Appreciation - Aria Gupta

Appreciation is a life skill. Most people say that you should appreciate others, and that is true, but you should also appreciate yourself. If you never show gratitude for anything, you might think your life is the worst when it might be the best, which can bring a lot of pessimism and negativity to you. On the other hand, If you are grateful for everything you have, you think that you are lucky, which can bring optimism and positivity.

On my first day of school after summer vacations, my bag weighed like it was a massive boulder. Our teacher spent the class not studying but making sure that everyone's bags were light. I cannot thank her enough. It might seem small, but it made a huge impact on me, who used to struggle everyday just carrying her bag. 

I also think there is a specific group of people we need to appreciate, celebrities. They work all day, whether they are singers or actors. Most of them are also forced to eat once a day to maintain their body and make the public satisfied! On top of that, they also have to deal with rumours, dating scandals and judgments from many haters. They’ll probably say things such as ‘She’s so self-centred’ if she asks someone to stop taking photos of her. It’s like the public is in control of their lives, yet they still do their work just for us to be entertained. They definitely deserve respect for that.

Aria Gupta

Grade VI 

Gyanshree school

Sharpening The Saw - Rishona Chopra

When a woodcutter's saw is blunt, he sharpens it to work more effectively. Similarly, our mind needs motivation and energy to do something effectively. 

Our priorities should be organised and well-conducted. We all need a break and a time when we can just refresh ourselves by pampering ourselves or doing anything that makes us happy. If we keep working all day long without taking a break, not only will we be tired, but the work's efficiency will not come out to its true potential. 

When a lion is about to attack its prey, it takes a few steps back so it can attack with full force. Sharpening The Saw simply means to refresh, energize and motivate oneself to do a task.

I personally don't like the word "workaholic". This is because it is not suitable to work continuously for long hours at a stretch. We stop enjoying the work we do and consider it as something we are forced to do.  In the long term, it affects our work speed, efficiency and, most importantly, our health. 

An even better attitude is to re-energise, not to do work but to be a better person. Motivation and hope include reflection. Reflection in every aspect of life. The sharpener needs to be solid and good enough to sharpen the saw. That means our attitude and positivity matter quite a lot. But how can we maintain a positive attitude throughout the day even when there is constantly a problem? 

First, we will have to come to terms with the truth of life - We will face problems every day and every time. Every situation will have a downside and problem, but we must overcome them. 

While dealing with problems is like a war; one has a stronger army, and the other has a weaker military. In the battle between the issues and humans, humans have the upper hand as it depends entirely on their thoughts and attitude that decides who will win. We must remember that every problem has a solution. 

Second, we need to know our feelings whenever we feel negative, sad or hopeless. We should be on the lookout for such thoughts and not let them control our minds, but if we ever see a valid risk, we shouldn't ignore it. We should be able to understand and differentiate between the necessary and the unnecessary thoughts. 

Lastly, we should replace our pessimism with optimism. 

To conclude, we need motivation and energy to do a task, so it is vital to make time for renewing activities. But, all of that is only useful if we have an optimistic attitude towards life and all our tasks. We need to sharpen the mind, but in reality, the mind is the sharpener!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School