Effort Makes Me Awesome

Sarah slumped at the kitchen table, staring at her math worksheet. Numbers swam before her eyes. Fractions? More like confusions! Just then, Mum slid a bright red notebook across the table. It had a sparkly ladybug on the cover and bold letters that read: "Effort Makes Me Awesome!"

Sarah peeked inside. Blank pages stared back, but the next one had a comic strip. A little girl sat hunched over a desk, a grumpy cloud floating above her head. The caption read: "Feeling Frustrated?" Sarah nodded, mirroring the girl's frown.

Turning the page, she saw the frustrated girl take a deep breath and start drawing. The grumpy cloud transformed into a happy sun! Below it, another caption: "Deep breaths help me focus!"

Sarah grabbed a pen, taking a deep breath herself. It felt better already. She started on the first problem, her mind a little clearer. Every time she got stuck, she'd open the journal. It had sections like "Things That Stump Me" and "Awesome Effort Strategies." She listed fractions as a "stumper" and wrote down "deep breaths" and "drawing a picture" as her awesome efforts.

Later, at the park, Sarah saw Leo practicing his skateboard tricks. He kept falling, landing with a frustrated groan. Sarah remembered her journal. She ran back and grabbed a page, ripping it out. On it, she drew Leo landing a perfect trick with a crowd cheering. "This is what you can do!" she wrote, handing it to him.

Leo grinned. "Thanks, Sarah! This is awesome!" He took a deep breath, pushed off, and landed the trick perfectly – just like in the drawing! Sarah's heart soared.

That night, under the covers, Sarah filled out her journal. "Things I Learned Today" included fractions (a little!) and helping friends. She knew that even when things got tough, all it took was a little effort and a sprinkle of belief to make her awesome. And maybe, just maybe, the "Effort Makes Me Awesome" journal could help others too.

Here we go