Study Coach

The Motivating Power of Vision December 5, 2007

A vision can be defined as a mental image or picture of a desired future condition or event. 

It best seen in terms of the positive.  That is, it is an image of something you want to have, something you want to happen and something you want to become rather than something you don’t want to have, something you don’t want to happen and something you don’t want to become.

So, why is having a vision important?  How does this relate to learning?  Why do good study coaches emphasize this?

It is because of the word desire.  A good vision elicits a strong desire for that future condition or event, an intense motivation to see it come to pass.

What is that future you desire?

Do you see yourself financially free having both enough money and the time to enjoy that money?  Do you see yourself in a very fulfilling job or business endeavor?

Maybe you desire to help a lot of people, family members, friends and even the needy.  Do you see yourself in a very special position of influence to impact the nation, the nations and even the world?

Is peace of mind a major part in your desired future?  Is spending quality and quantity time with your family a part of it?  Do you see yourself in excellent health?

Do you see a close and intimate relationship with God in all of this?  What is that desired future?

You see it does not end with dreaming of the future and intensely desiring it.  The key to benefiting from the vision and one of the goals of study coaching is connecting it with whatever you are doing right now.  Particularly in your case, it would in studying and learning.

If you could figure out how your studies now specifically relate to your desired outcome in the future, it would give you an intense motivation to excel.  Don’t think in terms of generalities like higher grades would give you the edge in whatever profession you pursue.  It should be specific in the sense that you can relate it to each of your subjects, even to the topics you are studying and the activities you are doing on a daily basis.

For example, part of your vision is to become a very successful businessperson with great influence in society and who at the same time has lots of quality time for God and for your own family.

How would those math subjects that challenge you greatly compute in all of this?  For one, business has to do with money.  Money is basically numbers and that relates to math.  Part of handling your finances well is being skilled in math.  So it is with time management.

How about history or the social sciences?  Part of being a good businessman is knowing about people and knowing about trends in the past and how they relate with the future.  There is an adage which says that history repeats itself and being knowledgeable in this would help you in decision-making.

How about your communication subjects?  Negotiation, sales and marketing, human resource management are just some examples of business functions which require good communication skills.  Good communication skills are part of being a leader and an influencer.

How about that foreign language elective?  Imagine the advantage of being able to speak another language in a global community.  These are but a few examples of how everything you are taking up ties up with that vision of yours.  It is not just your business major courses.

If you can relate whatever you are doing with that vision you strongly desire, you will be highly motivated.

Another thing about vision is that is not limited by today’s hindrances and obstacles but it looks at future possibilities.  A person who is passionate and motivated enough can eventually overcome any hindrance or obstacle thrown at him or her.  And vision motivates.

Start envisioning your desired future now! 

The Importance of Your Attitude on Learning December 5, 2007

“Attitude?  You’re my study coach!  Teach me study tips, study skills and help me prepare for my exams.  Why do you need to talk to me about my attitude on learning?”

As a study coach, I hear this statement or a variation of it often enough.  A lot of students and even parents are just concerned about skills and techniques and downplay the importance of our attitude when it comes to learning.

People want to go directly to memory-improvement, increasing their comprehension, note-taking skills, writing skills, problem-solving skills, and the like without understanding that our attitudes play a vital role in each of the skills mentioned.

There are lots of excellent athletes who know the value of attitude and mind conditioning in their overall performance.  Given everything equal, it is the athlete who is better prepared mentally and emotionally who will prevail.

Andre Agassi, the famous tennis player, had a mental coach, the also famous Anthony Robbins, in addition to having a strength coach, and a tennis coach to prepare him during training and for competition.  This is probably one of the reasons why he dominated the court for quite some time.

The legendary Muhammad Ali probably set this precedent of having mental coaches in the sports field.  He actually hired a person as part of his personal staff.  This guy had only one job: to keep on telling Ali that he was the greatest. 

Early in the morning this guy was there, yelling, “Ali, you’re the greatest!”  As he ate lunch, this guy would assure him, “You are the greatest!”  Everywhere he went, when he was training and even when he was not, this guy would never leave his side enthusiastically and totally convinced he was right saying to Ali, “You are the greatest!”

Pride?  Probably.  Probably not.  But one thing was for sure: this helped Muhammad Ali become convinced in his mind and heart that he was actually the greatest.  And sure enough, his belief manifested itself in reality and he turned out to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

We see this principle in a lot of management and success books:  performance is a function of ability and attitude.  Those who have both attitude and ability are able to achieve a lot.

However, one can have great ability but poor attitude and he could only accomplish so much.  I have seen a lot of my classmates who were top in their class when we were in grade school fail miserably when we were in college, not because of lack of ability.  They had very high IQ’s but they became lazy and lacked motivation.

On the other hand, there are those who have great attitude who lack ability.  Initially they won’t accomplish much either.  However, these people because of their great attitude eventually find it in themselves to develop their abilities.

It cannot be ignored or taken for granted.  Attitude is everything and a good study coach will help you give it its proper emphasis.