I was still in college at the time, and I felt like I didn't have enough time every day. I am an average sophomore and have to deal with various assignments and exams in addition to classes every day. The pressure of college often made me feel like I wasn't working hard enough and wasn't good enough. But one day, a little thing changed my opinion.
It was a normal afternoon, and I was in the library revising for my upcoming final exams. I chose a quiet corner, opened my notebook, and began to concentrate on reading. Suddenly, I noticed an older gentleman, probably in his fifties, sitting across from me. He held a thick book in his hand and read intently.
Gradually, I began to notice his movements and manners. He is not the kind of person who turns the pages in a hurry, but reads every page carefully, sometimes stopping to think. His eyes were deep and focused, as if he and the book were the only ones left in the world.
I thought to myself, maybe he's here to revise, right? But he doesn't look like a student, maybe a professor or a researcher. I couldn't help but wonder what he was reading, so I decided to bravely break the silence and strike up a conversation with him.
"Hello, it looks like you're interested in this book." I spoke tentatively.
He looked up and looked at me with a smile. "Yes, this book is important to me. Are you revising? ”
I nodded, and showed him the cover of the book. "I'm preparing for my final exams and I'm a bit stressed."
He smiled and said with a gentle look in his eyes, "Stress is a good thing, it makes you grow." However, how to deal with stress and improve the sense of efficiency is also a science. ”
I was amazed by his words, because I never thought that stress and growth would be linked. When he saw my puzzled expression, he began to share his story.
It turned out that he used to be a high school teacher and worked for more than twenty years. He told me that how to increase self-efficacy through self-improvement was the most important lesson of his teaching career. He said that for him, self-improvement is not only about learning new knowledge, but also about constantly looking for opportunities to improve in life and gain a sense of accomplishment from it.
He shared with me a few tips he uses to increase his sense of efficacy. He said he likes to wake up every morning and read articles that inspire him, think about new questions, set small goals for himself, and stick to them. He also suggested that I try to manage my time by making a detailed plan, breaking down big goals into smaller ones, and completing them step by step.
"The sense of accomplishment comes from continuous accumulation and progress, not overnight." "Every attempt and failure is part of growth," he said. ”
After listening to his sharing, I was deeply inspired. His story not only gave me a new understanding of my own stress, but also made me realize that self-improvement is not as hard as I thought. Perhaps, I just need to take each day more seriously, start with small things, and gradually improve my sense of efficacy.
From that day on, I started trying the methods he shared. Every morning, I spend more time reading inspirational articles and thinking about how I can improve my learning methods. I made a detailed study plan, set small goals for myself every day, and worked hard to complete them. Slowly, I found that my sense of efficacy increased, and I felt a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction every time I accomplished a small goal.
After the final exams, I didn't get a very impressive result, but I felt more confident and empowered than ever. I know that it all stems from my new understanding and practice of self-improvement. That older gentleman became an important mentor to me, and his story not only changed the way I learned, but also changed my attitude towards life.
Now, whenever I walk into the library and see the students who are reading hard, I always think of the older gentleman. His story taught me that everyone has room for improvement, and the key lies in whether we are willing to explore and experiment. Every starting point in life can be an opportunity for us to achieve self-improvement.