Study Habits - Making the Grad. School (A letter I wrote a year ago to a struggling BYU Student)
I almost dropped two classes while at BYU, and learned a lot from keeping them both. The first class was Honors Calculus. When I called home to tell my Dad how frustrated I was with my poor test results he taught me lesson #1. 1 – "You cannot afford the luxury of negative thinking"This is Dad with Scott back in 'I quickly learned that feeling bummed out beyond a few hours over something is a CHOICE, and making the decision to let negative chatter run on in your head burns out precious energy. I was thinking everything from "The other classmates are so much smarter" to "Maybe I just don't have what it takes". Don't give in to these temptations. Do NOT compare yourself to others. If you could see how much energy that uses up, you would never do it. Instead, you would start making a plan to kick the BUTT of your next exam.Here is a fascinating study of the effect of negative thinking vs. hopeful thinking: A group of students were timed with increasingly more difficult math problems. The one with the highest score was going to win a large amount of money. After the exam, the students were surveyed on what types of thoughts motivated them during the exam. It turned out that those who were thinking "I hope I get the money! I can do it! I can stay calm – I'm doing well" performed significantly better than those motivated by fear of not doing well, thinking "I just don't have enough time", or "I messed up on at least three problems" etc.If you start feeling pessimistic, you may start to give in to hopelessness, which REALLY saps your energy. That's one reason you can't compare yourself to others – because in reality, you MAY really stink at SOMETHING they are good at, IF you do things the way they do to get the desired results. By changing your perspective you can ofen easily put yourself ahead of everyone. There are many tools for getting there, but the first one is doing your best at STOPPING ALLLLLLLL negative thoughts! Once you know what you want and see that it's feasible, you can figure out the steps you have to take. Then it's just persistence that gets you there. It is NOT your intelligence, in case you wondered. At least, it's not your I.Q., whatever that may be. It's your emotional reaction, or emotional intelligence (E.Q.) that gets you there. It's proven to be 5X more important than I.Q. .Persisting and Bouncing BACK: What does it take? The key is OPTIMISM, which hinges on how we interpret our setbacks. A pessismist sees setbacks as confirming some fatal flaw in himself that cannot be changed. The net result of such a defeatist attitude is, of course, hopelessness and helplessness. If you're doomed to fail, why try? Optimists, by contrast, see a setback as a natural result of factors they have the power to do something about, not some flaw or deficiency in themselves. Optimists can deal with a setback by finding a positive response. What are the benefits of being an optimist? THEY ARE TREMENDOUS!!! It's worth keeping the class just to learn this one thing, to perform this one experiment.1) Optimists bounce back FASTER2) Optimists see mistakes as "treasures", or "a chance to improve"3) Optimists are able to re-adapt their approach on what to do right with more ease4) Optimists figure out what went wrong, and what to do about it.
If your mind naturally wants to think negative thoughts, you have to bombard it with positive. In becoming an optimist, it is especially useful to examine some of your core beliefs about yourself, determine which ones are not USEFUL to believe, then CHANGE all of the beliefs that are NOT USEFUL into something that gives you POWER in the same area.I can give you more on this subject, such as the technique that Anthony Robbins, a famous motivational speaker (like Steven Covey) uses to change beliefs, if you would like, let me know. I can send you some useful MP3s. I've caught myself coddling some very destructive beliefs about myself. One in particular almost destroyed everything I've worked for until I could get a handle on it. Once I learned how destructive that belief would be to me if I hung on to it, (by imagining myself 5 years, 10 years, then 25 years down the road after holding tightly to that belief, and felt the PAIN in my heart that it was going to cause me) I was ready to replace the belief. At that moment my heart and mind were like a vacuum, ready to accept whatever I gave it. The empowering catchphrase I created at that moment was "I have a turbo-charged mind. I can blast past any obstacle placed in my way". If you've spent enough time around me, you know I am very TURBO charged – it's great! It gets me giddy at times, but it's SO worth having, because I wouldn't be where I am today WITHOUT it! Seriously, it's the biggest blessing because it gives me the ability to hyper-focus on what needs to be done in ways that others could never touch. It also allows me to see the world through totally different lenses than other folks. It's my ADDvantage. Now can you feel the positive power of those statements? Can you tell I'm sincere? It was simply a matter of choice to feel this way; to CHANGE one of my core beliefs. If I feel fear coming up on me when things start to fall apart I tell myself positive things. At first it was "I can handle this. I'm just getting started!" If I ever feel my hands shaking I say "I'm ready to kick some butt! Look at me! I'm so excited that I'm shaking!!!!" Instantly I feel better, and happy, and most importantly, I remain calm. Excited, but in control.So what is the flip side of rule #1:2 - Constantly feed your mind positive images of the desired result"I can't tell you how important it is for you to write out a vision of what you are going to do. Write it out in as much detail, using as many senses as possible to create the picture of what it is that you want to achieve. In my Physics 121 class I received a 55% on my first exam. Dude!!! I was thinking "I am totally out of my mind to be taking such a hard class! " I didn't feel confident in the Calculus required, and didn't even NEED that hard of a physics class for Dental school. It was a well intentioned friend that told me it was a fascinating class, and much better than boring physics 105. I was in shock, and proceeded to have the professor sign my drop note. I told my parents about my decision, and turned the note in, thinking "well, this way I will save my GPA, and get into the proper class next semester". I could have done this, but for some reason I decided to pray more about the decision. I think it was a counselor in the MARB that said "have you considered praying for help?"The answer for me was "don't drop it". I then started to have all those things happen for me that I said happen to optimists. I started to see that I hadn't given the effort I needed to. I saw that I had an awesome group of student tutors in a lab from early in the morning until late at night. I imagined what it would feel like if I really turned it around, and walked out of the class with a descent grade after such an abysmal start. Then I went even further, I pictured myself walking out of the class with an A+, to the amazement of my friends. "Wow!" I pictured myself saying "I really REALLY DID IT!" Then I saw myself running across campus yelling at the top of my lungs, calling home to tell my parents, being congratulated by my friends and instructor.Once that picture was in place, I went to work. I wrote on the first page of the pad the following "To whom it may concern: this document is proof to anyone who ever doubted that Rich McDermott did everything in his power to smash Physics 121 into the ground. In these pages you will see problems I was never assigned, problems worked several times through, and problems that were not even found in the textbooks, but ones that I created on my own to prove that I had the subject so COMPLETEY licked inside and out, that there was no WAY that I wouldn't be given an excellent grade".It was, by the way, to my advantage that we were allowed to drop one exam. I knew I had 3 weeks before our next exam. Now it was time to break up the time I had. I opened my planner and started making circles on every hour that I could spare for study in the Physics lab.I found that by focusing on the end result, that ideas came to me naturally about what specifically I was going to do to get there. I started making lunches to take with me so I wouldn't be distracted at the Wilk. I took snacks. I read up on study tips. I made friends with kids who were doing well in the lab, as well as with the lab instructors (tutors? T.A.s?) and worked on the basics first. I found that after a week of solid work, balanced with a little diversion on the weekends, I was able to get on top of the new chapters, while working over the problems I had missed on the old exam. This got me excited, but I didn't feel satisfied. In my vision I said I was going to smash Physics 121. I went over the old problems again. I tried variations of the problems. I tried other examples of the same types of problems, and then I noticed that my notepad was starting to fill up. "I'm just getting started!" I told myself, and wrote another note, this one was from my future self, congratulating me from the future for doing so well, and for sticking to it in the heat of the battle. I empathized, and talked reasonably about all of the worries that I still had (after all, I still had a 55% that wanted to suck up all of my mental energy if I let it). I congratulated myself for not worrying about the first exam, and for learning that it was a great wake-up call for me to do more than I otherwise ever would have, if I had earned an 83%, which might have lulled me into feeling secure.I didn't date much that semester, but I made very close friends in that lab. I not only knew all of their names and where they were from, I knew what types of questions they had seen on old exams, and worked through multiple variations of each question. I had conversations that went much further and deeper into the various principles than an average, or even good student would have ever done. Had I imagined all of this in my vision, I would have been too tired to start. That's why you focus on the END and not the MEANS first. Focus on what you want, then the rest will come to you.#3 - Attend you F.H.E. groups.#4 – Buy earplugs. You need them sometimes to really get down to business#5 – Exercise. Take time to run, or you will pay for it over and over again. When you are running, and feeling really good, recite powerful affirmations such as "Every day in every way I get better and better" (insert stronger, smarter, closer to God, better at Physics, etc.) Your brain is a computer linked to your soul, and to the rest of your body. By getting your body in a positive state - a state of feeling STRONG, and then programming your 'shoulder mounted computer' while you are feeling positively, you create a state that the mind remembers, and believes (or continues to run without doubting) Although the mind, or soul is the REAL you, or the you that has always existed, it is currently inextricably bound to your mortal, human body. Remember that your brain is INCREDIBLE, but it IS a computer. There are so many ways that we can affect how the our brain processes information, but since it is doing calculations based on what is put IN to the brain, we have to be SO careful about what we put in. As programmers often say "Garbage In, Garbage Out". It's just a fact. The opposite is also true to the -nth degree. Wow, was I going to talk about exercise? Your body and mind must be kept in the best condition, or you will be limited by them.
Running, Working out, Doing Yoga, Martial Arts - they all strengthen the body and mind. If you aren't exercising, you can't afford to NOT start. Start little. Take baby steps by making little goals at first, but make sure you incrementally push yourself to the edge of your ability. This is a wonderful way to practice pushing yourself in other ways (such as studying harder, longer, in more creative ways, etc.), which will apply to so many other areas of your life as well.
#6 – Avoid studying on Sunday. Just trust God on this one. Wake up at 5 AM on Monday morning if need be, but usually you can avoid it by being aggressive with your school work. I didn't buy into this one until one lesson at BYU where I read that not long after the saints arrived in the desert valley of Salt Lake City, with TONS of work ahead of them, Brigham Young told them they would be much better off if they avoided work on Sunday. It hit me like a brick that day, that there were actually blessings that I was MISSING by studying on Sunday. Did I trust God? It's an excellent way to build your faith.#7 – Find people to model yourself after. This is different than finding people to compare yourself to. Find people who are already getting great results, and pick their brains. See what they are doing differently. Ideally, you make these people into your study partners. See the next big pointer.#8 – Get yourself ahead of the pack, even if it kills you for two or three weeks, because then you will be able to teach other people the subject. Ideally, you become the one that everyone is asking for help. The whole point is that if YOU teach someone ELSE how to do a problem, YOU will learn it MUCH, MUCH better than if you simply learn it well enough to get a passing grade on the exam. #9 – Use all the resources that are available at least once. Keep the ones that work well, discard the rest. For me it was useful my first year to talk to counselors in the MARB office – what was that, the ZOOlOGY dept lab. You know – Dr. Bloxham and friends. You may find something odd that works only for you, such as purchasing a second book, cutting it up, and posting it all over your walls, or photocopying pages to cut up into flash cards. Whatever works, use it, and find out what other people are using as you fine tune. Then AGAIN, teach OTHER people all the new things you've learned. Then teach a few more. As you do this, you will have all kinds of insights hit you while you are teaching. The Spirit enlightens your mind when you are teaching someone else. Yes, even if the subject matter isn't related to 'Religion'. BTW - it's all from one source, and that's Christ, so whether the class is categorized as religion or not, it is all religion. It's all from the creator.#10 – Pray before you study. Go to the Tuesday Devotionals. Keep the Spirit as an instructor.#11 – Don't be surprised by setbacks. ..just be sure you take time to frame them positively each time.#12 - Learn how sweet it is to be over-prepared for an exam. Learn to study so far in advance that you burn out a week before the exam, then get your second wind a few days later after going to a movie, a few dates, and some good running. Hit it hard again by teaching 5 other people who are at THAT point starting to really study hard for the exam. There will always be people who are in a panic who you can teach the material to, thus helping them and yourself. (BTW - God gives you extra help for helping others. It's how he answers their prayers sometimes too).# 13 – Don't study where you can see something distracting. Learn that 1 hour of excellent study is better than 3-4 hours of doing small spurts of study mixed with thoughts about girls, your email, etc. The more you can eliminate distractions, the more time you will ultimately have to enjoy all those other things.#14 – Find ways to study that are creative. You will eventually burn out of sitting on a chair with a book in front of you, although that is a necessary evil, you can make it work better for you by personalizing it. Make flash cards with lots of COLORS, record audio to listen to while you run, laminate pages for you to glue into the shower, put flashcards in your pocket for lunch, make a study date with a girl that is fun, but that is focused on getting a good grade, you know – diversify, then discard what doesn't work and develop what DOES. I liked studying to classical music – Vivaldi, or some Mozart. BTW – there is a room upstairs in the testing center that plays music. Otherwise, I always put in my earplugs. Every person has their optimal environment and method. The key is monitoring. If you don't monitor, you won't know what is giving you the results. Watch your time – did you get more done? If yes, reward yourself.#15 – Always include in your studies at least 5 minutes of imagining yourself in the testing center doing well on the exam. See yourself coming to a problem that is difficult, but you work through it successfully. I would even see yourself hitting an impossible problem, and deciding to skip it, come back to it, and then after smashing the rest of the exam, relaxing for a bit, then going back calmly to the "no-win" problem, and giving it such a good effort that you smile, breath out relief knowing that you did fine on the exam, and leaving.#16 - Find a jogging partner. I know I already put this in there, but you MUST exercise.#17 - Along the same lines, you can't rely on a bowl of cereal to get you through. Make sure you get protein for every meal, and avoid too much simple sugar. Whatever protein bar or snack floats your boat, load up. It's an educational expense. Don't get 30 minutes into study and realize you have no snack to help you keep going. Forget the library rules. Ok, don't make a mess, but you have to snack.
Now go to work! Enjoy it too, it's life 101, and it IS fun to kick it in the butt!
Here are your quotes for the day:
You can do anything you think you can. This knowledge is literally the gift of the gods, for through it you can solve every human problem. It should make of you an incurable optimist. It is the open door…Robert CollierWhat the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of a man can achieve.Napoleon Hill
I found that I could find the energy…that I could find the determination to keep on going. I learned that your mind can amaze your body, if you just keep telling yourself "I can do it…I can do it…I can do it!"Jon EricksonThe world is so constructed, that if you wish to enjoy its pleasures, you must also endure its pains. Whether you like it or not, you cannot have one without the other
Swami BrahmanandaAn obvious fact about negative feelings is often overlooked. They are caused by us, not by exterior happenings. An outside event presents the challenge, but we react to it. So we must attend to the way we take things, not to the things themselves.Vernon HowardTo begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment….
James Allen
The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mindWilliams JamesIn every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat there is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next timeRobert CollierAn Optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity: a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunityWinston Churchill
A stumble may prevent a fall.Thomas FullerWhat a great discrepancy there is between men and the results they achieve! It is due to the difference in their power of calling together all the rays of their ability, and concentrating them upon one point.
Orison Sweet Marden
If your mind naturally wants to think negative thoughts, you have to bombard it with positive. In becoming an optimist, it is especially useful to examine some of your core beliefs about yourself, determine which ones are not USEFUL to believe, then CHANGE all of the beliefs that are NOT USEFUL into something that gives you POWER in the same area.I can give you more on this subject, such as the technique that Anthony Robbins, a famous motivational speaker (like Steven Covey) uses to change beliefs, if you would like, let me know. I can send you some useful MP3s. I've caught myself coddling some very destructive beliefs about myself. One in particular almost destroyed everything I've worked for until I could get a handle on it. Once I learned how destructive that belief would be to me if I hung on to it, (by imagining myself 5 years, 10 years, then 25 years down the road after holding tightly to that belief, and felt the PAIN in my heart that it was going to cause me) I was ready to replace the belief. At that moment my heart and mind were like a vacuum, ready to accept whatever I gave it. The empowering catchphrase I created at that moment was "I have a turbo-charged mind. I can blast past any obstacle placed in my way". If you've spent enough time around me, you know I am very TURBO charged – it's great! It gets me giddy at times, but it's SO worth having, because I wouldn't be where I am today WITHOUT it! Seriously, it's the biggest blessing because it gives me the ability to hyper-focus on what needs to be done in ways that others could never touch. It also allows me to see the world through totally different lenses than other folks. It's my ADDvantage. Now can you feel the positive power of those statements? Can you tell I'm sincere? It was simply a matter of choice to feel this way; to CHANGE one of my core beliefs. If I feel fear coming up on me when things start to fall apart I tell myself positive things. At first it was "I can handle this. I'm just getting started!" If I ever feel my hands shaking I say "I'm ready to kick some butt! Look at me! I'm so excited that I'm shaking!!!!" Instantly I feel better, and happy, and most importantly, I remain calm. Excited, but in control.So what is the flip side of rule #1:2 - Constantly feed your mind positive images of the desired result"I can't tell you how important it is for you to write out a vision of what you are going to do. Write it out in as much detail, using as many senses as possible to create the picture of what it is that you want to achieve. In my Physics 121 class I received a 55% on my first exam. Dude!!! I was thinking "I am totally out of my mind to be taking such a hard class! " I didn't feel confident in the Calculus required, and didn't even NEED that hard of a physics class for Dental school. It was a well intentioned friend that told me it was a fascinating class, and much better than boring physics 105. I was in shock, and proceeded to have the professor sign my drop note. I told my parents about my decision, and turned the note in, thinking "well, this way I will save my GPA, and get into the proper class next semester". I could have done this, but for some reason I decided to pray more about the decision. I think it was a counselor in the MARB that said "have you considered praying for help?"The answer for me was "don't drop it". I then started to have all those things happen for me that I said happen to optimists. I started to see that I hadn't given the effort I needed to. I saw that I had an awesome group of student tutors in a lab from early in the morning until late at night. I imagined what it would feel like if I really turned it around, and walked out of the class with a descent grade after such an abysmal start. Then I went even further, I pictured myself walking out of the class with an A+, to the amazement of my friends. "Wow!" I pictured myself saying "I really REALLY DID IT!" Then I saw myself running across campus yelling at the top of my lungs, calling home to tell my parents, being congratulated by my friends and instructor.Once that picture was in place, I went to work. I wrote on the first page of the pad the following "To whom it may concern: this document is proof to anyone who ever doubted that Rich McDermott did everything in his power to smash Physics 121 into the ground. In these pages you will see problems I was never assigned, problems worked several times through, and problems that were not even found in the textbooks, but ones that I created on my own to prove that I had the subject so COMPLETEY licked inside and out, that there was no WAY that I wouldn't be given an excellent grade".It was, by the way, to my advantage that we were allowed to drop one exam. I knew I had 3 weeks before our next exam. Now it was time to break up the time I had. I opened my planner and started making circles on every hour that I could spare for study in the Physics lab.I found that by focusing on the end result, that ideas came to me naturally about what specifically I was going to do to get there. I started making lunches to take with me so I wouldn't be distracted at the Wilk. I took snacks. I read up on study tips. I made friends with kids who were doing well in the lab, as well as with the lab instructors (tutors? T.A.s?) and worked on the basics first. I found that after a week of solid work, balanced with a little diversion on the weekends, I was able to get on top of the new chapters, while working over the problems I had missed on the old exam. This got me excited, but I didn't feel satisfied. In my vision I said I was going to smash Physics 121. I went over the old problems again. I tried variations of the problems. I tried other examples of the same types of problems, and then I noticed that my notepad was starting to fill up. "I'm just getting started!" I told myself, and wrote another note, this one was from my future self, congratulating me from the future for doing so well, and for sticking to it in the heat of the battle. I empathized, and talked reasonably about all of the worries that I still had (after all, I still had a 55% that wanted to suck up all of my mental energy if I let it). I congratulated myself for not worrying about the first exam, and for learning that it was a great wake-up call for me to do more than I otherwise ever would have, if I had earned an 83%, which might have lulled me into feeling secure.I didn't date much that semester, but I made very close friends in that lab. I not only knew all of their names and where they were from, I knew what types of questions they had seen on old exams, and worked through multiple variations of each question. I had conversations that went much further and deeper into the various principles than an average, or even good student would have ever done. Had I imagined all of this in my vision, I would have been too tired to start. That's why you focus on the END and not the MEANS first. Focus on what you want, then the rest will come to you.#3 - Attend you F.H.E. groups.#4 – Buy earplugs. You need them sometimes to really get down to business#5 – Exercise. Take time to run, or you will pay for it over and over again. When you are running, and feeling really good, recite powerful affirmations such as "Every day in every way I get better and better" (insert stronger, smarter, closer to God, better at Physics, etc.) Your brain is a computer linked to your soul, and to the rest of your body. By getting your body in a positive state - a state of feeling STRONG, and then programming your 'shoulder mounted computer' while you are feeling positively, you create a state that the mind remembers, and believes (or continues to run without doubting) Although the mind, or soul is the REAL you, or the you that has always existed, it is currently inextricably bound to your mortal, human body. Remember that your brain is INCREDIBLE, but it IS a computer. There are so many ways that we can affect how the our brain processes information, but since it is doing calculations based on what is put IN to the brain, we have to be SO careful about what we put in. As programmers often say "Garbage In, Garbage Out". It's just a fact. The opposite is also true to the -nth degree. Wow, was I going to talk about exercise? Your body and mind must be kept in the best condition, or you will be limited by them.
#6 – Avoid studying on Sunday. Just trust God on this one. Wake up at 5 AM on Monday morning if need be, but usually you can avoid it by being aggressive with your school work. I didn't buy into this one until one lesson at BYU where I read that not long after the saints arrived in the desert valley of Salt Lake City, with TONS of work ahead of them, Brigham Young told them they would be much better off if they avoided work on Sunday. It hit me like a brick that day, that there were actually blessings that I was MISSING by studying on Sunday. Did I trust God? It's an excellent way to build your faith.#7 – Find people to model yourself after. This is different than finding people to compare yourself to. Find people who are already getting great results, and pick their brains. See what they are doing differently. Ideally, you make these people into your study partners. See the next big pointer.#8 – Get yourself ahead of the pack, even if it kills you for two or three weeks, because then you will be able to teach other people the subject. Ideally, you become the one that everyone is asking for help. The whole point is that if YOU teach someone ELSE how to do a problem, YOU will learn it MUCH, MUCH better than if you simply learn it well enough to get a passing grade on the exam. #9 – Use all the resources that are available at least once. Keep the ones that work well, discard the rest. For me it was useful my first year to talk to counselors in the MARB office – what was that, the ZOOlOGY dept lab. You know – Dr. Bloxham and friends. You may find something odd that works only for you, such as purchasing a second book, cutting it up, and posting it all over your walls, or photocopying pages to cut up into flash cards. Whatever works, use it, and find out what other people are using as you fine tune. Then AGAIN, teach OTHER people all the new things you've learned. Then teach a few more. As you do this, you will have all kinds of insights hit you while you are teaching. The Spirit enlightens your mind when you are teaching someone else. Yes, even if the subject matter isn't related to 'Religion'. BTW - it's all from one source, and that's Christ, so whether the class is categorized as religion or not, it is all religion. It's all from the creator.#10 – Pray before you study. Go to the Tuesday Devotionals. Keep the Spirit as an instructor.#11 – Don't be surprised by setbacks. ..just be sure you take time to frame them positively each time.#12 - Learn how sweet it is to be over-prepared for an exam. Learn to study so far in advance that you burn out a week before the exam, then get your second wind a few days later after going to a movie, a few dates, and some good running. Hit it hard again by teaching 5 other people who are at THAT point starting to really study hard for the exam. There will always be people who are in a panic who you can teach the material to, thus helping them and yourself. (BTW - God gives you extra help for helping others. It's how he answers their prayers sometimes too).# 13 – Don't study where you can see something distracting. Learn that 1 hour of excellent study is better than 3-4 hours of doing small spurts of study mixed with thoughts about girls, your email, etc. The more you can eliminate distractions, the more time you will ultimately have to enjoy all those other things.#14 – Find ways to study that are creative. You will eventually burn out of sitting on a chair with a book in front of you, although that is a necessary evil, you can make it work better for you by personalizing it. Make flash cards with lots of COLORS, record audio to listen to while you run, laminate pages for you to glue into the shower, put flashcards in your pocket for lunch, make a study date with a girl that is fun, but that is focused on getting a good grade, you know – diversify, then discard what doesn't work and develop what DOES. I liked studying to classical music – Vivaldi, or some Mozart. BTW – there is a room upstairs in the testing center that plays music. Otherwise, I always put in my earplugs. Every person has their optimal environment and method. The key is monitoring. If you don't monitor, you won't know what is giving you the results. Watch your time – did you get more done? If yes, reward yourself.#15 – Always include in your studies at least 5 minutes of imagining yourself in the testing center doing well on the exam. See yourself coming to a problem that is difficult, but you work through it successfully. I would even see yourself hitting an impossible problem, and deciding to skip it, come back to it, and then after smashing the rest of the exam, relaxing for a bit, then going back calmly to the "no-win" problem, and giving it such a good effort that you smile, breath out relief knowing that you did fine on the exam, and leaving.#16 - Find a jogging partner. I know I already put this in there, but you MUST exercise.#17 - Along the same lines, you can't rely on a bowl of cereal to get you through. Make sure you get protein for every meal, and avoid too much simple sugar. Whatever protein bar or snack floats your boat, load up. It's an educational expense. Don't get 30 minutes into study and realize you have no snack to help you keep going. Forget the library rules. Ok, don't make a mess, but you have to snack.
Now go to work! Enjoy it too, it's life 101, and it IS fun to kick it in the butt!
Here are your quotes for the day:
You can do anything you think you can. This knowledge is literally the gift of the gods, for through it you can solve every human problem. It should make of you an incurable optimist. It is the open door…Robert CollierWhat the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of a man can achieve.Napoleon Hill
I found that I could find the energy…that I could find the determination to keep on going. I learned that your mind can amaze your body, if you just keep telling yourself "I can do it…I can do it…I can do it!"Jon EricksonThe world is so constructed, that if you wish to enjoy its pleasures, you must also endure its pains. Whether you like it or not, you cannot have one without the other
Swami BrahmanandaAn obvious fact about negative feelings is often overlooked. They are caused by us, not by exterior happenings. An outside event presents the challenge, but we react to it. So we must attend to the way we take things, not to the things themselves.Vernon HowardTo begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment….
James Allen
The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mindWilliams JamesIn every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat there is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next timeRobert CollierAn Optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity: a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunityWinston Churchill
A stumble may prevent a fall.Thomas FullerWhat a great discrepancy there is between men and the results they achieve! It is due to the difference in their power of calling together all the rays of their ability, and concentrating them upon one point.
Orison Sweet Marden

