Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Keys To Success: Important Lessons You Can Borrow From Athletics
Keys To Success: Important Lessons You Can Borrow From Athletics
Keys To Success: Important Lessons You Can Borrow From Athletics
A few hours a week; it depends on what shape you are in when you start. Regardless of your shape, it is a small price to pay for very important gains. Everyone wants a quick fix, but thats as unrealistic for improving your reading skills as it is for achieving physical fitness.
Work Out (Study) at the Right Time and in the Right Place
Identify the time of day when you are most alert and rested. Then, study at that same time every day. If you give it three weeks, it will become a habit.
Many students have the habit of negative self-talk: This is too hard. Im not smart enough, Ill never get this, or This is hopeless. When ever you have a thought like this, STOP IT. Dont accept negative comments about yourself, and dont make them.
If you want to change the kind of student you are, change the kind of person you are. You are what you say and do.
In practicing your reading skills, you need to do the same things in the same way as you will when you use them in actual situations. This means practicing with the real thing, collegelevel material. It means thinking, focusing, and preparing yourself ultimately to use these same skills to help master your college textbooks. You get out of it what you put into it. Train carefully. Train regularly. Train hard.
Learning doesnt occur as a smooth, seamless, steady process. Learning involves integrating new information with existing information. The brain needs time for restructuring and consolidation. It takes time for the brain to accommodate new input. If you hit a rough spot, keep going. Even when you feel discouraged, do the assignments anyway. Champions keep playing until they get it right.
Breathe
To function, your brain needs glucose and oxygen. Drink plenty of water to hydrate and oxygenate your brain. For your brain to function well, you need to feel relaxed, yet alert.
Breathe (continued)
Use this simple breathing procedure to calm and refresh you:
1. Take several slow, deep breaths when you sit down to study. Sit up straight. Put you feet flat on the floor. Rest your hands in your lap and close your eyes. Exhale completely through your nose. 2. Now inhale through your nose and fill your lungs from the bottom up. 3. Hold your breath for several seconds and then exhale slowly and completely through your mouth.
Use Visualization
This means imagining yourself doing something successful before you actually begin it. Its like a move you run in your head. If I can conceive it, I can believe it. If I can believe it, I can achieve it. Jessie Jackson Imitate a champion. Pattern yourself after someone who is outstanding.
If you watch what someone else is doing, then you are not focusing on what you need to do. Learn from others, but improve yourself. Just because someone wins the race, dont assume it was easy for them.
A problem can be fixed. If you are dealing with a circumstance that cannot be changed or fixed, then its no longer a problem: its a fact. Because its a fact, theres no reason to waste emotional energy feeling frustrated. Let it go. Save time and energy for problems you can do something about.
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. Keep in mind that it is what you expect of yourself that matters, not what others expect Set your academic goals, and know what you are wiling to do to achieve academic success..
Follow Instructions
Read, mark, and follow every set of directions carefully. Follow the philosophy of Do it now. Do it right. Following directions is a relatively simple, but very important skill.
Read the entire set of directions carefully, even if you think you know what youre supposed to do. Circle or box any clues that signal steps in the directions. Underline key words that tell what youre supposed to do (especially in test directions) Carry out the steps in order.
Ask for guidance in class and outside of class, too. Good coaches--and good teachers--will not let you get by with sloppy work, missed workouts (missed class sessions or missing assignments), or a bad attitude. Because they care whether or not you learn, theyll push prod, and nag. They wont accept excuses. Good coaches and teachers see what you can be rather than what you are.
Secrets Summary
Understand and make a commitment. Work out (study) at the right time and place. Avoid negative self-talk and verbalizations. Decide what kind of person you want to be. Train the way you want to play. Be prepared to deal with plateaus. Breathe. Use visualization. Focus on your own game.
Develop mental toughness and stay focused. Distinguish between problems and facts. Set high expectations and commit them to writing. Show up for practice even if you dont feel like it. Monitor your workouts and your progress. Always give your best effort. Follow instructions. Get help from a coach. Time to get moving!