Monday, 03 September 2018

By ASP School Projects

Sometimes we have to be nerdy to get good results. It is important to work hard and want to succeed. Nothing is more uncool than repeating a year.

During the third term in a school year, there is a tendency to become a little more relaxed and forgetful of academic goals. You might become more side-tracked with the warmer weather and fun activities that lie ahead in Spring. There are pool parties and school dances and even a short school holiday to look forward to. The truth remains, tests and homework are piling up and now is the time to prepare efficiency for the end of the year examinations. Now is the time to dedicate yourself to the goals you set in the beginning of the year. Now is not the time to give up on your education.

Giving up at such a crucial time in the school year will only bring you disappointment. Giving up means you cease to make an effort and even to admit defeat. To give up physically on your education means to stop completing your homework, not handing in assignments or you become too lazy to summarise each day’s work. Giving up mentally is far worse, because this means you have already decided that you will fail at achieving your academic goals. Giving up mentally means you stop trying because you have lost all hope to succeed.

Jesse Jackson once said: “If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.” We want to inspire you today not to give up on your education and to continue to give your best.


We want to share the top reasons why you shouldn’t give up. These reasons are best described by asking the following 6 questions:
1. Why did you have this goal in the first place?
2. Will you regret not succeeding?
3. What would you miss out on if you don’t achieve your goals?
4. Will failing really make you happy?
5. Why don’t you prove your critics wrong?
6. What kind of person will I become if I don’t study?


1. Why did you have this goal in the first place?

The first question to ask yourself when you feel like giving up on your academic journey is: “Why did you have this goal in the first place?” The answer will vary for each individual because we are all unique and have our own motives. It could range from impressing your peers or pleasing your parents, fear from failing or enjoying the recognition of success. It always comes down to the fact that we as humans want to keep developing. Even when it is difficult or uncomfortable, people in general want to improve themselves.

Therefore, we can conclude that you set an academic goal so that you can improve yourself. This goal might be very new to you or something you want to achieve again. Whatever the case, you want to expand your life experience, make your mind grow and become a better version of yourself when you achieve this goal. When you know the reason why you want to achieve your goal, it feels less like work and more like a mission. Make the reason why you pursue your academic ambitions passionate and exciting, this will help you stay focused on the end results.


2. Will you regret not succeeding?

There’s a powerful quote by Jim Rohn that says: “There are two types of pain you will go through in life, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tonnes.”

Jim Rohn’s words are very true when it comes to education. When you discipline yourself to study when you have to, you might feel temporary discomfort. However, the discomfort of discipline is far less than the discomfort of the regret you feel when you fail a test or have to repeat the year. The reward of being disciplined also outweighs the short term comfort of laziness and procrastination. Therefore you must study when you have set out the time to study and ask yourself the tough question “Will I regret not succeeding?”

If you need help on how to set up a schedule, read our blog ‘Four tips to help you set up a schedule for a successful school year’ and to learn how to balance schoolwork and extra mural activities through time management, read our blog ‘Finding balance between schoolwork and extra mural activities’.


3. What would you miss out on if you don’t achieve your goals?

Depending on your academic goals, there could be various wonderful experiences that you could miss out on if you don’t achieve them.

Consider the following examples:

• You might have an agreement with your parents that you can only participate in your favourite sport if you pass all you subjects.
• If you want to study a very difficult degree that requires many distinctions, like medicine or engineering, your goals might include improving your mathematics marks.
• Maybe you have been slacking a bit and didn’t do as well in the previous tests as you wanted to. Even though you didn’t perform as well in the past, you still want to finish the academic year strong and you might set a new goal to improve your final marks.
• Your goal could also be a lot more personal. For example, simply proving to yourself that you can go from 40% to 50% in a subject. Your dedication will give you hope.

There are plenty of other examples why you would want to achieve your goals. Though you might be overwhelmed with fear that it is too late to improve your chances of achieving your goals, rest assured, it is never too late. Don’t miss out on your educational goals because of fear, laziness or procrastination. If you want to play in a sport team but need to improve your marks on your report card, then let that inspire you to sit down and study. If you want to be a doctor, then study as hard as you can so that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to save lives. If you want to be in the Top 10 academic performers in your grade, then discipline yourself to make summaries every day and work through practice exam papers. If you want to change your life and become the first person in your family to go to university, then you need to work harder than you have ever worked before. Ask yourself: “What would I miss out on if I don’t achieve my goals?” and then decide which changes you need make to your daily routine so that your goals will be met.


4. Will failing really make you happy?

This is obviously a very easy question to answer, because failing will never make you happy. However, for a very short period procrastinating might make you happy, or rather, playing games than studying might feel good, but by not studying and procrastinating you could walk down the road of failure.

So instead of watching another episode of your favourite show, or scrolling through your social media for the 10th time, or even just wasting time when you need to study, ask yourself: “Will I be happy if I fail? Will I really be the happiest version of myself if I don’t achieve my goal? Or would passing and succeeding make me happier in the long run?”


5. Why don’t you prove your critics wrong?

You should never live your life to please others, or conform to standards that your peers or society place on you. However, there is nothing as satisfying as reaching your goals when other people didn’t think you could. People who have doubted you, or said to other’s behind your back that you can’t achieve your dreams, will be shocked and even disappointed when you actually achieve what they believed you can’t do.

The truth is, people who doubt your abilities or say that you dream too big, will either be right or wrong. They will either be able to say “I told you it couldn’t be done” or they’ll have to admit that you succeeded when they didn’t believe in you. What would you rather want to do? We say – go prove the people who doubted you wrong – very wrong! The choice is yours.


6. What kind of person will I become if I don’t study?

This last question will require that you delve deep into your heart’s desires and envision yourself 5 or 10 or even 20 years from now. What kind of person will you be if you don’t study and work hard towards your academic goals? Picture yourself as the ideal version of you, with a university degree and a blossoming career. See yourself in your mind’s eye as the person you want to become. Understand that it is possible to be that person, but that it requires that you work towards that bright future. If you are willing to give your best effort for your education, you will be so proud of your future self.


We want to encourage you to ask yourself these difficult questions and to work hard on your academics. Have faith that you are capable of achieving greatness and success if you don’t give up now. The key is to start today. Let us know how you motivate yourself when you need inspiration for your education.

If you have enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter. You will receive free valuable advice and tips to boost your children's academic performance.

© Copyright 2003 - 2024 ASP School Projects. All Rights Reserved.
No information or document may be duplicated, copied, distributed or sold, either in part or as a hole without the written permission of ASP School Projects.