“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! With a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you can be successful and happy.”
“In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.”
“Motivate yourself. Or feel helpless. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”
The notion of giving motivation to students has become widespread, especially for those preparing for competitive exams. We enter any institution, and we notice such motivational quotes creatively sprawled across the walls of corridors, classrooms, dining areas, and dormitories. They are colorful, inspirational, and a treat to the eye.
There are motivational speakers who address large audiences of students, instilling positivity through stories and discussions. There are numerous inspirational videos and seminars online for students to access.
While interacting with students from different coaching institutes regarding motivational speeches and the quotes around them, most mentioned that these seem more like a formality and that it perhaps merely solves the purpose of creating an image for society.
The effect it has on students is temporary, was what some of them reported. They felt like it was helpful but only for a short period of time and requested such talks at least twice a week. Some referred to it as an overdose of motivation.
Parents, on the other hand, feel stumped when it comes to motivating their children. They provide the best resources for their child and are constantly encouraging them to perform the best they can, yet they feel like their child isn’t motivated enough.
Some parents have shared feeling fearful of getting upset with their son/daughter for less marks as it may demotivate their child in the process. In such a scenario, how could they motivate their child successfully, was the million-dollar question raised by all parents and staff.
When interacting with students about what motivates them, they too were unclear. Most shared that they face trouble initiating a task and expressed that they aren’t motivated enough to start on an assignment or a subject.
The common reasons stated were lack of interest or that they don’t see the purpose of the assignment itself. It is here that parents feel stuck as they begin to wonder how they could build interest or offer purpose to, for instance, learning derivatives or trigonometry.
To motivate anyone for anything stems from a need.
To illustrate this with an example: when we feel thirsty in the middle of the night, we need to quench our thirst with water. This need motivates us to get out of bed, walk to the kitchen, and pour ourselves a glass of water.
We can also choose to remain thirsty, but that could disturb our sleep. Hence, it is a choice that we make for ourselves. The difficulty we face in getting up from bed and walking to the kitchen is bearable compared to the discomfort of trying to sleep with a dry mouth.
The same can be applied to studying. The challenge we face while studying is that we may not understand a few concepts, and we may struggle with some chapters, but at the end, we manage to complete studying a whole subject.
What if we choose not to start studying at all? What could be the consequences of both choices? This is what students should be helped to understand. This will assist in giving them a purpose for what they are doing.
Another reason for a student to feel demotivated could be fear of failure. Some students fear that when they start studying, they will realize at what level they are at, which can be extremely scary for them.
This also comes due to the pressure they place on themselves to perform better. Few students feel guilty about having their parents spend on their education and tend to have unrealistic expectations from themselves.
When they see that they can’t match these expectations, they develop fear towards exams. If you see your child exhibiting this fear, help him/her understand that as a parent your end goal for them is to be happy.
Such students need to be constantly reminded of their strengths so that it builds their confidence.
There are students who may be experiencing social-emotional concerns stemming from home, friends, or themselves, which causes them to lose focus and the will to study.
Once the issue has surfaced, they can be helped to come out of those concerns and re-focus on their academics. The key is to talk to your child often and understand their concerns with an open mind.
Motivation is more than quotes, inspirational stories, and anecdotes. We can successfully motivate students by understanding the reason behind them being demotivated.
For institutions, with the volume of students they work with, the motivation they provide is generic and applies to all. However, as parents, you understand your child better than anyone else. Use this knowledge in motivating your child to perform to the best of their ability.
Drishti Goenka