after reading many of the posts on this board i have discovered you people have an answer for almost everything.
So here’s the gauntlet.
How can I get myself psyched. For the next four-five weeks I need to be in ‘the zone.’
The reason is that my programming teacher told us that anyone who finishes the programming book gets an A for the year. I have a B but since I plan on majoring in computer stuff an A would look good. The problem is that the chapters get exponentially harder and I still have 4 chapters.
Any ideas. music, exercise, no more self-gratification.I thank you all in advance.
Over the years, I suppose I’ve had a number of students who were probably asking the same thing. In essense: How can I look better than I really am? If I lack the inner strength or talent or ability to do a superb job, is there any way that someone else will vouch that I DO have such assets, anyway? External motivation doesn’t change your character, C-O, and if you haven’t taken Morgainelf’s excellent advice, I’d recommend a good heart-to-heart conversation with yourself. Why would you want to major in computer stuff? Of what value will this knowledge be to you? What do you really want to know? How much? Do you simply want to be good enough? If so, there may be an even easier route for you. This is the problem with relying on the outside world to provide rewards and punishments - you never develop autonomy. Good luch with your life.
If the payoff of getting an A rather than a B is that you eventually end up with a better job - however you define ‘better’ - then maybe try and quantify how much money you’re chucking away per hour of the next (decidedly finite) four weeks, compared with a better career for life.
From experience, there are a small number of times in your life where a little extra effort over a short time can have a big payoff, quite out of proportion to the effort expended. Only you know whether this is one of those times.
Won’t work for everyone, but it might push your buttons.
I’m with Xerxes – nothing like a little bit of fear to put the motivation into you. “If I don’t get an A, I’ll be earning $20,000 less per year for the rest of my life! How can I afford to send my future kids to college without it?!?”
Or maybe “If I don’t get an A, I’ll be nagged about it for the rest of my life from my mother! Aieeeeeeee!”
