The Advice Column I

Five

Advice Request
This person says that they will soon be taking a test that will determine whether they will be accepted into their "dream school" or not. While they wish to study, they cannot find the motivation to and are distracted easily. In addition to this, their sibling has been accepted into this school, so their parents would be disappointed in them if they weren't to get in; they even fear of how their parents' views toward them may change.

Answered Submission
We have all been in this position: You have an important exam, and although you wish to do your best on it and actually score a high score, you simply cannot find the motivation to study for it. The goods news is that we know what you're problem is, which is the fact that you lack motivation to study! The bad news is that there are many ways to tackle this problem, so not every way might work for you. Thus, you will need to experiment different methods to find out what motivates you. As a matter of fact, it is difficult to stay on task if you aren't motivated; it's only natural that you would be distracted easily, so focus on motivating yourself to study.

The below is a guide that may help you figure things out, so sit back, relax, and read! :)

Start out with asking yourself: "What type of success do I want in the future?" and then write out the answer to that so you wouldn't forget it. Then, ask yourself: "How can I reach the said success?" Write the answer down again! The third question to ask yourself is: "This is how I can reach the success I desire, so which approach, out of all of my options, should I choose to fight this problem I am facing?" Lastly, write the answer down. Read over what you've written to grasp the idea of what really is going on here. This will give you the chance to understand your weakness of lack of motivation. For example, you can answer the first question by stating, "I want to open my own clinic in the future," and answer the second question by answering with, "I will get a bachelor's degree in Biology first, and then I will enter medical school afterward. Once I graduate medical school, I will specialize in a specific field to open up a specialized clinic for the sick people, probably the younger." The third question will probably be the toughest to answer, but your answer may go like this: "I lack the motivation to study to enter the school I want to go to, so I can use a simple approach of recognizing all of my weaknesses when it comes to studying." This will help you recognize what you want in the future and how you can reach it. Education, fortunately enough, does help reach goals, dreams, and even success, so instead of worrying about whether you'll get accepted or not or worrying about what your parents will think of you, focus on the fact that you have the opportunity to learn, so gain knowledge as much as possible! This is about you—not about the school, your sibling, or your parents. Study for yourself because you deserve to be a knowledgeable person.

From this point on, jot down all of the weaknesses you feel you have as a student who is having a hard time to study. The third question will make you realize that you have a plan for the future already—all you have to do is prepare for it. How can you prepare?

Make sure to:

•Always make sure you've eaten, slept, and drank water before you start studying. (Do anything else that you know may distract your studying).

•Create an organized plan for studying (e.g. Studying math first, English second, and science last).

•Stay in a room without any electronics, especially a phone or T.V. (If technology is necessary, then use a desktop or a laptop only).

•Study in a quiet room. (Make sure no one is in there so they wouldn't distract you. If necessary, study at your local library or somewhere else that is quiet).

•Set realistic goals by diving up what you need to cover (e.g. Mentally telling yourself in a very determined manner that you will read over all of your notes today, study your homework sheets tomorrow, and then correct your quizzes on the third day).

•Never overwhelm yourself (If you feel like you have so much to do that you can't even concentrate, take a break and do something that will calm you down, like taking a walk or watching a little bit of T.V.—or even checking Wattpad—and then go back to studying by following a plan, like creating a study schedule, and dividing up what you need to study).

At the end of the day, the one who is studying is you. At the end of the day, the one who will gain knowledge by studying is you. At the end of the day, the one who is working toward reaching success is you. You have the chance to become as great as you can, so study to learn and not to be accepted into a school. With this mindset, you will elevate your status and increase the chance of getting accepted into the school you want (believe it or not); you're so worthy of everything to the point where you deserve to learn, so this should even help motivate you to study.

We wish you the best of everything in life, including your goals, dreams, and future success! 💕

The Advice Column Team