The other day, while speaking to a group of students, I asked how many of them wanted to get 10 points GPA.
Very few students raised their hands. I repeated the question and added that I wasn't asking how many are likely to get 10 points GPA, but how many of them wanted to.
This time, a few more raised their hands. Others just stared, tilting their heads sideways, half bored, half expectant.
I had another question. "If we were all to run a race right now, how many of us are likely to be the first?"
"One of us!"
"Okay, if I were to ask you the names of ten fruits, how many of you are likely to answer?"
"All of us!"
"You see, that's the difference between a race and your final exams. Your exams are not a race. And that means all of you are very likely to get 10 points GPA without winning or losing to someone".
As with a GPA, so with life, one is unable to even set a goal, just thinking about winning and losing. One must understand that setting goals and making efforts to reach them hasn't got anything to do with wins or losses.
Only two things matter: what to do and how to do it.
Now, what is setting a goal and how do you determine the ways of reaching the goal? Imagine I'm at the park looking for a bench to sit on. That's my goal. I spot a bench, but it is on the other side of the park and there are trees and people and tracks and hedges between me and the bench. My whole focus is on this bench and I just start walking towards it. What is likely to happen?
Exactly! I have a full chance of getting stuck or falling over something. What happens to me? And what happens to my goal?
Now tell me, what had been the right thing to do for me to reach the park bench? I should have looked where I was standing and what are all the things between me and the bench. Then I should have worked out each step, going around hedges, stepping across the tracks, avoiding running into people and trees before reaching the bench. Would I now have reached the bench safely? Yes!
So also in life, keeping your eyes on the goal would mean tumbling down in your first step!
Instead, focus on what can be done here and now to reach your goal. That means a plan of action is required. What is your goal? How much time are you likely to take to achieve it? What can be done this hour to work towards your goal? Then what can be done today, then within this week, then this month and so on.
A lot of people suggest us to break big task into smaller ones. How does one do that?
Going back to the 10 point GPA, staring helplessly at that huge syllabus for the whole semester won't take you anywhere. Deadlines don't help either. In my personal experience, they either give you a lot of stress or make you certain that you won't be able to complete work on time. As a result, you get demotivated and stop even trying to succeed.
Your focus should be on today's work and today's work only. The day's work is small and simple and easily achievable till the end of the day. That's all that matters! A weekly assignment can be divided into 4 days work. Day one for research, day two for designing, day three for writing the content and day four for the graphics and viola! You have a free weekend! How would that be?
You don't have to be nerds to achieve academic success. Similarly, success in career or business is not all that difficult once you know what to do and how to do it. And start doing something right now!
- Sadiqua Jabeen, Life Coach
