Self-belief stems from an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses and a willingness to see each weakness as a challenge.
By Dr. Jason A. Davies PhD.,
Author of “6 Days to Better Grades”
Self-belief stems from an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses and a willingness to see each weakness as a challenge.
In order to give yourself the best chance of success at college it’s important that you learn to believe in yourself. When faced with a challenge don’t say, “I can’t…,” ask yourself, “Why can’t I…?” and “How can I…?”
You should practice this technique not only with respect to your studies but also in other aspects of your life where you face challenges:
For example, instead of saying, “I can’t do math”, ask yourself, “Why can’t I do math?” and “How can I improve my math skills?”
Or, instead of saying, “I can’t write essays”, ask yourself, “Why can’t I write essays?” and “How can I improve my essay writing skills?”
Or, instead of saying, “I can’t learn to drive”, ask yourself, “Why can’t I learn to drive?” and “How can I go about arranging lessons?”
Or, instead of saying, “I can’t be the first person to walk on Mars”, ask yourself, “Why can’t I be the first person to walk on Mars?” and “How can I get to work for NASA?” (I am completely serious here; do you think Neil Armstrong had self-belief? Do you think he was a positive or negative thinker?).
Do you see how this is a much healthier and more positive way of thinking?
What I’m saying is this: don’t underestimate yourself or put yourself down, be positive and think “I can…!”
Do this regularly and it quickly becomes second nature.
Fact: You are capable of far more than you know.
Many students have an unhealthy attitude towards study (in fact many students don’t have a concrete idea of exactly what is meant by study), but think about this: your success, in anything that you attempt in life, is largely due to your attitude. A good attitude leads to good results, whereas a poor attitude leads to poor results. So why not develop a great attitude and get great results?
With the right attitude towards your studies, your confidence will grow, you’ll find your work easier, you’ll get your work done in less time, your marks will improve and you’ll enjoy your work more.
So how do you improve your
attitude? Well, attitudes are nothing more than habits of thought and bad habits can be replaced with good ones.
If you have the habit of saying, “I hate studying,” or “I’m bad at studying,” or “I’m a poor student,” then over time you will convince yourself that this is true and it becomes part of how you define yourself.
But remember, attitudes are simply habits of thought. So next time you find yourself thinking, “I hate studying,” or “I’m bad at studying,” or “I’m a poor student,” then stop yourself and think instead, “I’m learning to like studying,” and “I’m getting better at studying,” and “I’m becoming a good student.” Use this technique everyday.
Simply by developing a better attitude towards your studies you’ll be amazed by how your confidence will grow and how the quality of your work will improve.
At college, your success will depend largely upon your attitude, your interest, your enthusiasm and your self-belief. Get these things right and your over half way there!
This is an excerpt from ‘6 Days To Better Grades – Powerful Study Advice For All College Students’. Available now from Amazon.com