Motivation Is Everything!
Yes I know that we always tell you that motivation is vital but it really is the biggest single factor affecting success- usually!
Goal setting – set your goal and then keep your mind focused on it. Make your goals demanding enough to warrant effort on your part, but not too difficult that you’re likely to fail. Success breeds success, so start your goal setting off with easier tasks, and slowly increase the pressure as you get further along the certification track.
Surround yourself with things that motivate you. Put posters in your study room of things that motivate you. That car you want, the Pacific Island you want to go to for a holiday. All the certificates you’ve gained so far go on the wall there too.
Don’t let set backs get you down mentally. You will have both successes and failures. Concentrate on the successes, and don’t dwell on the failures.
Let yourself get excited by success, no matter how small. Don’t let other people’s lack of enthusiasm for your successes drag you down. Get intoxicated with your own achievements, and surround yourself with people who have a positive attitude to success, particularly yours.
Reward yourself with each success. Most courses consist of a number of unit exams. After successfully passing each stage, reward yourself for your success. It doesn’t have to cost money either. A simple reward is a nice day trip or going to a concert.
Believe in yourself. Believe you can and will succeed, and don’t compare yourself to other people. Use people as yardsticks if you wish, but don’t compare your performance and ability to any other person.
Look past obstacles. Adopt a ‘how I can’ attitude, and not a ‘why I can’t’ one. The more you adopt this philosophy the more a part of your life it will become.
Talk to other people about your goals. Tell them about it at every opportunity. Not only will this help you to keep your goals at the forefront of your mind, it will also motivate you to actually achieve them as you’ve now told everyone about them.
Focus on just one or two things at a time. Don’t spread yourself too thinly. Don’t try to enter for too many exams at once. Prioritise your work. Remember, if you chase two rabbits, both will escape.
Learn from others who have been there, done that. Don’t listen to the moaners who have not been successful and want to knock people who do want to succeed. Focus on those who passed and succeeded.
Visualise yourself having achieved your goal. Let yourself daydream and imagine having that job you’re working toward, and consistently remind yourself what your life could be like when you reach your goals. Just don’t do it while you should be studying.
Never give up.
BBC Motivational tips
Presentation from orientation day.
Remember our orientation day in Plymouth? What you tell yourself about yourself becomes TRUE.
When Mohammad Ali said, ”I am the GREATEST!” He was doing several things at once; he was psyching out his opponents, he was branding himself, he was getting publicity, but most importantly, he was conditioning his subconscious mind to help him become “The Greatest.”
Don’t ever tell yourself you can’t! Telling yourself you can will mean YOU CAN!
If you want to you can see an edited version of Touching The Void- the movie that I mentioned in the presentation on orientation day. It is on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7zadH1ZqAE
-someone has edited it to 12 short episodes.