What To Do When You Get Stuck In Your Studies?
When starting a new interactive training course, it’s tempting to become a complete social outcast and immerse ourselves in our studies at every available opportunity. It’s an exciting time, with lots of new, interesting subjects to get our teeth into. But apart from that being a rather strange thing to do, it’s also not the best way to learn and retain information.
Firstly we need to set up a sustainable study habit. This should be the number of hours each week that we can commit to and stick to, and doesn’t swamp every other area of our lives! It’s better not to attempt an unrealistic amount, and much easier to take in information in bite-sized pieces.
Consistently learning a smaller amount well is more useful and maintainable than learning a larger amount not so well. But however savvy we are with our learning diary, there are inevitably going to be times when the brain just glazes over, and nothing will go in.
When this happens, it’s important not to get demoralised. There can be all sorts of reasons why we’ve had a mental block, and there are lots of ways to overcome the stalemate. Taking a break, going outside into the garden and breathing deeply can all help. It’s amazing how a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake can fire up the reserves again.
Anything new can test our mental agility, and it’s not unusual to grapple with understanding the first time we look at something. Sometimes we just have to accept that this is part of learning - it happens from time to time and it’s uncomfortable, but with application we can push through until penny drops! To accomplish anything worthwhile takes a few failed attempts along the way - remember that awkward feeling on your early driving lessons?
Our sub-conscious mind has a habit of solving problems when we’re not consciously aware it was working on them, so it can help to leave something over-night and come back the next day with a fresh pair of eyes. Suddenly the answer pops into our head when we’re least expecting it.
Covering a section again, and then having a go at explaining it to someone else helps to clarify the point. Writing it down helps to organise thoughts - if we state our assumptions and the evidence for them, we can usually analyse out the problem areas.
With so many different online facilities out there we can frequently stumble upon something that puts it all into context. Researching on Google or technical forums for other explanations and descriptions can sometimes hit the spot.
Finally, the best learning programmes offer excellent tutor support. There’s nothing like an on-screen demonstration and one-to-one explanation to help really drive the point home.
What Keeps Most People Stuck In An Average Life?
This is hardly a new thing to ask; it’s a question that’s been around for as long as people have existed. Some of the best thinkers over the centuries have looked at the factors that hold us back - the part of human nature that limits our achievements in life.
It’s an instinctive safety mechanism. It’s been called many things over the years - but basically it’s what we all know as fear. You’ll be familiar with the ‘fight or flight’ reaction, a vital tool for the early man. At its most basic level, it’s what makes us instantly react when someone jumps out at us!
We all have a comfort zone and when we step out of it, or danger comes into it, we experience an adrenaline rush enabling us to fight or run away. Our natural default setting is to run and get back into our comfort zone as quickly as possible. We log the experience in our brain as it was very uncomfortable and programme ourselves not to do it again.
But as we don’t have to worry about being eaten by sabre tooth tigers these days, most fear is imaginary. F.E.A.R = False Evidence Appearing Real. We’re brilliant at imagining the worst that could happen, even though 99.99% of the time it never does. On the other hand, we spend very little time imagining the best that could happen, yet evidence suggests that the few who do visualise their success are much more likely to achieve it.
Society has been encouraging fear for years. Ruling leaders, both political and religious, have used fear as a tool to keep control over the ages, keeping society in line. When you were little, your mum probably used it on more than one occasion! The truth is, we have a choice - between feeling the fear and do it anyway, or whimpering back and staying average.
Any improvement you want to make will involve change. If you want to change some things in your life you have to change some things in your life - that sounds like a riddle, but in fact it just means no problem can be solved at the same level of thinking that caused it.
Anything big enough to make a worthwhile change will inevitably involve doing something different and taking you out of your comfort zone, so it stands to reason you’ll feel uncomfortable about the action needed. People who stay average resist change because ‘it didn’t feel right’. People who move on know they’ll feel uncomfortable but push through the feeling and do it anyway.
Start with small changes that are outside of your comfort zone. That zone gradually gets bigger as you start to build your confidence. List the positives and negatives of any action - objective analysis helps you to break down the fear.
As Shakespeare said, “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” Don’t let your fears and doubts rob you of the good things in life.