Student Motivation

For most students, the challenge they face is not academic, it’s psychological – a lack of “motivation / interest” – not intelligence or maturity.

The challenge is across society, it’s called satiation. The situation where your needs are met at a minimal level, so the “hunger” is not quenched, but rather neutralised. It’s NOT satisfaction because that means the “hunger” is completely resolved and when that happens, there is a psychological mechanism that allows you to enjoy it and then quickly REPLACE it with another desire, want or need.

With satiation, because the need is ONLY neutralised, the feeling of accomplishment doesn’t exist and therefore a new desire, want or need is never sought out. There is no “high” or sense of achievement or accomplishment.

It”s pervasive in society – not just with kids. It’s acceptance of the status quo – it’s why so many are complacent, in a motivational coma.

Creating motivation, drive, desire is not easy.

Unmotivated student, Sleeping Student

Motivating Students Is Not Easy

Personal trainers do it with you – she pushes you, beyond your comfort zone. You end up doing things you didn’t think possible, you get better and EVENTUALLY feel better, stronger and WANT TO IMPROVE. It’s becomes a self-perpetuating positive cycle, creating motivational momentum.

Breaking the cycle is necessarily VERY HARD, VERY CONFRONTATIONAL, VERY UPSETTING.

People today – not just kids – have it too easy. Credit cards, technology, options, choices and TOO MANY WAYS OUT… To NOT perform, take the easy way out.

There is no discipline in modern society – no consequences…

Until it’s too late.

Again, this is not just kids – it happens with adults. I see it all the time, every single week.

If only they had …. ___________ But they didn’t…

MOST people don’t do __________ .

That’s why success, however you define it, eludes MOST people.

Success is not complicated, in fact it’s easier than failing.

BUT success requires DISCIPLINE.

Discipline doesn’t happen without DESIRE.

Desire doesn’t happen without NEED.

Need doesn’t happen without LACK.

Lack doesn’t happen without HARDSHIP.

Hardship doesn’t exist in modern society, in developed countries.

That is why all the really smart people (Nobel laureates), all the sports champions have been and are still coming from DEVELOPING countries.

THEY WANT IT BAD.

THEY ARE DRIVEN.

THEY HAVE NO CHOICE.

THEY WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.

THEY ARE WINNING.

THEY DESERVE IT.

So therein lies the dilemma in the developed world and with parents who want to give their children EVERYTHING…

They do and in so doing, they take away the ONE thing they desperately need to succeed.

DESIRE.

I know how simple it sounds, but it is a well documented phenomenon (I’ve read at least 3 or 4 books citing DOZENS of studies across disciplines and sports) because this shift has occurred to a DRAMATIC level in the past decade. One easy example is the lack of American tennis players in the top 10…

Venus and Serena Williams are the last ones and they were “trained” PERFECTLY by their father who kept them in a state of LACK – to BUILD their DESIRE… That’s a long story, beyond this discussion – you can read more on Mental Toughness <— Here.

I see this phenomenon in squash all the time – players with talent and ability who just don’t have the DESIRE to train. All they want to do is play games. And that’s what they do. Have fun, PLAY and don’t improve. It’s a predictable cycle, called the Vortex Of Mediocrity. They reinforce their bad habits, ingraining them in bad technique, bad strategy and tactics. Building muscle memory that will become harder and harder to undo later on…

But as I write this – not everyone should be a winner or champion.

The podium at the Olympics has only 3 places. There are dozens or hundreds of competitors… The odds / statistics reveal that “winners / leaders / champions” are the top 1%.

That means the 99% are not leaders, not winners, not champions.

99 out of 100…

Those are sobering statistics, but they are REAL.

Therein lies the dilemma – where do you want to be in life? The top 1% of the bottom 99%?

It’s a tough decision to make – NOT making it is just as bad…

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