Efforts pay

“I’m not telling you it is going to be easy — I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it” ~ Art Williams

With the exam season around the corner both parents and students start getting worked up, become edgy and stressed and have self doubts slowly creeping in. For a few, the studies just seem terribly hard, for the vast majority they are a necessary evil and for the diligent, studies are a way to showcase excellence. The common difficulty for all of them though is that the whole business of studies seems so hard. In the same way life in general and daily living in particular seems so boring, tough and fruitless. However, if you just pause to think again, the routine can be made interesting, fruitful and fulfilling for no effort ever goes waste be it studies or living.

How does one turn a routine into something exciting, desirable and fun? Surely studies aren’t fun (except for the nerds) and certainly these nerds are boring personalities. Here are some pointers to get to enjoy the routine, the boring, the repetitive and the despicable

Make it fun:

Anything if visualized as a chore will always remain a painful experience. On the other hand anything that we enjoy we crave for it. In the context of studies, mathematics and science often prove to be the toughest for students to grapple with. Part of the problem stems from the subconscious fear ingrained by constant parental attention to the complexities of the subject. If on the other hand the subject is learnt as an outcome of joyous discovery both the teacher and s the student will revel in the unfolding of knowledge. The inevitable byhearting of multiplication tables or the mathematical / chemical formulae too must be an outcome of gentle coaxing rather than brute adherence to conventional learning.

Have a visible target

For progress to be recognized it is essential that targets or benchmarks are established so that there is a goal, an objective and a milestone to be achieved. Targets motivate, challenge and establish definitive ends to a means. Exam marks are targets that spur us to study. We need to ensure that we do not fall prey to the irrational expectations of meeting our targets all the time. We must not be disheartened either if sometimes the targets seem beyond our reach.

Aim for the bulls eye:

The routine often gets boring so the best way to motivate one’s self is to focus on trying to achieve perfection each time. This is akin to shooters and archers practicing day in and day out to hit the bull’s eye. Of course many a shot misses the target but they continue undaunted because they know that it is the only way to make progress and achieve excellence. For students in particular this must be a seen as an excellent example of how one needs to motivate one’s self in order to work on subjects one is weak in or those subjects one dislikes.

Color up the routine:

To ensure that one has both the energy and the drive to continuously work it is essential that one interjects the routine with some fun, interesting breaks, pep up diversions and stress busters. Music is a commonly preferred stress busters aid to many a student. Similarly others find relief in watching TV or reading while some find even more innovative diversions like playing computer games or a round of Sudoku. Some indulge in their favorite hobbies like painting or humming a tune while others would go for a walk to clear their mind and stretch themselves. It is important to be aware that diversions must be short and sweet and should not end up distracting completely.

Relish the success:

Since every action that is purposeful has a reason and an objective it is essential that one learns to enjoy the success that one attains. It is true that occasionally there could be cause for some regrets and in rare instances despite our best effort we may have to confront failure but we need to quickly overcome our disappointment and launch ourselves with more determination. We can focus on the takeaways from our failures or disappointments and even learn to find some positives. From a student’s perspective the results are a good yardstick to judge one’s efforts and performance. However brooding over a few marks missed should not distract one from enjoying the miracles of a few marks scored elsewhere or from the jubilation of the success that one has attained.

In the final analysis the reality is that one cannot avoid the inevitable, one cannot escape the reality and so one has to simply do the best one can with hope, faith and sincerity.

Remember: “The most painful thing to experience is not defeat but regret” ~ Leo Bascaglia

Try this:

For those who have long left school behind, look back and recollect those subjects that you disliked in school. Get hold of a class VII or VIII or IX or X text book of that subject and revisit the contents. With no fear of examination but perhaps with the dislike for the subject still not overcome see if you can cope with some of the lessons in the book and learn to appreciate them.
Outline 3 things that you really dislike doing but which you are forced to do. Now find 2 positive things about each of these activities. Does it make your dislike a wee bit lesser now?
List 3 regrets that burden you occasionally about