Change Your Mind, Change Your Grades
The other day, I was speaking to a friend who recently graduated from college with an Engineering degree. He worked full time during his whole time in school and still managed to graduate with exceptional grades. When I asked him how he did it, he said, “All of those people failed because they told themselves it was hard.” This made me think of all of the difficult classes I have taken over the years—and my attitude while I took them! I confess, I often did tell myself the work was difficult. I would find myself thinking, “This is too hard. I don’t feel like studying right now,” when in reality, those were the times when I needed to work even harder. How much better would my grades have been in those classes if, instead of feeling discouraged, I approached my work with feelings of excitement about the opportunity to learn so many new things? However, sometimes being positive is difficult. Here are some ways to make it a little bit easier:
- Set small goals.
Learning is a process. Sometimes the end goal seems completely unattainable. Try to take it one step at a time. Setting smaller, more attainable goals will give you the confidence boost you need to keep going. As you move towards each goal, you will find yourself improving more than you ever thought you could!
- Gain some perspective.
Try transforming all of your negative thoughts into positive ones. Instead of thinking, “This is too hard!” or “I just can’t do it,” try thinking about all of the progress you have made. Think of your mistakes as opportunities to learn even more. We learn far more from mistakes and failure than we do from doing everything perfectly the first time. Difficulty is simply another opportunity to practice. Try thinking about your homework as an exciting opportunity to learn and practice instead of a trial you must suffer through. Don’t ever think that you cannot do something. Instead try thinking something like, “I can do this, but it might take a little bit of work.”
- Never give up!
The most important thing to remember is to never give up. As long as you keep trying and keep working, eventually you will realize you learned something! Even if the steps you are taking are small, you will eventually have big results. Remember that every bit of practicing gets you a little closer to where you need to be. If you keep trying, you always have the possibility of someday reaching your goals. If you quit now, you have the certainty that you will not.
Remember that your thoughts and attitude have an enormous effect on your studies! Learning becomes much easier and much enjoyable when you treat it as something that can be fun instead of as a chore. It may be difficult at first to have a completely positive outlook. Start small. If you don’t honestly believe what you’re doing is fun, try at least pretending it is. You’ll be amazed what a difference your thoughts make!