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Bad things are going to happen in
school. There are going to be tests that you bomb. (Okay...
Considering my typical reader, bomb might mean a B but you get my
point.) There are going to be teachers that you hate. There are going
to be whole subjects that you dread. Heck, you're going to have
plenty of personal problems to screw up your school work too.
One of the major differences between a
successful student and a failure is that successful students learn to
handle that negative stuff more effectively. No one gets through
school without suffering from at least a few major problems. Some
students suffer from a major setback and let it hold them back for
life. Other students regroup and get themselves back into a new
rhythm.
That's kind of a cliché but I think
it's worth looking into a little because despite the classic
iterations of this cliché in school it works a little differently.
Many teachers will tell you to not give up after you make a mistake
but in the real world, it's not that simple.
Quitters Sometimes Prosper
Just imagine how much hate I get from
society for writing things like this. Sometimes, it's okay to give
up. In fact, sometimes, you're better off giving up. (And I'm saying
it to impressionable students! OH NO!)
Giving up is not always a negative.
There is a difference between giving up
on an achievable and important task and giving up on an unachievable
and irrelevant one. Giving up on an achievable and important task is
usually stupid. Not giving up on an unachievable and irrelevant task
is even more stupid. Of course, virtually everything falls somewhere
in-between these extremes.
Too many students try to continuously
attack their own weaknesses instead of focusing on building their
strengths. Think of the classic nerd on television that sucks at
physical education. Guess what? NO ONE CARES EXCEPT YOUR PE TEACHER!
Sure, if you're competing for a super exclusive college, it may help
a little but it won't help nearly as much as blowing all the skills
your good at off the charts.
Does that mean never work on things
you're bad at?
Of course not. Balancing it out a
little is key. You can't be good at everything. You're not some super
magical alien that's somehow capable of ignoring all the classic
conventions of being human. I'm sorry to inform you but,
unfortunately, you're one of the humans. (Well... Probably.)
Sometimes, it's okay to lay off the
accelerator and see what other options you have.
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Outside of school, virtually everything
I tell you in this article would be completely uncontroversial.
Relating it to school is what scares a lot of people. A lot of people
feel like students are incapable of understanding the complexity of
regular life. I think those people are idiots. (Yes. That's a little
harsh but if you agree with them you can always stop reading.) This
is something you already know but it's something you might be scared
to admit to yourself.
No one can be great at everything. I
like to think about Michael Jordan as the perfect example of this.
Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players in history.
When I was young I remember him moving from basketball to try playing
baseball instead.
There he was, the greatest in the
world, switching to a completely different sport. My natural instinct
was telling me, he's going to be good. I really wanted to believe it
but, as those with experience in the real world suggested, it didn't
work out.
Everything is like that. It is very
difficult to be one of the best in the world in two ultra competitive
fields. In Michael Jordan's case, that's pro-basketball and
pro-baseball.
In your case, that might be Math and
English. If you're really good at one thing then, to continue to
compete with the best, other things will have to suffer. When you
fight this, you usually will end up feeling like you're a failure.
That, unfortunately, will make you suffer in every aspect of your
life.
When To Give Up
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The first key to knowing when it's
appropriate to quit is figuring out how to set your priorities. If
you set them right then this step becomes a whole lot easier. Be sure
to check out my old articles for more on that if you need some help.
When you put in more (well-thought out)
effort, and the results aren't blatantly obvious. It's time to start
considering giving up. That being said, you usually shouldn't have to
give up in the traditional sense.
Most of the time giving up should
consist of giving up on your current strategy. If you're trying to
improve your grade in Math and reading the textbook is getting you
nowhere, STOP READING THE TEXTBOOK. Give up that original plan and
move onto a new one. Maybe sit in the front of the class to focus
better. Maybe ask the teacher for help. Maybe hire a tutor. Just be
damn sure to STOP READING THE TEXTBOOK IF IT DOESN'T HELP YOU.
If it's something that you've already
decided is low on your priority list then you should consider giving
up the extra suffering you're investing in the problem completely.
Maybe it's alright to get a B in Art class. Maybe you don't need to
excel in the subjects you don't care about.
Once you figure this out it can
dramatically improve every aspect of your studying (ironically, that
often includes the subject you're “giving up” on.) In life,
giving up is not never doing something again. It's stepping back,
taking a breather, and approaching a different solution.
Don't get caught up in the old story
they tell you about never giving up. It's a wild oversimplification
of a very complicated subject.
Getting amazing grades is not
impossible. In fact, it's easily possible. Yes... You read that
right. Easily possible. That is, when you learn the right way to
approach it. That's what this blog is about. Good grades can come
from long and hard work or they can come from smart work. Smart work
is what this blog is all about. Be sure to follow this blog and check
out it's archive to get better grades than ever with less work than
ever.
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