Thank Goodness It's Monday #425

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

(AND TEACHERS GIVE IT AWAY, FREE)

Well, maybe not “free of charge” completely and absolutely. 

 

But certainly the best teachers give their knowledge away freely.

My friend, sports psychologist
and college professor for
 -- gulp! –
three decades,
Dr. Rob Gilbert.

So with that thought in mind, when I was recently asked for TGIM-like advice to share with young wisdom seekers as they embark on the path of higher education, I turned to my academically based friend Dr. Rob Gilbert for his input.

 

Here’s why: As I have confessed here previously, I was not much of a “student” in my pre-college days but I did get by without a great deal of effort. And, thereafter I was not the most disciplined, high achiever in my early post-high-school days. 

It took me a long time to shape up. Years, actually.

So I can certainly relate to the idea of challenge in the halls of academia. But precisely how to cope at the outset is a bit foreign to my experience. Thus “Do as I say, not as I did” advice from me is not necessarily going to provide the most direct path to success in school.

Instead, I think we should apply one surefire lesson I’ve learned on my meandering educational path and that’s –

 

Go to the source. Rob’s a friend of several decades and for as long as I’ve known him (and longer) his focus has been, first and foremost –

 

Getting students to succeed. Generations of students passing through Montclair State University here in NJ know Dr. Rob as the guy who inspired them right from the get-go with his new student orientation.

And beyond that, I have no idea how many others have also taken his classes and got all that the course curriculum promised – and much more.

 

I DO know that many of his pupils credit him with laying the groundwork for their success.

 

So where else would I turn?

But rather than pester him at this critical, getting-started time of the academic year, to find the wisdom worth sharing I dug out my personally inscribed and autographed First Edition copy of Rob’s opus – 

How To Have Fun Without Failing Out

– 430 Tips from a College Professor

There is so much concise, actionable information packed into this worthwhile volume (actually far more than the enumerated 430 tips) that I was challenged to know what to share in the hope that it’s the right information for the folks who asked for my input. 

I could just pick and choose a bunch at random

… pick one each from the nine chapters

… churn through the perhaps 50 sub-topics within the chapters

… select only from the numerous sidebar items that supplement the text

… share some of the world-class quotes that support the enumerated ideas. 

But then I had this brainstorm:

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Share the specific section that, in the clarity of hindsight, likely would have been most useful to me long, long ago.

 

Here it is: From Chapter Two: Skills to Succeed  –

 

Master Skill #7: Study Skills

 

Tip #90: Study at least two hours every single day, even weekends and holidays, no matter what. Do this from the first day of class until your final final.

 

Tip #91: When you don’t want to study for two hours, apply –

The fifteen-minute rule: Study for fifteen minutes and then see how you feel.

 

Tip #92: Find study partners, especially in courses you think will be particularly difficult. You will end up learning more and meeting new people.

 

Tip #93: Make a ritual of studying. Study at the same time and at the same place every day.

 

Tip #94: The best place to study is where you won’t be disturbed.

 

Tip #95: Work out in the gym. Eat in the cafeteria. And STUDY AT THE LIBRARY.

 

Tip #96: The worst place to study is where you sleep.

 

Tip #97: For your most difficult classes, read related blogs and Google articles – anything to gain a greater understanding of the subject.

 

Tip #98: At some point during the first three weeks of school, spend twelve hours in a room reading and reviewing your textbooks and notebooks. Take bathroom and food breaks only – no phone calls, radio, computer, television, or friends. Just you and your books. Most students think this is impossible. Once you do this exercise, you’ll have new respect for your academic endurance, and studying for two hours a day will be cake.

 

Tip #99: Review … REVIEW … REVIEW!

 

Tip #100: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

 

Tip #101: Take a five- to ten-minute break for every forty to forty-five minutes you study.

 

Tip #102: Keep your promises. This shows friends, family, and acquaintances that you are reliable.

 

Tip #103: Flash cards are (still) a great study aid.

 

Tip #104 During the first two weeks of the semester, study as hard as you would during the last two weeks of the semester.

 

Tip #105: Study the most difficult material first.

 

Tip #106: If you really want to see if you know something, teach it to someone else.

 

TGIM TAKEAWAY: I trust TGIM readers -- each and all, regardless of age or position in life -- are believers in the power of lifelong learning. So while it’s my conviction that Tips #90 thru #106 above can be applied in some way or another by each of us, now, this final Master Study Skill item is a must for us for all time.

Tip #107:

Stop thinking like a student

and start thinking like a teacher.

 

TGIM SUCCESS GOLD: Be proactive in learning new skills or expanding those you already possess. Whether it’s in a formal classroom setting or simply by self-education, without continued growth -- both personal and professional -- people quickly stagnate.

Get out into the world and excite all your senses and inspire your sense of self with exposure to stimulating experiences. Be interested in others. Be interesting to others.

 

Have fun.  And now that you have a better idea of “how to do it” –

Don’t fail out. Teach as well as be taught.

Make sure you’re in a place in your company or community where you share what you know and can share in the experiences, reaction and feedback of the newly informed.

 

Pay it forward. The feedback loop of “education” affords benefits to all parties in the circle.

 

Like, I hope, Rob and me, through efforts such as this TGIM. 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S.  I’ve heard Rob share this story on more than one occasion and, each time, it never fails to make an impression. See if you agree that it’s both inspirational and motivational:

One day a middle-aged woman clutching a plastic bag close to her chest walked into a picture-framing store.

She looked at the manager behind the counter and said, “I have something in this bag that cost me over $150,000, but it’s worth much more than that.”

“May I see it?” asked the manager.

Carefully and with great pride the woman unrolled her daughter’s college diploma.

 

P.P.S. Other things teachers give away free: Every morning since 1992 Rob has recorded a three-minute-or-so motivational message on his Success Hotline which you can listen to 24/7/365.

Call (973)743-4690

 

And in our NOT not-for-profit world, one source of Rob’s book is via its publisher: HERE.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #366

14,000 ATHLETES

ALL AIMING

AT THE SAME ELUSIVE GOAL

Front and Reverse of the
2012 Summer Olympics
 (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad,
also known informally as London 2012)
Gold Medal

The 2012 Summer Olympics are about to get under way in London. At the center of it all, perhaps as many as 14,000 world-class athletes – some you have heard of, many you have not – each one aiming at the same elusive goal:  

Victory. And at every turn there will be “the thrill of victory; the agony of defeat.”

Just like any other day in your life and mine.

Really. 

It is quite like that, isn’t it?

Every day has Olympic moments. Just look at our non-athletic, work-a-day world. In very practical business terms for example:

Someone makes the sale.

Everyone else is a runner up.

No silver or bronze medals are awarded.

You can’t win them all. In fact, truth is, like most of the 14,000 athletes striving in the 302 Olympic gold medal events, even at the highest level, you can win very few outright.

BUT --

(And, as you can see it’s a big “but …”)

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. And try your damnedest.

We’ll dig deeper into precisely how to do that momentarily. But first, to establish my “cred” and impress you with my innate ability to lead you to mastery –

Now …

   Before the opening ceremonies are even underway …

       In the most amazing feat of sports prognostication that you will ever witness …

          I will reveal the Olympic athletes who WILL NOT WIN Olympic gold:

And the LOSERS are:

Every athlete who is focused on winning.

Yup. 

The WINNERS will be:

The athletes who want to win

and focus on giving a full effort.

Full disclosure: I learned this lesson from my friend the noted sports psychologist, Rob Gilbert, Ph.D. 

Dr. Rob often makes this point -- almost every athlete focuses on the wrong thing: winning – by getting the folks he would inspire to, well –

Focus on the wrong thing. He does it with a child’s --

RIDDLE: Anna’s mother has three daughters. One is named “Penny.” Another is named “Nickel.” What is the name of the third daughter?

·         Are you thinking the answer is “Dime” or “Quarter” or “Half-Dollar”? 

·         Are you such a Jersey-minded Abbot and Costello fan that you think the name is “What.” (Who’s On First, What’s On Second, etc. Lou was devoted to his home town of Paterson NJ where a Who’s-On-First related statue has been erected in his honor.)

Back to the point: Those answers are not even close because you’re focusing on the wrong part of the riddle. 

If you focus on the first two words – “Anna’s mother” – you’ll realize that the third daughter’s name is -- drum roll, please -- Anna! 

Olympic “Aha!” moment: Most athletes do something similar. They’re focusing on the wrong thing. They’re focused on winning.

This is a big mistake.

Why?

TGIM “Aha!” moment: Because they – and we, in our daily challenges, Olympian or lesser – do not have control over winning.

But we do have control over our effort. 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Keep your focus on your effort, not on the outcome. Keep your focus on the process, not the product. Keep your eye on the ball, not on the trophy stand. Know that every time you compete, it’s important, but – in the scheme of life – not that important.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Prepare and tackle every major challenge you foresee with an Olympian mindset. Drill. Get coached. Continually hone your skills. Play up to your potential and play full out. Be in the moment; remain intent on the task at hand. And -- most of all -- focus on effort, not outcome.

In his book, Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality, Anthony De Mello quotes a Chinese sage who expounds: 

“When the archer shoots for no particular prize, he has all his skills; when he shoots to win a brass buckle, he is already nervous; when he shoots for a gold prize, he goes blind …. His skill has not changed, but the prize divides him. He cares! He thinks more of winning than of shooting, and the need to win drains him of power.”

TGIM Takeaway: Care – but not that much. Focus on your effort, not outcome. 

See you on the medal stand.

Geoff Steck   
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P. S. “People want to be amazed. So that’s what I’m working for.” Usain “Lightning” Bolt, Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist, said that. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and (along with his teammates) the 4×100 meters relay. Think he’s focused on his effort? "To Di World!"