24th of June, if all goes according to plan, is the day I leave for my hometown of Kemerovo for the summer holidays.

Those two summer months are going to be the time I turn my life around. I came to recognize, with painful clarity, that without putting my capacities to good use I'm going to end up reliant on my parents' support in a way that makes me deeply uncomfortable for an adult that I am. It's patently obvious that there is no way I could stay lazy any longer if I am to do things I enjoy in life.

Thanks go to Henry Rollins, who made it clear that he was just a guy before hitting the lucky wave - and could've stayed just a guy had it not been for his determination and tenacity. At this point, this is what I am: just a guy. It doesn't matter if I can prepare for an exam in a night's time, because it's not a transferable skill: there's no way I would be able to use it anywhere else. No matter what gifts I have, I am not going to make it beyond being just another student if what I do is what I'm going to do for the next couple of years.

So here's my question, Hubski: how the hell do I work hard?

I get the abstract of it: put in as much effort as you can into making it work. But what does it mean? How do I do it on a practical level? What do I do to achieve that?

I have a few ideas that I think might work. Penn Jilette made it clear that our eating preferences is a habit. I think this applies to everything we do, including work ethics. So, one of the things I need to do is to apply new principles of attitude towards work. If there's any advice or a read I could use for forming a solid foundation for that, I'd appreciate you sharing it with me.

Secondly, I need to take care of my health in order to stabilize my mood and have more energy and desire to work overall. I'm going to rewire my eating habits during the next two months in a way that would help me sustain and grow physically. I'm also going to take up running again: to increase metabolism, to help my mood and self-esteem, and to increase my physical capacity. (My half-brother attributed his enduring 13-hour shifts to get to a better position in a company to his university-days semi-professional soccer time) Ordering a better sleep is also on the list. I would appreciate any advice here, as well.

Beyond that, I'm fairly lost. How do I make good work ethics work as a person who's never had any experience with it? How do I build discipline as a person who's never had any incentive for it? How do I make big goals that much more appealing than the small-minded ones?

Pinging the people who would know a thing or two about it: kleinbl00, thenewgreen, mk, lil, johnnyFive, goobster, steve, cgod, rd95, Dala - as well as the rest of you whom I don't know that well.

EDIT: Thanks to everyone for sharing the great advice and perspective. I appreciate you answering the call.