Students can master anything they propose but they need a plan or strategy. Early in the semester I talk with my students about the key to success. The key looks the same no matter your goal. Success comes from a set of habits and all masters adhere to them. I tell my students if they make four simple habits their own I guarantee their success in my course or any course they take even at the graduate level. Below I present the four habits of master students.
1. Attitude
Attitude affects success and failure. A negative attitude poisons and destroys possibilities. A positive attitude expands and opens the mind to learning. Your attitude causes a chemical reaction in your brain and negativity closes you to learning. You tell yourself, “I don’t want to be in this class” or “I don’t need to know this” and it happens. You don’t come to class and you don’t learn the material. Masters have positive conversations with themselves. It might sound like this. “Someone with more experience and expertise thinks I need to know this and wants to teach me-what a great opportunity. Few people on the planet will ever have this chance.” Positive thinkers say to themselves, “What I learn in this course will take me closer to my academic and professional goals.” Master students talk positively to themselves and it affects their attitude. They give thanks strangers built classrooms and designed courses for the betterment of students and all humanity. Decide to control your attitude and soon your life will change.
2. Focus
The less students do the more they accomplish. I know this sounds like a paradox. Humans work best when they focus on one thing at a time. When you start a course immediately focus on the goal or purpose of said course. Masters don’t allow distractions. They think about their goal constantly. They think about their course outside of class. They think about what their professors say and they relate what happens in class to the rest of their life. Unfocused students leave class and forget everything that happened because they have so many things to think about and academics equals just one of their many interests. They don’t focus on one thing so they can’t concentrate and thus can’t learn. I can detect the focused students in my course. Their cell phones never ring. They never have to leave or miss class and they ask difficult questions. Decide to focus on less stuff and soon you’ll learn more.
3. Effort
Many students tell me they want to learn but their actions prove otherwise. They miss class, arrive late, don’t do their homework or read anything and they seem to live by the motto: If at first I don’t succeed I’ll never try again. Master students prove themselves through their effort. They always try their best. They feel frustration when I give them difficult exercises in class but they focus and say, “If others learned to do this so can I.” They never sigh when I ask them to rewrite a composition or do research for homework. They want to rewrite their compositions a second or third time. They have a contagiously positive attitude that makes me want to teach. They help me focus on what’s important and not waste effort. Don’t tell your teachers you want to learn. Decide to show them through effort instead.
4. Intelligent Choices
These habits work together. It takes effort to develop a positive attitude. A positive attitude helps students focus and focus makes effort effortless. When you make the three habits above your own you’ve made intelligent choices. I sometimes ask my students for an example of an intelligent choice. Many intuit, “Good attendance.” The more focused answer, “Good attitude” or “Effort”. Students face many choices every day. Some students make unwise, unhealthy or even tragic choices. Some of my students had to abandon their studies because of bad choices. To make intelligent choices students must develop what Ernest Hemingway suggested to his student Arnold Samuelson, “A fail-proof crap detector.” Through the study of language, logic and history you can develop a detector to help you sniff out all the intelligent choices to live life the way you want. When you accumulate debt do you then live the way you want or the way the credit card owner wants? Decide intelligently and take control of your life. Learn to say no to a negative attitude, distractions, indolence and poor choices. These four habits will help you do well in any course. It’s that simple so don’t worry, be happy and learn.
Copyright Bert Lorenzo, 2006
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