Besides having the right strategies, successful students have the ability to consistently motivate themselves to take action towards their goals. As human beings, we (especially our children) are driven very much by the emotional states that we feel. When kids are in negative emotional states like depression, lethargy, laziness or fear, they will not be driven to study or do anything. On the other hand, when our children feel confident, motivated and enthusiastic, they will perform at their fullest potential. We have found that below average students tend to believe that they have little control over their emotional states. Since emotions tend to override logic very often, they don't take action when they need to. For example, they know logically they need to study for the coming test, but the feeling of laziness and procrastination holds them back. At the same time, their lack of emotional control causes them to simply react to their external environment. They believe that events and other people MAKE THEM feel bad. When a friend throws an insult at them, they react immediately by getting angry. When they cannot solve a Math problem, they get frustrated. When they see the number of pages they need to study, they feel overwhelmed! At the same time, ineffective students believe that they have no control over how they feel and, instead, allow their emotions to control them. When they feel lazy, they just don't study. When they feel depressed, they shut down. And when they feel lousy, they just give up. They believe that something or someone must motivate them or give them the confidence to take action. As a result, most children feel powerless to change their life for the better. Successful teens on the other hand believe that they are IN CHARGE of their own emotions. When they feel lazy, they don't wait for something to come along and motivate them. They know how to motivate themselves to take action! When they experience failure or rejection, they are able to get over it very fast. Successful students know that they have the power to choose how to respond to events. No matter what happens to then, they will respond in a way that puts them into a positive emotion in order to achieve a positive outcome. Ineffective students tend to react in a way that makes them give up control over their results, leading to poor outcomes! By teaching our kids how to control their responses and emotions, it will empower them to take consistent action towards their goals. Happy Parenting.. Powered by Telkomsel BlackBerry®
