Claudia Corrigan | Opinions and Co-Spread Editor
Photo from Chinese Medicine Living

I’m the type of person that feels the unyielding need to finish the glass of water her server pours at a restaurant. I can, almost inconspicuously, finish an entire glass in under two minutes – ice and all. That is my moment of victory… Until about three milliseconds later when the waiter creeps up behind me and refills what I have so cleanly finished.

I think the frustration I feel at this particular moment can only be described as that aching pain in my bladder by the end of the meal – a combination of my entreé and about eight glasses of water.

I believe my hatred of refills metaphorically represents those small goals achieved, celebrated, and then quickly overshadowed by yet another task. In day-to-day life, it’s important to celebrate your small victories (and those of others as well) – nobody likes when their achievements are drowned out.

In modern day, it seems that once we finish one task (a Biology test, your APUSH research paper, your stats problem set, etc.), we are instantly onto the next. I, personally, can’t help but reach a goal and immediately set another – I don’t let myself linger in that bliss of self-gratification for anymore than two minutes. Sure, today we can describe a large population of Menlo School (and the Silicon Valley, in general) as “hard working,” “motivated” individuals, but when continual progress and innovation fill our timeline, there is no way individuals can take a moment to pat themselves on the back or even contemplate the effects of their achievements.

All I’m saying is that in order to keep self-confidence, we must give ourselves the congratulations we need. People who feel good about themselves produce better outcomes in a more efficient time frame – or at least that’s the way I feel. When I have a day when I’m feeling good (maybe I got above a 93 on a math test), I find myself more motivated and less distracted when trying to complete my Biotech summary that night. Maybe I even get to bed by 10 p.m.! So allow yourself time to bask in the light of your performance – for there are many more to come.