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Pursuit Of Excellence

A wise person once said, “Books are your best friends and teachers. They’ll never betray you, they’ll only teach you.” That wise person happens to be my beloved mother. She’s my inspiration. My mother’s words are “Worth more than a thousand pieces of gold” (A Chinese saying), and her advice gives me the energy to go on.
I’ve always been an obedient child. However, when I entered middle school, I fell from the filial path, even with my mother’s good intentions around me. Most of my friends weren’t interested in school and, like most teenagers these days; I thought going to school, reading books, and learning were all just part of a big joke. I ignored my studies and chose to spend time with my friends instead. Eventually my grades dropped to the point of failing. My mother saw me turn from the obedient and respectful child she had raised into someone she no longer knew. Peer pressure was changing me.
From then on I couldn’t face anybody; even my younger brother was doing better than I was at school, and I felt ashamed. In my heart I knew what I wanted - I wanted to be a smarter person and to make my mother proud. I didn’t want her advice to go to waste. On the other hand, I couldn’t give up my friends because I was afraid to look stupid; so it was a hard decision to make. Life takes and life gives.
My mother, however, didn’t stop believing in me. She said to me, “How could a girl with such a beautiful face not do well in school? But, don’t feel ashamed - only a dumb person would feel ashamed. A smart person would know to pick herself up from where she has fallen and continue on towards her goal. Are you the dumb one or are you the smart one?” Her words worked like a charm.
Obviously, I didn’t want to be the “dumb one,” so I knew that in order to catch up in school and become the bright girl I once was, I had to give up the gangster lifestyle and move on. I took my mother’s words to heart and eventually my grades and personality improved a lot, but it still...