<p>I have come to realize that one of the main reasons I strive for a perfect GPA and membership and leadership in so many activities is not because I love learning or want to broaden my horizons, but instead because I feel the need to validate myself and prove that I am good enough. Does anyone else feel this way? I know this is probably not the greatest motivation for success, but it is the main thing pushing me to be my best, and beyond. What motivates you to succeed?</p>
<p>My motivation is to get out of this hell.</p>
<p>I honestly hate grades. They make life horrible and give people the mindset like yours. I like to learn to LEARN. For example, I have a D in calc but I work my tail off in that class, but my grade doesn't reflect that. It doesn't seem fair most times. </p>
<p>GAH</p>
<p>I wasn't yelling at you, I was yelling at our education system.</p>
<p>I can kinda agree w/the OP. Sometimes I'm so freakin' fed up with everything and am sick of it all, but what really pushes me to stay up and finish and study super hard is to show that I can do it. I would feel let down if I didn't get such a hot grade just because I was lazy. (Which i kinda am, I just try to push away the laziness during the school year) But learning, eh... there are some topics that are interesting, but normally these are subtopics. Like, for example, in ap bio the section about genetics is of particular interest to me. But the rest of it... I could probably care less about.</p>
<p>for me, getting good grades is the only way to get out of my hick town.</p>
<p>I see grades as validation that I've learned something. I try to do well out of legitimate curiosity, so if I feel that a class isn't teaching me anything of substance, I don't do well or care about my grade. I think I am completely capable of getting an A+ in Spanish or English, but there is something keeping me from trying, and I think that is my lack of interest. </p>
<p>On the other hand, I do care about succeeding in classes in which I feel I'm learning, like Bio, Chem, and Multivar.</p>