Motivation
Motivation has a strong influence on
how well you do your job. Students often
develop a "Slave Mentality."
That is, they see themselves performing tasks which are required by
their teachers but which are utterly meaningless to them.
In contrast, the students who see
how their schoolwork fits into their plans for themselves become willing
workers. It is quite true that "you
can do anything you want to do" because wanting makes the necessary work
easy.
Determination to work does not mean
the same as motivation. "Will
Power" will not work over a lengthy period of time. You can force yourself on occasion, but there
are definite limits to the success of such an approach.
How to Gain Motivation
Step 1: Decide what you're trying to do in college. (You may need a counselor or other advisor to
help with this, but that's why they're there.)
Find out exactly how you go about achieving what you want. (What classes are required? Equally important, what classes aren't required? How long will it take you? How much will it cost?) With this information you can see the end of
the tunnel. You can see yourself
progressing, and you can avoid a lot of "wheel spinning."
Step
2: Make college your
job. Don't let the incidental business
of earning a living and leading a social life interfere with your central task
of getting through school. If something must be neglected (and good planning
can usually avoid this), then neglect something other than school. Your job is probably a short-term, dead-end
proposition anyway. Don't get bumped out
of school just to work 48 hours a week for the minimum wage.
a. Real students own their own books,
have a suitable place to work, and keep their materials conveniently available.
b.
Most distractions come from within you.
If you have trouble concentrating, try to see what's bothering you and
take steps to eliminate it. Most
problems yield to direct action, but you must do the acting.
Step 3: Set short-range goals
a. Analyze your study task. What do you want to achieve? How can it best be done?
b. Set a definite time limit. You can get as much done in one hour as six
if you know you must. Work expands to
fit the time available.
c.
Evaluate your success or failure. You can learn best from making mistakes,
provided you recognize that they are mistakes.