How do I become a better student?

How do I become a better student?

My friends, I hope this finds you good, smiling and courageously taking some steps to making your life a little better here and there. Right? I love that you're asking just how to become a better student, whether your semester is ending or beginning, whether your quarter is finishing, you're starting. This is such an essential question, in part because the very purpose of your existence is to grow. It is to expand and to evolve in all sorts of incredible ways. So being a student is who you are born to be. Your brain and body is engineered to do this. So today I'm going to help you to take this incredible instrument that your brain and body is, and we are going to teach it a few skills that will help you to become a better student and find success more often in your school efforts.

Are you ready? I'm going to drop some tips your way. And as usual, there are a couple of things that you need to know before you become successful. These ideas, this psychology will help to prepare you to use the skills that I'll give you in just a moment. So first things first. We got a clean house. So let's take out the trash. And here's what I need you to throw out. Idea number one, and it's the only one, so it's just one idea. I want you to throw out the idea that you're either smart or dumb. Just throw it out. You don't need it. If you ever hear yourself say, well, I'm just not smart or I'm dumb, or I'm just not good at math or biology, or even the opposite, right? I'm just smart, I don't need to study. Just get this idea out of your mind. And instead of this incomplete and not very helpful idea, I want you to adopt a simple mentality.

Are you ready? I hope you're secretly doing a little drum roll inside your mind. Here's the idea. My brain and body can learn to do anything I consistently train them to do. This statement is absolutely true, from drawing to writing, playing the guitar to rock climbing, to yoga, to meditation, becoming a social genius, to doing math, to studying, taking tests, to running 100 mile races, to boxing, to managing your thoughts and emotions better, becoming more self-disciplined. Your body and brain can learn to do all of these things and all you have to do is use a simple formula.

Wait a second, there's a formula for this? Settle down my nervous friend. No X's and Y's on this formula, but you can apply this formula to anything you wish to learn and become better at it. So here it is. Experience + time + effort = success. Let me tell you something. I coach people rock climbing all the time, and when people come, climbing just quickly destroys them. And of course, even though I'm an old man of 50, can you believe that I climb like a living legend? I'm just kidding, of course.

But people are always like, whoa, how do you climb like that? Or you make it look so easy? And my answer is always the same. There's nothing that I have that you don't have as far as ability or talent is concerned. I simply make sure that I put in the time to climb. I put forth some effort to become a little bit better and the outcome is growth and success. It will never fail.

So just create the experience. Give yourself a little time and some patience is fabulous as well. Add a little sprinkle of effort. Actually a lot depending on what you want or how you want to achieve, and you get better outcomes. Then I make myself clear. Crystal, I hope. By the way, if this sounds familiar to you, it's because you've probably heard it in elementary school, junior high, middle school, high school. This is basically called having a growth mindset. Instead of having a rigid mindset which basically states, this is who I am and who I'm not, and it's not going to get any better. I'm stunted and limited and there's nothing I can do.

I hope you can hear how ridiculous and untrue that kind of thinking sounds. So let it go and never be swayed or tricked by it again. Capiche? Okay, now to the seven basic skills that are going to help you to become a better student. And let's start with the simpler ones. By the way, these may impact your coolness factor. But hey, no rain, no flowers, right? A little sacrifice is always necessary.

1) Sit in the front two or three rows in your class. This is by far the easiest and quickest change you can make. Move to the front. If you have assigned seats, talk to your teacher and let them know that you just want to listen a little better, follow a little closer and my guess is that they would be like, what? They would move you there and probably give you a medal at the same time.

2) Find people who know more and do a little bit better at this topic, study with them. Once again, lay the ego on the table. Your ego is the enemy here. Let it go and study with people. Their commitment coupled with yours will help you to stay on task and do a little better. There is such a thing as a positive peer pressure. Use it to your advantage.

3) Ask for help, for heaven's sakes. Once again, I'm freeing you from your ego right now. Let go of any arrogance. Fear, fears the mind killer, my friends, let it go and ask questions. Ask for help instead of sitting quietly, falling behind, and then promptly hating your life, hating your class, hating your teachers. Because sometimes we get that way right when we're failing. Don't we? We turn on everybody. So spare yourself the rage fit and instead ask for help a little earlier instead of later.

4) Get a coach or a study period. A coach is synonymous with a tutor. Oh my goodness, you're a tutor is not good. Come on now, let's leave the dramatics for the stage, people. When you want to do something better or learn it in more detail, you may need a coach. Someone who can work through the challenges with us. It's no different, right, with a musical instrument or a sport or an activity. A coach will simply help you to work through that equation right? Experience plus time, repetition plus effort equals more success. In addition, if you have home rooms or study periods available at your school, heavens to Betsy, use it to get help and to do as much work as you can at school so you can have a little more free time at home. Sounds like the dream, right?

5) Make friends with your teacher. Say what? Iuri has lost his mind. No, I have not lost my mind. Being friendly with your teachers will motivate you to succeed. And honestly, it will motivate them to give you a break and help you, people. This is not rocket scientists. We're talking basics. A fist bump at the door, a high five saying hello and goodbye. Being a helper, asking a few questions. This is stuff that you can do and building these bridges is an advantage to you right now and in the future. You are not too cool to be friendly to your teacher. You will make your life and their's better.

6) Take as many practice tests as you can. Whether you're taking the ACT or the SATs, or any other test or quiz. If you have the opportunity to take practice exams, take them. Studies have shown that students who do this are significantly more successful than others during quizzes and tests. Do you know why? Because you're practicing or studying in the same way that you're going to perform. Makes sense right? While I was coaching, we simply call this practice how you play. So ask your teacher because by now you two are besties and they love you and will glad you give you something to practice.

7) Improve your self-discipline when you're studying by reminding yourself that you don't need to be anywhere else. Why do you think that matters so much? Well, it matters because the minute you start wishing that you were somewhere else, the more unhappy you will be and the less focused you will be. Listen to this quote. The quickest path to unhappiness now is to wish you were somewhere else. Let that idea swoosh around your brain for a second.

The way to fix that, by the way, is by living this simple quote, be where your feet are. Remember that when you're in geography class or choir, or with your friends or family, be there. Not on some other multi-verse. This means notifications on silence. Eliminate the distractions and lock in, people.

My friends, it's possible. You're probably already using some of these or some amazing other strategy that's working for you. Keep those. And to those, maybe try a few of these and see if they work for you. Also, remember to clean house. Get rid of that nagging idea that tells you that you can't do something, that you're terrible at something, or that somehow you just don't have some natural gift or aptitude and instead apply the formula that I told you about. Experience plus time plus effort equals more success. Now get out there. Stay humble. Get creative and improvise when it's not working and move upwards.

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