NO MOTIVATION TO STUDY? READ THIS.

"Why!? Eli Why?!!"

My roommate playfully yelled at me as he dropped his computer game controller and clapped his hands for effect. 

"Why?!"(Clap) "Eli" (Clap, Clap) "Why?!" (Clap). 

It was 2:30 AM, and just about two weeks into the semester. I had woken up to the sound of my alarm, grabbed my books, and was about to head off to the study room.

My roommate was baffled and couldn't see any reason why I should be heading to the study room to learn at 2:30 AM, when the semester had just started. 

So, to his question, I simply smiled and replied, "You don't know where I'm coming from, you don’t know." I then continued my journey to the study room, where I had a productive study session.

Who studies two weeks into the semester? 

Someone who has a strong 'WHY.' Someone whose 'WHY' for wanting to perform better in school doesn't conform to the typical expectations of most university students. 

You see, most students wait a month or a few weeks into the semester to start studying for their mid-semester tests or interim assessments.

However, I told myself, 'Eli, you're a slow learner, so start before everyone else so you'll be better prepared for test day.' This strategy is linked to two others: "To be ahead of your class, you have to be ahead of your class" (Strategy 8) and "Know your page study rate" (Strategy 10), which I discuss in my book. For now, let's focus on the power of "Knowing your why."(Strategy 1)

The fact that I was a slow learner wasn't my only reason for pushing myself in school the way I did. It goes deeper than that. Here's the thing: I was sick and tired of being a struggling student and disappointing my parents. I wanted to dramatically improve my academic performance and make them proud.

And guess what? I did. 

I didn't want to put my parents, my siblings, and myself through the psychological and emotional stress I had caused them some years ago (I talk about it in the "My story" section of the book). 

This was simply because I was lazy in school and wasn’t applying the strategies I'm about to share with you.

That reason drove me. That reason made me go the extra mile when most students were falling apart. That's the power of knowing your "WHY." 

Know why you want toimprove your grades. Who or what are you doing it for? You'll feel the intensity of this "WHY" throughout the book because your ‘why’ must be your central focus. 

As you can see, it's possible to have a main “WHY” along with other supporting reasons, just as I did. That really helps. 

Are you doing it for your parents? Are you doing it to increase your chances of landing a better job after school and not staying home unemployed? What is your reason? Your “WHY” to do better academically must be strong, but most importantly, it must be true to you. 

When excuses and laziness kick in, your "WHY" will almost always help you push through. 

Your reason for wanting to perform better in school could seem silly, overly ambitious, or even nonsensical to others, but that doesn't matter. 

As long as your reason ignites that fire in your belly and motivates you to take action on your academic goals, that's all that matters! 

PRACTICAL EXERCISE 

 1. Get a pen and a sheet of paper, find a quiet place, and write down what you believe to be the main reason you want to get better grades in school.

 2. Once you've written down that reason, dig deeper to find the underlying cause. It’s like asking your "WHY" another "WHY." 

 3. Continue writing until you can’t go any further. 

 4. Now, start the whole process again with another significant "WHY." 

 5. Visualize those reasons coming to life. How do you feel? 

6. Now, here’s the important part: when you start feeling lazy or encounter an obstacle during the semester or term, visualize your 'WHY.' Then, take immediate action to move forward toward your academic goals.

Constantly visualizing why you want to do better in school helps keep your fire burning as the semester progresses and others start to give up. 

Trust me, you’ll need this!

Speaking of trust, that's the focus of our next strategy. 

In the next blog article I am going to be sharing Strateygy 2 -Trust Your Process.

Here we would explore how this simple word can turn your study sessions into a steady stream of confidence or a series of constant episodes of doubt and anxiety.

Until then this is Eli-stay exceptional.