Example of a 5 Paragraph Essay: The AAAs
Breaking glass is easy. Breaking habits is hard. I can never seem to remember to take my
dirty dishes to the kitchen. As a result I am in a constant state of sweeping and vacuuming
and praying that I don’t end up with a slice o’ glass in my foot. At least I recognize it is my
own fault and figuring out a way to focus my Swiss cheese memory. Thus, when I think
about where I am at in terms of the triple A’s, I see a lot of achievement and also some work
to do. While I hold myself accountable for my actions, and realize I need to self-advocate to
get help for my memory, I have a long ways to go in terms of attending completely at all
times.
The buck stops here. I cannot blame anyone else for the messes into which I get myself.
They are all my own doing. I participate in a lot of activities and have a demanding job and
a young family. This leads to me overextending myself and making mistakes. Sometimes I
get stressed out and end up with a short temper. Other times, I end up procrastinating and
making bigger problems than the ones with which I started. In any case, however, I place
the responsibility square on my shoulders. No one has forced me into this life – it is one I
have chosen and one that I love. So I step up and hold myself accountable.
Taking on that level of responsibility also means taking on the challenge of managing it and
organizing it. I struggle in those two areas so I need help. I work with my wife and friends
to help me keep my head on straight. I take advantage of ways in which technology can help
me. And I talk to friend regularly who helps me find ways of coping in healthy ways. She
hears about my troubles and I ask her for some help in making all the crazy of my life work
out. Thus, I advocate for myself, getting the assistance I need to be successful.
If only I could keep my head focus and in the game all the time. It is a real struggle for me
to keep an attention span. I end up trying to multitask and nothing gets done well. It has
been like this for a long time – as long as I can remember I’ve sat at a computer with music
playing, videos running, an e-mail open, a paper I’m writing, a paper I’m commenting on,
and about a thousand little distracting things hovering around my machine. I’m existing, I’m
doing, but I’m not attending. That needs to change sooner rather than later.
I advocate for myself, and I hold myself accountable for my actions, but my focus had better
improve soon or I’m heading for a world of hurt. It helps knowing that I’m not a terrible
teacher, a horrible dad, or a bad human being. But it isn’t going to be easy to achieve in all
three areas. I’m going to have to work hard, push my organizational skills, and get lots of
help. And I’ll probably have to sweep up a lot of busted glass before it’s over.