the blue wavelength of light can really disrupt your circadian rhythms after about 8 pm. And it can also increase your chances of getting some types of cancer! (Random health info I’ve picked up over the years.)

  • Quite honestly, I’m not sure how to help you, because I’m going through the same kind of things myself! Since I’m supposed to graduate this year, I really need to stay on task and get my schoolwork done. Some days this comes really easily, but many times it’s a struggle to sit down and do it. I find, for me, it helps if I don’t let myself be distracted by unnecessary things when I need to get something done. I basically won’t leave my room until I’ve done at least 50% of what I need to do. If I do, it’s “squirrel!” and I won’t be back for another 3 hours. And praying obviously helps. Just keep looking forward! 🙂

  • HOW DID YOU GET AWAY WITH THAT?!?!?!?! I probably tried, but never got away with it!

  • You don’t eat lunch with your family? And you and @Kittenese:disqus can read during lunch?! *mind blown*

  • Do your parents not regulate bedtimes?! And how do you get up in the morning? Seriously, how do you get up on time? I go to bed fairly early (most of the time) but I can’t sleep until ridiculously late so then I have trouble getting up when everyone else does.
    @a_haylie:disqus and @Kittenese:disqus (love your username!) any ideas?

  • How can you not read during lunch? I have a really hard time sitting still and not reading! My family does have a very relaxed lunch, though. 🙂

  • Well, my brother doesn’t eat lunch, my dad’s at work, and my mom runs a home business, so she eats whenever she feels like it. My parents raised us to be pretty independent, so we make our own lunch at whatever we time we get hungry and it fits each of our schedules. And yeah, since I eat by myself, I read while I do it! It’s a free 30-45 minutes!

  • Yeah, I get up at eight usually, but then there are those times when I sleep through my alarm (this morning). Those are great times, until you wake up and realize you’re an hour behind where you should be!

  • Wow… Sounds crazy… My family is pretty structured, so I can’t think what that’s like. I mean, we have a set time for lunch, my dad comes home from work, everyone eats at that same time…
    jc, what do you do for lunch with just one person? leftovers?

  • Ha, I just make enough for me! I make a couple sandwiches or heat up some leftovers from last night’s dinner, or something similar. Yeah, structured isn’t the word I’d use for my family. No one in my family is super organized, so we just kinda do whatever works! My dad works an hour from home, so coming home from work doesn’t work well. Dinner is the only meal we eat as a family.

  • Umm, i don’t usually have to get up that early, soooo… I would say, have a parent or sibling get you up, not just an alarm clock. It helps me to have another human get me out of bed 🙂 About falling asleep, i don’t have any advice. I’m so tired by the time i go to bed, it’s not usually a problem!

  • Yeah, and then it feels like you have to play catch-up all day! I do not like those days 😉

  • Can’t get enough of ol’ Fike, eh? 😉😉 Got my bullet?! Yeah I got it!

  • Yeah. What Brett said. 🙂 But it’s perfectly fine to disagree with somebody.

  • Cool, I’ll check those out! I actually requested Screwtape Letters from the library a couple weeks ago, so hopefully that will come soon.
    I’ll go ahead and answer your other question here, since they’ll kind of overlap. 🙂 Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti write some of the best Christian fiction (and books in general) I have ever read. I would say that most of their books fall in the thriller genre. Um…all the other ones coming to mind right now are probably too girly. 😉 Of the ones I’m reading now, Robin Parrish and CJ Redwine seem good, but I’m not too familiar with them. But some other favorite authors include Melanie Dickerson, Shannon Hale, Jane Austen, and Bethany Jett.

  • I love Shannon Hale! And I like Melanie Dickerson pretty well, but her views on love are a little different from mine.

  • Oh my goodness! Thank you for recommending him! I just found him online after reading your comment, and I really like his music!

  • Good! I’m glad to hear it. He’s probably my favorite purely piano artist! He’s the guy I turn on while I read my Bible to get me into the mood to really meditate. Glad you like it!

  • Me too!!! When I’m reading a good book that’s just SO good, I literally can’t stop reading and all of a sudden it’s like 2:30 am :P.

  • Hey, that’s okay, I’ve been mistaken for being a guy in person, too. (Okay, so it was a really ancient lady, and I had my hair pulled back and was wearing jeans… alright, I’ll cut her some slack.)

  • *gasp* How is this possible?! Are you saying you haven’t seen it? (Which is the only plausible explanation I can think of:)

  • I wish I could get up at 8:00! I have to be up by 6:00 to catch the bus to school.

  • Well, my mom and dad are usually at work, so yeah, I eat lunch alone. But when my mom’s home, she reads too! Or we watch Netflix. 🙂

  • Great! Happy to have helped! And just so you know, the four at the end are the girly ones I mentioned. 🙂 But they are very good.

  • Oh, sorry, not a fan of girly ones! I recognized the name Jane Austen, but I wouldn’t have the known with the others until I opened up the cover and thought “Ack!”

  • Oh, that would have been my dad! That does sound like something that particular wise old guy would have said though! Ha, ha.

  • Yes! Shannon Hale writes some of the best fantasy I’ve ever read! I love books that reinvent fairy tales. The Once Upon A Time series does a really good job of that too.
    Actually, I’ve only read one of Melanie Dickerson’s books. It was just so good! But I’m curious now, what do you mean by that?

  • Yes! If I don’t play music when I work on math, it’s really hard for me to focus. I’ll start writing books in my head 😉

  • Well, I haven’t read her most recent ones, but I’ve read her first three books. I actually do really like them, I just feel like she’s a bit unrealistic. For instance, it seems like she thinks that it is impossible to keep yourself from falling in love with another person, even when you know you can’t marry that person. (Sorry, that’s a bit confusing.) Which one of her books have you read?

  • No, but it’s most convenient. I’ll poke around a little more. I stream all my music from there, so that’s naturally the first place I look.

  • Same. Except I’ll be on the battlefield before I’m a paragraph into the book I’m reading unless I listen to music.

  • Thanks! 🙂 Oh, I don’t know…my cat won’t leave me alone once my alarm rings, so it’s pretty hard to go back to sleep! I’ve tried putting my alarm clock across the room, but it makes me dizzy getting up so fast, and I’m not fully awake yet so I just fall back into bed. 😛

    If anyone who has trouble getting up in the morning is interested, why don’t we try a challenge? We could agree to get up at a certain earlier than we usually get up, and report back here tomorrow to see how we did. 🙂 It sounds a little silly, but knowing I’m not the only one doing something really motivates me. I know my mom would be thrilled if I got out of bed before 8. XD

  • Lol. Or daydreaming about superheroes. That’s a pretty common one for me. Sometimes I go on daydreaming “fasts” (weird, I know). I promise myself I won’t daydream for a day or two, and it’s amazing how much I get done!

  • Aw… I’m not sure whether to laugh or sympathize. I think I’m leaning toward laughing… XD gah! I’m sorry, that just cracked me up for some reason.

  • It’s completely understandable. Although, I was wearing some headband, and had on some glitter things on my skinny jeans, and was only about 11, so at the time I thought it was a mix between insulting/funny. Now I think it’s just flat-out funny!

  • Hey, don’t judge. 😉 jk! Yeah, I don’t know…I think it stems from growing up playing Barbie dolls with my dad…all my Barbies had superpowers. It was actually pretty awesome. XD

  • With your dad? Wow, Christy, what all can I learn from you to use against you one day… jk! That’s okay, I had some other closely related *sibling* to do stuff like that with me. 🙂 *Note: a long time ago, back when I was young. ;)*

  • @lotr540:disqus @disqus_oMHOgFTIn3:disqus Awesome! So do we want to try to get up at the same time or pick our own times?

  • I don’t know, what time you thinking about. I normally get up at eight, I think you said something similar. What are y’all thinking?

  • Lol, I know. 🙂 I’m an only child, and my mom was way too practical to understand the point of dolls, so it fell to my dad. I think it worked out well…we had these complex story lines that could rival the likes of Supernatural and Fringe. 😉 It was great for the budding writer in me!

    And *sibling* ??

  • Sounds good for me 🙂 So, we all have the same certain time? I might not be on here later; family event and all (which I should actually be getting ready for right now). So… I wouldn’t see your agreed-on time probably :/ What if we said “An hour earlier than your normal time” or something like that?

  • Yeah, 8’s the usual for me. Check out what @mimeforjesus:disqus commented above, I think it’s a good idea! 🙂

  • Genius! 😀 So that’s 7 for me. (Ugh…lol.) And we’ll come back here tomorrow if we can to let each other know how we did?

  • talk to ya both tomorrow, @Kittenese:disqus and @disqus_oMHOgFTIn3:disqus Gotta go to my sister’s concert 🙂

  • I read The Healer’s Apprentice. I can understand that…it’s just such a cliche romance/fairy tale kind of love that I probably overlooked it, if that makes sense. And it wasn’t confusing! 🙂 Hmm…have you ever read Melody Carlson or Beverly Lewis?

  • I used to do that. But when you get almost 6 or 7 hours of schoolwork in a day (that was a normal day in 9th grade), I had to stop. Oh man…it’s been a while since I’ve been able to just read a good book. Now I’m stuck reading stuff like Dante’s Inferno and Don Quixote for schoolwork!

  • So maybe I’m not the only one who thinks Dug was the best character in the entire movie??

  • My family is somewhat in the middle… most days I eat lunch with my mom and siblings, but there are a few occasions when I have to find something for myself. My dad has a hectic work schedule and can’t join us most of the time.
    I usually try to make something (fairly quick) when I’m on my own for lunch, but half the time I make too much food and have to share. Guess I’m used to cooking for large families. 😉

  • I’ll do it! That’s 6:30(ish) for me. Tty tommorrow! I’m glad we’re doing this; I’ve been sick and really tired for weeks, and I need to get back into a regular sleep routine. This is a start, at least. 🙂

  • lol, my excuse for staying up too late lately has been “catching up on school” [note quotation marks], but then I somehow wind up on here… 😉 Yeah, I need to go to bed early again!

  • I’m a junior in high school, and I do the exact same thing. I have realized though, that if I get on the computer or phone first thing in the morning and spend more than 15 minutes on there, that sets the tone (if you will) for the rest of the day. I believe the screen makes me unproductive and feel rather lazy.
    Hope that helps! Its a terrible habit and I’m trying to get out of it. Its rough. 🙂

  • Lol I’m not hardcore but yeah I like to watch them! We have all the seasons.

  • This is the question of my life!! I find it so hard to focus and get work done. For example, I have done about 3 months of AWANA work in the last 2 weeks because I slacked off and didn’t keep up with it… I would suggest sitting down and getting the most important thing done as soon as you can in the day. Set a timer, and work for a certain amount of time on that, then take a short break. It keeps you from feeling like you will be working for hours and hours, and you can convince yourself to work hard for 20 minutes, or whatever time limit, then take a short break (maybe 5-10 minutes).

  • Pray.
    That is the best advice.
    You cannot simply want to do something if you don’t want to do it.
    Pray for the desire to act according to the will of God.

    Prayer takes time, and saint pray and get done more in less time.
    Tom Mohaghan

    If you pray constantly then you can realize that everything you do is for the glory of God and only then can you find the motivation to do hard things. The desire to do Gods will is a grace that we cannot achieve alone. Pray for this grace. Also find someone who will not only hold you accountable but will also call you to a higher standard. Don’t be content in doing the bare minimum. Exceed all expectations including your own. But don’t forget to be happy every once and a while.

    We are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun.
    William Glasser

    God Bless!

  • Haha, that’s fine. 🙂 Movies are fun, but they aren’t life. So please don’t get me wrong; while I think you’ll enjoy it if you get the chance, there’s nothing wrong with you not having seen it. It bothers me when people act like there is. :/ So I may go movie-nuts for a moment sometimes; just wait for my common sense to catch up! 🙂

  • XD I just realized my friends and I qoute movies! We quote the Dark Knight trilogy all. the. time.

  • I love Beverly Lewis’ Summerhill Secrets. I haven’t read much else of hers, but I like what I have read. Never tried Melody Carson.

  • Sorry! I had to go eat dinner! And I never got back! I would prefer to pick my own time. I usually get up between 8 and 9, so aiming at about seven thirty would be good for me.

  • I like Frozen a fair amount, but after about five watchings, I’ve had enough. Although I’ve been known to randomly sing “Let it Go” when someone says it! (By the way, if we’re going to get up earlier, we’d better get off the computer!) 🙂

  • Lol, yeah, I’m not above making Let It Go jokes! I don’t dislike it; tbh, it’s a good movie in many ways. But there are much better movies out there. Plus, when a movie is praised far beyond what it deserves, it lowers my opinion of it. I can’t really help it! 😮 Personally, I think a Tangled was a hundred times better than Frozen… 🙂

  • Cool! I was just curious. I’m not sure if I would recommend Melody Carlson. I used to love her. She writes Christian chick-lit, and it’s very fun and down to earth. But a few of her books (especially in her “Color Me” series) just didn’t work for me. She was trying to portray sin and how the main character, through God, overcame it. I liked that. But I found that, personally, she got more descriptive (regarding the sin) than necessary at times, and it made me uncomfortable. Does that make any sense?

  • Yeah, Tangled is probably one of my favorite movies ever! (By the way, one of my best friends looks just like Rapunzel! Except for the hair…) But I like Frozen because it struck a chord in me in so many places. I realized that I might end up shutting people out if I don’t make the effort to spend time with them. (Siblings in particular.) And I love how they actually pointed out that falling in love with a person you’ve just met is not true love. (And Olaf’s definition of true love made my friend so happy because Disney finally got it right!)

  • What time zone are you in? It looks to me like you got up at 8:00! 😉 Seriously, though, way to go!

  • Middle! I got up at 6:45 after the worst night’s sleep I’ve had in forever! I even got up before my alarm went off. You got up on time, it seems! Good for you too!

  • But it was kind of accidental. Around 2am, a really loud thunderstorm started and woke me up. And I was really hoping it would go away and not strike the trees in our backyard. Everything’s fine, but the rest of the night wasn’t very restful.

  • Well, it looks like everything was trying to stop us from getting up early! Have you heard from @Kittenese:disqus or @ruthie_c:disqus yet?

  • I love Tangled!! Rapunzel is my favorite Disney princess, and everyone says my personality is really similar to hers (well, except that she’s animated…).
    Ikr, it’s about time Disney got true love right!

  • “Squirrel”!! Lol!! Pray and ask… Stop and focus! Do hard things! Prioritize… It’s the only way… Everything in our lives must be funneled through a filter of faith in Jesus! Ask, and you will receive… Period, exclamation point!

  • I’m a really heavy sleeper, and I have to put my alarm clock in a different place every few days so I don’t accidentally ignore it or something. xP But yep, there’s always tommorrow!

  • The other morning my family was saying when I woke up “Wow, that was a really loud thunderstorm last night!!” and I was like “Wait, there was a storm?”

  • I’ve had that happen! Or, “the dogs went crazy last night. There was a raccoon up in the yard.” I’m always able to give an intelligent response though, something like “Huh?” or “What?” or “Wait, we have dogs?” or “Wait, we have a yard?” I’m a little foggy with sleep sometimes!

  • That’s awesome! I can understand that. Part of the reason everyone likes Frozen so much is because it goes against the Disney norm–“You can’t marry a man you just met.” But personally, I don’t watch a Disney movie because I want a realistic portrayal of love; I watch it for the silly, fun, fairy tale type of love!
    This is random, but I think I would have enjoyed the movie more if it didn’t have the trolls. They just didn’t make much sense (and their song was kinda bleh). Also, who was the main character in that movie?? I know the answer is Anna, but I honestly got much more attached to Elsa. :/
    Ok, rant over. 😉

  • Hi! 🙂 I got up on time but didn’t get a chance to get on here until now. Sooo tired, though. My plan to go to bed early failed miserably. 😛 I had a pretty rough night.

  • That makes three of us. I went to bed at ten, laid there until 11:20, finally got up and read until 12:30, and probably feel asleep at 1. So I’m not in my most alert state! Oh, well, in theory then, I should be tired and ready for bed tonight early to try this again!

  • Man. 🙁 I got in an argument with my mom (which rarely happens) and cried myself to sleep around one. So yeah, hopefully tonight will be better!
    Btw, what time zone are you in?

  • Yeah…I think it’s largely because Disney challenges its own stereotypes in that movie. That’s the reason critics like it anyway. But if you ever do watch it, try to forget everything you’ve heard about it. I know that’s kind of impossible, but I think that if I had watched without any expectations, I would have enjoyed it more. So if you can… 🙂

  • Cool! I drive through Mississippi every few months on my way to GA to visit my brother, sister, and a mess of nieces and nephews!

  • Yeah, his newest one I’ve read is the “Auschwitz Escape” which is good. I think my favorite is “The Ezekiel Option”, but he’s several good ones!

  • Haha, I’ll wave next time you go by! That’s cool that you go to visit them so often. I have family in northern Alabama and Georgia that I haven’t seen in several years.

  • I can so connect with this…

    Let me guess… you know that there are things
    that need to be done, but you are too depressed
    about things in your life, that you wish were different?

    So what happens?

    Usually the day is spent trying to avoid the pressure
    of life.

    You may immerse yourself in a video game or a book.
    You may just sit around thinking of what you could do.

    But, we should do what’s right.
    So, how can we be motivated to stick with it?

    “I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me.”
    Philippians 4:13 New King James Version (NKJV)

    Christ is our answer, and our motivation!
    Pray to Him, and be inspired by His life and His Word (The Bible).

  • Yer welcome! This is definitely something, I too, have to constantly remind myself of…

  • Also I am in the process of making an article.
    It may deal with this issue also.

    It will be titled “Feelings… So Uncomfortable”.

    I hope to finish this hard thing. 😀

  • Thanks – I understand. Did you manage to get up early this morning? Actually, I’m not sure what the time is just now over in the States – it’s 5:30 pm here. ;-D

  • Don’t forget Cello Wars! I also like the ones you already mentioned plus: Rolling in the Deep, Moonlight, Linus and Lucy, Michael meets Mozart, and so many more… and don’t get me started on Lindsey Sterling!

  • I read Do Hard Things and had just browsed this website before, but recently I started commenting – it’s great!!! ( need to stop with the triple e marks)!

  • I can’t believe I forgot “Me and My Cello (Happy Together)”…Okay… Let me just stop here… the list goes on and on… 😉

  • Those are awesome! And the video for Canon in as is hilarious. XD Um…Mission Impossible, Bourne Vivaldi, Berlin, Michael Meets Mozart…
    Most everything, I guess. 🙂 Ooh! The Batman Evolution is really good (and fun!) too.

  • Yeah, i forgot Batman Evolution!!! And i LOVE the Canon in D video XD… so funny!

  • Yes! Do you like the piano guy or the cello guy better? And yes, I could use their names but this is so much more fun. XD

  • I just replied from the inbox, but your reply didn’t show up right away, so i didn’t see it.

  • Yes!! So I’m not the only one who doesn’t really like the troll song. When I watch Frozen I just sit there and go, “Really Disney? You *had* to put this pointless song in there??”

  • I really like J. R. R. Tolkien, as you probably guessed already. 🙂 He’s my current favorite. I wish I could find more authors like him! And another fantasy author I would recommend is Robin McKinley. There are a few things about her books I don’t like, but mostly they are great! Spindle’s End in particular. Oh yes! Can’t forget Gail Carson Levine! Ella Enchanted and Fairest are great! I don’t care if they’re written for younger teens, I like them! But fantasy isn’t the only thing I read. I like the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace, the Mandie books by Lois Leppard, and the Elsie books 🙂 (I’m probably the only person who does!) For me, the secret to liking a book lies in how much I like the day I read it on. If I read a new book on a happy day, then I will be more likely to read it again! Of course, it works the other way too. If I’m feeling blue, a good book will often cheer me up. 🙂

  • Exactly! I mean, Anna is dying! And they not only waste time singing a song, they sing one that just falls so short after Let It Go and whatever the others are called. XD (love is an open door? I only remember that because I saw a parody of it with a refrigerator!)

  • Lol, sorry, I didn’t really have a specific one in mind. 🙂 I’ve seen a couple videos and a ton of memes, though. And that mental image of you impatiently scouring the internet…lol. XD
    But hey! Here’s a pic I drew of Elsa. 🙂 (just so you know, I was copying a drawing I found online…)

  • This is the best answer, it is so true! And you also can do anything in 15 minutes…set timers and just do it… when it goes off stop…and go to the next task and do the same thing…when it goes off stop and move on…easier said than done, but it helps…and pray before you get out of bed, thank God for the day and that He goes before you leading you in His Ruach for energy, motivation, and to make wise decision that day. And try to just find joy in the little things even if the day is tough! God Bless!

  • I was fortunate enough to find my passion very early in life when I joined the band in fifth grade. Music is my passion. I love pouring air into my clarinet or pulling the sound out of a snare drum head with the bead of my sticks. I love pushing down the keys of a grand piano and hearing the rich tone come out of it. I love hearing a sound come out of my own throat when I sing. I hear music and immediately am inspired to do something – fast songs make me dance, sad songs make me cry, emotional songs inspire me. Music is possibly my favorite gift from God. I love how he made it so that everyone in my band can stand in formation for a parade or sit in a rehearsal and, without a single word, understand everything about what we’re doing. Those moments are enough to motivate me and bring me close to God (it’s really hard to explain. It’s one of those things that you just have to feel to understand). And also I apologize if this doesn’t help anyone at all, just my personal life story. 🙂

  • THEY DID A VIDEO OF CANON IN D??????? THAT’S ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS AND I LOVE PIANO GUYS SO MUCH AND (*breathes*) Ok, excitement rant over. I’m better now lol

  • I usually eat a sandwich with an apple or something. Plus I am public schooled while both my parents run full-time jobs so….lunch together isn’t really an option for us. It must be nice for you to have that bonus time with your family.

  • lol all my books have food stains in them from A) my clumsiness and B) I read while I eat

  • Aww thanks. I’m really glad that God gave me this passion that I’m able to enjoy. It’s definitely one of the few things in life that have really “clicked” for me, so that’s pretty awesome I guess. Thanks for reading!

  • Not really. I don’t have enough patience and I get frustrated easily. But every so often I’ll just have…like a craving to draw, I guess, and then I’ll go on a drawing spree. 🙂 But tbh, that is actually one of my favorite drawings. I just could have done better. Oh well! 🙂 Do you draw?

  • Haha, that sounds so much like me, it’s hilarious XD So yeah, i draw a little from time to time 🙂

  • Lol, I love when that happens! What do you like to draw? Yeah, I’m surrounded by artists… My dad does really good cartoon-style drawings, my mom is really (really!) good at painting and drawing, and a friend of mine is so good at drawing that I can’t even…it’s just like, “You’re so amazing; why do I even bother??” Haha 🙂 So that’s the comparison game…I fall victim to it pretty often. 😉

  • I draw people and characters, but i can’t draw animals to save my life 😛 I might have a random cartoon drawing here and there 🙂 What’s your favorite thing to draw? What’s your preferred medium?

  • It’s cute, but I don’t know why it’s such a big deal either. I mean, it came out like a year and a half ago, and people are STILL raving about it? I didn’t think it was THAT good. Olaf is funny though. 🙂

  • I don’t really think about it as “bonus time”, it’s just the way it’s always been. But now that I realize what it’s like for most people I’ll appreciate the time more 🙂

  • What time was that for you? For me it was 8:00 so it didn’t look like much of an accomplishment 🙂

  • And @Kittenese:disqus @ruthie_c:disqus @lotr540:disqus and @disqus_oMHOgFTIn3:disqus I got up at 6:30 the day after we were talking! Actually I wrote a note to myself (“Wake up!”) and then I taped it over my alarm clock so I had to take off the tape before I could turn off the alarm 🙂 It worked!

  • Good thinking, Sam! (Wow, i don’t think you’ve been on here for a while, have you?) I’m going to do that about some things in my life, too!

  • So you actually live Tim Hawkins’ joke about being homeschooled by two working parents? How does that work out for you? I expect it’s different, but I can see how it would be nice. Silence… oh, that sounds so nice for school time!

  • On the Reb… You’ve been on SOG and Revive a lot, but I suddenly realized that I haven’t seen you on the Reb for a while.

  • I play violin and I totally relate to how you feel about music. Music for me lately is healing from loss and His way of saying “I am sovereign.” Thank you for sharing!

  • Oh, okay 🙂 I didn’t subscribe to the April Fools one… I could see where that was going!
    Yep, that thread was really, really off-topic! I was subscribed, too…

  • I didn’t know he made a joke about that! My mom only started working a couple months ago. Before that she only did work from home on occasion. It hasn’t really been a big transition for me. I’ve always just taught myself using my books anyway. 🙂 And yes, the silence is nice…but sometimes it gets a little too quiet, so I get on here and talk to you guys! 🙂

  • I’m on the worship team, so I have to be at church early. It’s pretty much the only day of the week that I have to get up early for something. I don’t mind so much, though, when I have somewhere to be. 🙂 If I had to get up that early just to go into the next room to do school…that would be tough!

  • Hey, don’t insult my accomplishment! 🙂 I got up at 6:45, commented at seven. I’m in Texas, so I’m in the Central Time Zone.

  • Ha, thank you very much! I’m very content resting on my laurels… 🙂 Here’s hoping for getting up tomorrow morning early too!

  • That’s a really good idea! I might just use it tomorrow. 🙂
    Eek, I just looked at the clock and realized it’s 10pm. What am I doing on email?? So, speaking of going to bed earlier…

  • Get deep into a motivational book. That way, you want to read it, and it keeps you motivated. Like, I’m reading Kisses from Katie for school. It’s a great book about a girl who dedicates her life to the kids in Uganda. It’s really inspiring and convicting!

  • Animals are pretty tough. 😉 Uh…I think I usually like to draw people. I’ve found that anime is really fun, and it’s not that difficult to make a great looking picture using that style. Oh, and a medium…that’s too fancy for me. XD I just draw with whatever pen is lying around. I used to draw with a pencil first and then trace over it with a pen, but I didn’t have enough patience for that. 😉 And I just enjoy how it looks when I draw with a pen, as opposed to starting with a pencil. What about you? (For both questions:)

  • Here’s the joke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3vfU1QOVDc
    I don’t actually use my mom’s teaching services either.. last time I asked her a question about my school was a really long time ago. really she grades my papers (cause they’re subjective..) and makes sure I’m doing what I need to. 🙂
    Silence doesn’t really happen at my house… right now, for instance, we have another family (kids from ages 2-12) over at my house… silence is the furthest thing from my house right now!

  • Getting up is hard for me because it seems like there’s not much to do… like you! It’s hard to get up in time to make breakfast, when I don’t really eat breakfast in the morning. Then it goes downhill from there…
    My hard thing for the week! Getting up when I know I should rather than when I want to.

  • Yep, I did, but… confession time: I didn’t get up early today. I ended up getting up at like 7:30. BUT I’m going to get up earlier tomorrow! How’d you do today?

  • Ooooh, a debate! What on?
    Warning, I might disappear suddenly from this conversation, because I think my mom will want me to do something else soon.

  • Limited Atonement is a Calvinistic doctrine that teaches that Christ died for all people, but His blood is applicable only to the elect. Puritan John Owens described it as the Payment of all the sins of some of the people. The opposing view would naturally be that Christ’s blood was shed to pay the penalty for all the sins of every single person.

  • Interesting… so those who don’t believe in Limited Atonement believe that Christ’s blood covers people, even if they don’t accept salvation?

  • Um, they would phrase that differently. They would say that the atonement simply doesn’t cover those people anyway since the unsaved refused to accept it. They would say that the atonement is only effective to those who accept it. It tends to be a question that gets really dependent on and mixed in with the sibling doctrine of unconditional election. Does that make any sense?

  • A lot of times, I don’t feel motivated to do things. For example, today I didn’t do the hard thing. My room is filthy, but instead of cleaning it, I let it sit there while I read and watched TV. I have this issue where I believe that if I’m not motivated about doing work, why start? For me personally, I’ve found that if I just do it, instead of trying to force the motivation to come, God provides the will power I need to get the job done. Don’t do what I did today and use lack of motivation as a subconscious excuse to not do hard things. I need to remind myself that my feelings and temptations to take life easy don’t actually dictate what I can or cant do. I know what is right, and regardless of my current mood I need to do what is right.

  • I love music too! Especially the piano and recorder. I love just playing for hours and sometimes I practice for 2-3 hrs a day! Moonlight Sona t a and Für Elise are my current favourite pieces. I find it hard to explain too. 😉 Isn’t it great that God made music for us?!!!

  • Ha, that’s always nice!

    I had told my brother to make sure I was up at seven, so I had plenty of incentive to get out of bed before I got hit in the face with a pillow or something!

  • My favorite thing to draw is characters from books, or calligraphy quotes. I usually just use a pencil or a pen as well 🙂

  • Good thinking — I should use my little brother next time! I’ve asked my younger sister to get up with me, but we’re both getting up later right now so she doesn’t provide much motivation.
    However, my little brother would love to whack me with a pillow! 🙂

  • Hi Bailey! I just looked at your profile – we seem pretty similar! I too love theater, apologetics, and most art-related things 🙂
    How did you find us?

  • Yesterday I got up at 6:15 as usual, but I must confess that I didn’t get up till after seven this morning; my room was getting painted and I didn’t have curtains up so I couldn’t sleep well! (What an excuse)! When do you usually get up? Thx for following me 😉

  • Yup! Usually sometime around eleven, I’m like, “hmm…I guess I should eat breakfast…”
    Sounds good! I was going to try to get up early this week, but I had an exhaustingly fun and crazy weekend, so I’m still getting caught up on sleep. And this week is prom!!! 😀

  • Lol, thanks for the laugh!! 😀 Yeah, when I have a question (usually math-related) I’ll ask my dad. He used to be a teacher…but usually I’ll just look it up on Khan Academy. That site is so amazing!! Do you use it? My mom grades my stuff too, although lately I’ve started grading myself…
    Aw 🙂 Yeah, it’s usually pretty quiet at my house.

  • Lol XD nah, a guy I know from church invited me to his school’s prom. It’s just as friends…we swing dance together. I’m excited but super nervous. I’ve been in a high school once as far as I know, and now I’m going to prom?? *butterflies*

  • I replied and I just realized it didn’t go through for some reason, so…I just wanted to tell you how amazingly perfect that was. XD

  • Ah!! I just realized I never replied to this, so sorry!! That’s a great list. I love Levine too! I haven’t read many of her books, but Fairest was amazing!! I read a few Betsy-Tacy books a really long time ago. Lol, I know what you mean. 🙂 If course, then there are the books that make you cry! 😮

  • Lol 🙂 It doesn’t work so well over the Internet, but I love when people say that they’re speechless. It’s like…whaaaaat??

  • I can’t get enough of that book! I read it when I didn’t need to because it’s so good. My sister read it twice. 🙂

  • Interesting! So does it have a practical application that I’m not seeing, or is it a question that theologians debate, but it doesn’t have much of an impact on normal life? (This could be taken wrong – I mean it as a nonthreatening question!)

  • Yeah, I told him that he can come into my room tomorrow and whack me with a pillow if I’m not up at 7:00, and he LOVED that idea! Eight-year-olds…

  • Well, Scot, that’s an interesting question… Most of the time I get up between 7:30 and 8:00, but that always fluctuates — I was getting up really late last week, because I had this terrible cold that kept me up to all hours of the night (and early morning.) So, I used to get up around 6:30 or 7:00, but then I started getting up later, so now it’s 7:30 or 8:00 :*( I used to be on a much earlier schedule — at one point my mom had to tell me not to come downstairs before 5:45!

  • You’re very welcome 🙂
    MY dad is good with math, too! I wonder why it’s always dads… I’m using Khan Academy for my Geometry curriculum this year. IT’s annoying sometimes, how they make sure I know the material before they let me pass. But I know it’ll help me in the long run.
    I grade the stuff that’s objective — I have since I was pretty young… That way I know my grade right away!
    So are you an only child? Or is everyone else just as quiet as you?

  • Cool 🙂 I’ve been in a high school once myself. I don’t know how people don’t get lost in those things!

  • Can I randomly jump in on this convo (again)?? 😛 My dad is a math person too! He’s a doctor and uses it all the time, so I guess he has to be good at math. I don’t think I could ever do something requiring lots of math… I’m wayy too prone to get confused, skip steps, and create my own shortcuts …only to find out that the way the book did it actually *was* the most efficient in the long run. Funny how that works. 😛

  • True that. When I watched it I was like this is horrible, and definitely not for kids!!! I’m glad I’m not the only one!! 🙂

  • Or die of a panic attack! Lol, jk…sort of. XD Yeah, didn’t you say once you were going to a high school to take your ACT? How did it go?

  • Cool! I didn’t know you could use Khan Academy as curriculum, but I guess their math courses do get pretty intensive. And yes, that’s definitely good for the long run! 🙂
    Yes! Knowing my mistakes right away while what I did is still easy to remember helps me understand what I did wrong.
    Yup, only child. Seems to be a rather rare thing here on the Reb. 🙂

  • Rats, I included the word “he**” in my response, and unfortunately, The Reb always stops it for approval. My reply is coming, don’t worry! Thanks for being interested; not many of us young people are, unfortunately!

  • Well, because there’s no many mixed messages. The only one I can think of right now is falling for a guy that you just met. I don’t if you remember, but in the beginning Elsa’s sister got engaged to someone that she had just met. Another thing is that song everyone’s singing, “Let it go.” There’s a message in that song, and it’s not really a good message at all. I will admit that the song, “Do you wanna build a snowman” is kinda cute!! 🙂

  • Well, your first point is kind of the opposite of what Frozen is trying to say. In pretty much all Disney movies, the girl falls in love with her “Prince Charming” right away. Frozen did that, but then they showed that life doesn’t really work like that. When Anna announced she was engaged, Elsa was like, “You can’t marry someone you just met!” And then her fiancé turned out to be the bad guy. It may seem like mixed messages, but it’s really Disney just challenging its own stereotypes (which is why critics liked it so much).
    And yeah, I agree…Let It Go doesn’t have a good message. And I’m not saying this makes it okay, but it’s really just following the trend of things kids are being told today. “Be yourself, don’t let anybody else tell you what to do”, etc. That’s the message of media. :/
    Sorry that was really long! 🙂

  • Uh…that’s slighly complicated. XD I went to a friends house and a bunch of us battled each other with foam swords. It sounds weird (I wasn’t too sure about it at first) but it was ridiculously fun! We even did a mock Hunger Games a few times, ad I won one of them! Hoorah!! Lol. And then we went swing dancing, which is enough to wear me out, but with all of that combined I was toast. XD
    So, yeah…it’s ok if that doesn’t make any sense or sounds really strange. 😉

  • Yea, I guess you’re right! I don’t really watch Disney movies anymore! I don’t really support most of them. In my opinion almost none of the Disney movies are for kids really. There’s so much stuff in them.

    Yep!! Kids are getting that message everywhere! Sad!

  • Amen!! I believe that there are certain things that Christians shouldn’t even entertain.

    Have you seen Megamind? I never wanted to see it because it looked crazy, but one day I was put in the position were I had to watch it. I’m telling you I heard the Lord throughout the whole movie. So many spiritual connotations!! I never would have thought!!

  • Lol, ikr? XD My mom (she’s really good at painting) taught me something called one-stroke painting. It’s a lot easier and actually looks good!

  • Ugh! Today didn’t go exactly as planned! My brother forgot to wake me up, and I slept through two different alarms I’d set for myself! I didn’t know anything until 10:30 this morning. 10:30! AAHHHH!

  • I’m laughing over here… is that okay? (Did you whack your brother with a pillow instead?)
    Yeah, well there’s always tomorrow! ttyl, it’s after 10 in my time zone and I do want to get up tomorrow!

  • True. I mostly don’t pick those! (Although the LotR books made me cry at the end!)

  • I usually don’t either; they sneak up on me! 😉 But it’s kind of nice to be able to cry for no reason, you know? No real life reason, that is.

  • Oops, I just realized I never responded to you! 😛 My family has 5 kids (2 girls, 3 boys), but my youngest brother is only 2 and doesn’t eat much yet. 🙂 I think I saw you say somewhere that there are 8 kids in your family, right?

  • I am a very energetic and enthusiastic person. Being motivated isn’t very hard for me to be! However, I also fall short in so many ways for lack of motivation. So what do I use to become motivated? I use my passions! What are you passionate about? It could very much change your level of motivation juice.

  • It wasn’t too bad! I was ten points under where I need to be next year, but I was competing with people a grade ahead of me 🙂 (And it was PSAT… not that it really matters… 🙂 )

  • It is helpful, but it’s really irritating when I have to watch my percentage (of how much I have done) go down when I miss a question on a Mastery Challenge. One of the worst feelings ever!
    Yeah, that is rare! (But sometimes I envy only children – no siblings when I’m trying to do school!)

  • Well, confession here – I’m 16, a girl, and I love hitting my sisters and brothers with a pillow! Unfortunately I don’t get many chances…
    I got up at 7:30 today… Turns out being up until 11:00 the night before messes up my morning!
    How about you?

  • *facepalm* You’re from Scotland, aren’t you? I should have figured that out…

  • Sounds like a ton of fun! Foam-sword battles are always awesome! My brother and I used to give each other bruises using swimming noodles wrapped around PVC pipe (it was safe, but we sure whacked hard!).
    I’ve always thought swing dancing would be tons of fun, I just never liked the idea of dancing with a guy… unless I got my brother to learn with me. And I don’t see that happening.

  • I got up at 7:45. I was up til 1:30 last night (it was one of those days I had to stay up and write to get some stuff off my chest!) I just got back from a taekwondo workout, so I’m a little tired. I think I may try to grab something to eat and head off to bed soon!

    Yeah, I know the feeling. It gives a satisfying little smack followed by a satisfying little screech (or in my case, a growl, since I only have an older brother still at home!)

  • Moonlight Sonata is my fave from the classical time period. Love that song. And yes, God did something pretty awesome with music 🙂 I agree 100%

  • Aw! Yeah, I gave up trying to do the math stuff there. I’d rather watch history vids. 🙂
    I guess there are pros and cons. And I may not have siblings but I do have three furry babies. =)

  • That’s exactly it! But we wrapped the noodles I duck tape. I guess it makes it more durable and looks cooler. 😉 Yeah, I still have a bruise from when someone “chopped off” my leg… XD
    I can understand that. The guy I dance with is one of those gentlemen we were talking about earlier. When he goes to college, I probably won’t do it any more…but until then, it is a lot of fun!

  • yes, there are 8 kids in my family. Most of our recipes are pretty big, but now at most meals there are four or five of us total, so we often have leftovers…

  • Wow, you’re allowed to get away with everything ! You get to write to all hours of the night, too?! I’m not supposed to write past bedtime, but I’ve had night where I wished I could.
    Great description! So all of your siblings are older?

  • Ouch…
    It really sounds like a lot of fun! Maybe over the summer I can convince him… *sees mental image of me and my brother dancing* Eh, maybe not. Maybe we can get into martial arts instead!

  • Well, first off, my parents are out of town, so technically, I could get away with anything! (don’t worry, I’m not) Even when they’re home though, they’re very relaxed about when I’m in a writing mood (or in a depressed one), they’ve kinda come to terms with the idea that I’ll be up late! That’s when my blogging ideas flow best!

    Yeah, I’m the youngest of four. My sister is 18 years older, my brother 15 years, and my other brother (the growly one) five years.

  • I’m awake!
    Sorry for jumping in on your conversation, but I didn’t know where to put this anymore and I’m kinda really proud of myself… haha

  • So how many of your siblings are married? That sounds so foreign to me, since I’m the oldest kid in my family. I can imagine my youngest brother saying someday, “Yeah, I have 4 older siblings, but my oldest sister is married and doesn’t live at home anymore…”
    O.O Weird thoughts!

  • Cool, where are your parents? I know, my best ideas come in the evening, right around bedtime… it can get pretty annoying!

  • Two married, then there’s one living with her boyfriend and one who’s away at college. That is weird!

  • Well my answer to this is well music, the great outdoors and praying. Sometimes I stop doing school and sit there and do nothing. Thanks Trent for doing this!

  • Yeah… being married seems so far off in the distance that when I actually get married, it will probably feel really crazy. Wow. Even college seems far away for me.

  • Aw 🙂 Well, the guy I dance with started out dancing with his sister, so you never know! But martial arts would be awesome too…

  • She’s so pretty! And she’s really similar to a kitty we had until I was twelve or so, she just has longer hair.

  • Nice! I assumed you’re homeschooled… are you? Your mom’s job makes me wonder, is all.
    I love nighttime!

  • Yes, I’m homeschooled. My mom works for a home business, but the company is still pretty wide spread. It’s kinda complicated!

  • Oh, okay 🙂 I wondered if you’re like Christy, where her mom works outside the house but she’s homeschooled. (Reminds me of Tim Hawkin’s joke!)

  • Oh, so it’s like my mom for the first few years that my dad had his own business. It’s all so clear now!

  • Aw! He’s actually a boy–he’s just too pretty so everyone assumes he’s a girl. XD Poor guy. And my youngest turned two a couple of days ago. I feel like a mom–when did they grow up??!

  • Cool. I read Do Hard Things and felt pretty dang convicted! I typed the Rebelution into Google and here we are! 🙂

  • Nope, never mind… I know someone on the East Coast whose name is Matthew and he loooves the Eagles, and what you said over on the other two threads really reminded me of him. Well, it’s great to have you over here! 🙂

  • If you were from the East Coast, I have a friend named Matthew who you really remind me of. That’s all!

  • just wanted to let yall know… i changed my name and will soon change my profile pic… just so yall dont get confused:)

  • I love music too. I used to walk many kilometers just to be able to play violin and piano. I even made a guitar and a zither from scrap wood since we were soooooo poor back then.

    God has blessed me so much since then. Currently, I handle the instruments section of the music ministry in my church and I share these God’s given talent to others. To God be the glory!!!

  • Cool! I hope to play in my church someday. I am just about to start piano lessons, because my parents and I decided that I would need to practice for 40 days before embarking on them. I have been playing for years though, and am about British Grade4 level. What do you play? I play loads of classical, and some worship tunes, my fave being In Christ Alone. 😉

  • Yeah! Unfortunately, I’m not very good at it though. I’ve played for 6 years and I love music so much! How long have you played?

  • I play any song/piece I may like (some jazz, some anime OST’s, some secular love songs, hymnals and Christian songs). I can play classical pieces but I need to have more time. I don’t have piano in my house.

  • almost 7 years
    It’s okay if you aren’t that good as long as you strive to be one and practice. Happy to meet musicians here!!!!!!

  • Yah! Good for you!! To me music is another language. It’s another way of communicating thoughts and emotions.

  • I know, I’ve always wanted to learn chords. My new teacher might teach me them, I hope so. Sorry you don’t have a piano – because we recently moved house, I only have a keyboard just now but am getting the piano back next week. Yay!

  • I think, your church’s pianists will be more than willing to share their learnings. I started learning to play music in church.

  • Ahhh, yes, the hot air balloon water tower XD I know it well. We drive by it on road trips 🙂

  • Doesn’t ring a bell, but i’m terrible with last names. I know a few Joshua’s from there, but i’m sure they don’t remember me 🙂

  • uhh it says, ‘we need your guns, they said, so i shot them’ lol

  • The first thing to remember is that motivation is fleeting. Use motivation to set up good habits and you will be much better off.

    To start something, I usually break it down into smaller tasks and involve people. I’m an extrovert, so when I do something involving a community, I am more likely to work hard.

  • Pats fan here, but don’t worry, i won’t rub the super bowl win in. Are you a huge football guy, or just kinda?

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By Discussion Questions April 7, 2015
639 comments
rebelling against low expectations

The Rebelution is a teenage rebellion against low expectations—a worldwide campaign to reject apathy, embrace responsibility, and do hard things. Learn More →