Nick S' Blog

While reading the this i believe essays, I found myself distracted. I noticed that not only are they good, but the people that write these life lessons and stories about them, have a purpose and want others to gain from their mistakes or their experiences. When reading the stories that interest me or pertained to me, I once again found myself in awe and realized that, “this is true”. While reading Running Up Hill I found myself agreeing with everything the writer Stephen was saying.

I thought that the story was great.  I thought that all the comparisons and metaphors that were used were correct and accurate while keeping you interested in the story. Life is like a marathon.  Sometimes we are in our stride, and sometimes we are struggling to get up a hill and can’t wait to get over it and slide down the other side as fast as possible.  The way that this was said made it very easy to understand and easy to comprehend.  It had very simple diction.  Words like notorious, stride, reaching, challenge, heartbreak, and screaming, are all words that we can simply understand and get what is being said.  I know that when reading something simple, with nice, stephisticated metaphors and easy/not long words, I am intrigued with that story more than a story with complicated and long words that end up conveying no meaning.  While having a topic and subject that is to your interest.

After reading this story, I am excited to read more stories on the website and see what others have to say.  

When reading the story Golf written by Austin, I found myself thinking about many things.  I not only was reading what was on the screen but relating what was being said to what life really is about and the morals we all have.

The rules of golf are not only the rules of golf, but the rules of life.  In football, if you are offsides or have a defensive pass interference, what is the penalty? Yardage taken away or yardage given away.  It doesn’t have another meaning to it or a hidden moral value to it.  Now the discussion or topic of whether golf is a sport or not, I will not get into now because I will talk forever, but the values you learn, receive and get from golf, are those that you can use in life. They support the way we all should act and what we should strive for.

In life, what gets you far? What gets you well known? It’s your personality.  And from what Austin perceived, our personalities are like the rules of golf. Through his use of diction and the whole writing being a metaphor, it is easy to understand. Values of being respectful, being patient and dedicated, following the rules, and being honest are values that we all have or values that we all need to have.  Those values make us who we are and develop our personalities.

While reading this piece of writing, I noticed myself agreeing with what was being said.  I knew that this was true and remember realizing this when I read an article by Arnold Palmer in middle school.  This essay opened my eyes once again.

When reading The Real Meaning of Golf I found myself comparing what Nicholas was describing himself as, to who I am.  This again made me realize that these stories are not only interesting, but a moral and confidence booster.  I feel relaxed after reading many of these stories.  It not only is because most the stories I read are about topics that interest me, but about topics that are about me, describe who I am, and tell a story that has meaning to it.

I know that from being in love with the game and sport of golf, I have noticed certain qualities about myself.  My center of attention and my ability to focus is way better than it was before.  I not only am able to focus in depth more, but able to think about something for a much longer period of time.  But when reading this essay I noticed something else.  I noticed that my confidence is one of my greatest attributes.  I am confident in a respectable and mature way.  I don’t get “cocky” or brag or bash other people to make myself look good, but I simply trust myself and who I am for what I am.  By reading this essay, I have noticed those two things.  But I noticed this not only because it is said through something that is of interest to me, but because the way it is said is so simple.  When reading it, the reader doesn’t have to search for the hidden, tough, underlying meaning.  It is easy to find and most importantly, easy to understand.

After reading this story, I know that my confidence is not only a unique part of my golf game and a very special and important attribute, but the confidence I have in everything I do is something to be proud of along with my ability to focus.

When reading Run for Something Bigger Than Yourself I found myself analyzing many things more than the previous essay’s I have read.  While not only agreeing with what was being said by Jacob, I was thinking about my life in the sport of Cross Country.  Through quotes and personal experiences, the writing was that much easier to relate to.

The quotes of “run for something bigger than yourself” and “It’s not necessarily the dog in the fight that matters, but the fight in the dog.” are very relatable to sports.  Most people do what they do for a reason.  They are fighting for something, it’s a passion, or maybe even doing it in honor of someone.  This quote made me think about what I run for and my purpose.  It made me think of my routine, why I do these routines and how they help me.  The dog quote made me think about what a “fight” really is.  By the diction used in the writing and what I interpreted was being said, I believe that the “fight” in us, is our passion and our desire.  It’s what motivates us to be our best.  The writing is simple; and that is what makes it sound so smart and sophisticated.

Overall, I thought that this piece of writing was very thought provoking.  It made me think at the end and made realize how simple writing can be, while presenting a very simple, yet strong meaning.

When reading The Drive of Golf I was hooked.  I was stuck wanting to hear more of what Samuel wanted to say.  When reading about what got him interested in the game, it made me think about how I became interested in the game.  I remember watching Tiger Woods wearing his classic red polo with black shoes, pants, and hat on a Sunday afternoon during the U.S Open making a charge for the trophy.  It was those scenes that I can still remember vividly.  I was hooked on the game and wanted to be like that.

The diction that was used was simple.  When reading the writing, I could notice that it wasn’t written by an english major.  But not all great, influencing writings needs to be perfect.  It’s the simple, straight out of your head stories and writings that make us think more depth about something.  The diction helped this cause greatly. It kept me interested because of it being so easy to understand.  And that is why I believe that the essay on this i believe are as motivating as they are.  We can all see the message being displayed.

After reading this story, it not only makes me want to golf, but made me realize why I like the game as much as I do while thinking about why I play the game.