It was quite recently when I received my first set of IB predicted grades and admittedly, they didn’t exactly come out the way I expected. Although I am well aware of the fact that I have barely started the school year where it takes more than two months to achieve your 7’s, my tendency to overthink and lust for quick-success once again clouded my judgment. I then heedlessly flipped open my textbooks and wrote up notes after notes – during hours when I’m entitled to a good night’s sleep.

By no means I am implying that studying is bad, because it totally isn’t. It is ideal to have a hustle for good grades – only when it’s done appropriately and in moderation. We humans have gone through billions of years to understand that we can’t have everything we desire at the same time. Just like my predicted grades, giving up on some much-needed-sleep to try to cram up a month’s worth of information isn’t going to get me better grades the next day. Spending time dwelling on the mistakes I could’ve potentially avoided isn’t going to help either. 

I have eventually come to the realization that patience is the key to success. Yet, progress takes time. It means we might not see our anticipated results from working hard in the next day, week, month, or year. We are all not bound-to-be lottery winners in life. Sometimes you just have to let good things come your way instead of forcing its way on to you. 

As much as it is important to acknowledge that progress is a key component of achieving and reaching new milestones in life, no changes will be made without putting effort into it, which is why consistency is what it takes to see satisfactory results. This does not exempt from achieving 7’s in IB or whatnot – we should form a daily routine that also protects your right to sleep and enjoy leisure time while striving towards our goals.

However, there is no doubt that we can easily grow out of a structured routine of working hard. But think about it, there wasn’t a genie in the bottle that granted multi-millionaires their current net worth in one night. So if you are like me, not seeing the best grades on your report card or not able to achieve the goal in whichever aspect of your life right now, spiraling yourself into agony is not going to turn the tables. The time will come as you patiently wait for the desired outcome while still putting effort into making improvements.

To conclude, my 7’s in IB will eventually appear in my report card, just as your gold medal in swimming, finding the right people in your life, or even just successfully booking tickets to your favorite artist’s concert. But we need to always keep in mind that it will take as much time as it needs and your continuous effort. Nothing good comes easy.