Man can make or break himself

     "Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.." -James Allen

     Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis, and experience." -James Allen

     I believe that this quote is talking about how man has the power to make or break himself. He can either do things that will ruin himself and his future, or he can become one who is happy and have good motives. For example, a lot of small mistakes will result in a build-up of misery. But, if he were to fix his mistakes, he will save himself of the misery. All of this can also affect his mental and physical state. If his misery builds up, then he will begin to have a negative outlook towards everything. He will also feel more drained and exhausted as his misery continues to pile up. However, if he were to start building up his happiness, then he will being to be more optimistic and cheerful. He will also feel more energetic as he gets happier. But when man is in a state of great sadness, he can gradually build himself up and become happy. However, this process can take a long time to build up, yet a very very short time to break down.

      For example, let's use a guy named Jim. Jim has always been sad and miserable because he always failed at everything he tried and he never tried to change his habits to improve. But, when he changes his habits and starts succeeding, he gradually becomes happier. After a few years, Jim is as happy as can be, but he begins to slack off. As a result, all his success plummets in a few days and hes back to where he started. This is an example of how it can take a long time to build up happiness, but a very short time to break it down.

Driving Force

   My family and friends would probably say that the driving force of my life is their happiness. I always try to do what makes them happy.For my parents, i always try to earn high grades in school. But, I fail miserably and i don't meet their expectations. For my friends, I always try my best to do what they ask me to do. If they ask me to help set up tables for a party, I would set the tables and do other things that are required before they ask me to do so.
   But what I want my driving force to be is for myself. I want to do things that will keep me satisfied and not have to meet the expectations that other people have set for me.
My expectations are high enough for me. Sure, I want high grades and all, but as long as i don't fail, then it's good enough for me. I don't HAVE to be at the top of my class. I don't HAVE to get in the high 80's and 90's.
    But my parents have higher expectations than I do. They want me to ace all of my classes and not get below an 80. Even though I do try, I never get those grades. Then my parents talk about how they wish I would study harder and be the type of child who studies until vomiting seems imminent (although I highly doubt that can happen). But if they lowered they're standards, then maybe they can start being happy that I'm reaching the standards that they have set for me. And if I get a score above their expectations, then they can jump for joy. But no... they want to keep the standards above a 90 when all I can reach is 85 at best. Then they get all pissed off and scold me again. All of it just makes me want to stop trying.
   I can't remember the last time I got above an 80 as my overall average. All I remember is studying until I feel like I'm about to go insane. But although I study for that long, I still can't score above an 80, let alone a 90. If I study until I go insane and still not get the grades, then I definitely wont do so if I study less. But everyone keeps thinking that i can do better: that I can excel in all my classes. But then I don't, get yelled, and get assigned more time dedicated to studying. Then after all of that, my peers expect that I will do better than i did. But then, I fail again. Then they all get frustrated at me and I'm frowned upon again.