Pursuit of Excellence and Success
Context: IIT JEE Examination, India
Authors
Thoughts of Well Known Persons
Michael Jordan
Basketball player and author of "I can't Accept Not Trying" (Harper San Francisco).
I have the goal of being the best, But I approach everything step by step by using short-term goals.
Comment: If your goal is clearing IIT JEE, plan the study for the next week and achieve it first. Plan for each succeeding week and achieve the goal for the week.
If you're trying to achieve, there will be road blocks. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
Comment: If you don't understand some portion of the lesson, try various alternatives to accomplish your learning. Ask your teacher, read the material many times over, ask your friends, search the internet, ask a question in orkut communities, or keep it aside for few days to reopen the lesson once again.
Bonnie St. John Deane
Winner in Disabled Olympics, Harvard and Oxford Degree holder, White House Official on National Economic Council
Who or what motivates you?
Her answer: "I motivate me."
Her method: Five step exercise.
Five steps
1.What are your payoffs? List down the benefits or rewards from achieving or completing the task.
2. Find deeper meaning in your goals. Find compelling reasons for completing your goal.
3. Get your dreams at half price. Find more goals which can be reached with the work that you are putting in for reaching this goal. Work with a friend. Develop a plan to achieve the goal efficiently with less cost.
4. Stop underestimating your odds for success: Underestimating your odds to succeed can stop you dead in your tracks. Believe in your success till the end of the task.
Err on the side of optimism. Spend less time with people who discourage you on the task or goal. But don't just believe in positive thinking. Investigate the odds, have a real confidence that they are within your teach and always work on improving the odds.
5. Change your real odds or winning or improving odds: Learn from people who have succeeded in reaching the goal before.
Measure your motivation by a motivation meter system and improve your motivation.
Motivation will be more if payoffs are bigger, odds of success are high, and effort involved is less. To accomplish this repeat the five step exercise.
