Motivation Is The Key to Success

In learning, motivation is the key to success. Students who are not motivated to learn generally do not fare well. But there are various kinds of motivation.
A student can be highly motivated because he is curious or interested in a subject, or he wants to gain the approval of his parents or teachers. If it is the former, he is said to be intrinsically motivated: He acts for the fun of achieving something he really cares for, and not because he is afraid of losing face or being punished.

From birth, humans are generally active, curious and ready to learn and discover. This innate motivation is the key to growth and development, and our self-directed ability to survive. It is this interest in novelty and being creative that leads to success in life.
Motivation can be enhanced or diminished by outside value. One student does his homework because he worries about his parents’ reaction; another wants to do well in school so he can pursue a particular path. Both are eternally motivated, but they are different in critical ways: One does his work out of fear, the other for a goal.
Since most school subjects are not intrinsically interesting, how do we motivate students to value these endeavours?
Positive feedback about competence increases self-directed motivation, whereas negative performance feedback diminishes it. But importantly, good feedback must also be accompanied by a sense of independence in order to result in increased self-directed motivation.
Large-scale studies have shown that tangible rewards and threats diminish self-directed motivation, partly because they are perceived as reducing independence and increasing outside control. Conversely, choice and opportunity enhance motivation by promoting independence.
Classroom studies in schools show that teachers who promote independent thinking catalyse greater curiosity and motivation. Students who are excessively controlled lose creativity and learn less well, especially when learning is complex or requires abstract, creative dispensation. Children of parents who support independent thinking do better in terms of creativity and curiosity.
In the long term, when the reasons for an action are internalised and assimilated by an individual, even extrinsically motivated actions can become intrinsic. A person might get involved with an activity because of, say, a reward. But that exposure might lead the person to develop an interest that by itself provides satisfaction.
Conversely, an individual who liked the value of an activity could lose interest because of a controlling teacher. He could then move back to where the only reason for taking part would be for external reward.

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WHY DO CHAINS HURT?

Freedom becomes a gift when in love,
But when the world watches over,
You are chained.

Wonderful becomes an everyday word in love,
But when the words look at you,
You are detained.

More and more you become YOU in love,
But when the boundaries identify you,
You are unnamed.

Smile becomes a language in love,
But when the tears frown at you,
You are blamed.

Deeper you go within when in love,
But when the world pushes so hard,
You are contained.

Why do chains hurt,
When they do not touch your body,
Why the world cares,
But never loves to accept.

                                                     When chains are clamped to the heart,
                                                               Why do feet bleed?
                                                     When love is bound to the soul,
                                                            How can chains be freed

BETWEEN THE SHADOWS

Between the shadows,
Lies my light,
Any step I take,
Left or right,
Darkness encounters,
Hiding my feet,
Silence enchants,
With soundless beat,
Time goes slow,
Tides go high,
Meanings become low,
“What” becomes “why”,
Flood of questions,
Wave of doubts,
Between the shadows,
Even silence shouts.

Light brings hope,
To live and let go,
Sometimes even the night sky,
Gives a positive glow,
It’s all a game,
Of being in dark or light,
Beyond the layers of illusion,
Lies the truth away from your sight,
Between the shadows,
You become strong and brave,
And in the light,
Rests your grave.

Believe what you feel

On this day, Morrie says that he has an exercise for us to try. We are to stand, facing away from our classmates, and fall backward, relying on another student to catch us. Most of us are uncomfortable with this, and we cannot let go for more than a few inches before stopping ourselves. We laugh in embarrassment.
Finally, one student, a thin, quiet, dark-haired girl whom I notice almost always wears bulky, white fisherman sweaters, crosses her arms over her chest, closes her eyes, leans back, and does not flinch, like one of those Lipton tea commercials where the model splashes into the pool..
For a moment, I am sure she is going to thump on the floor. At the last instant, her assigned partner grabs her head and shoulders and yanks her up harshly.

The little boy

 

Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room. She said: “How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?”
The surgeon said, “I’m sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn’t make it.”

The Tiger's whisker

The Tiger's whisker

An old hermit lived in the Lun Mountains of Korea. Many people sought his advice for he was a font of wisdom and was knowledgeable in the magical arts. One day, a woman came and pleaded with him to help her regain her husband's affection.
"He was so loving and caring before he left for the wars," she explained. "He has returned after three years but now he is cold and aloof."
"War does these things to men," said the hermit.
"They say you can make a potion that can kindle love in the person who consumes it," said the woman.
"I could make such a potion, it is true, but I lack one of the ingredients that go into its making."
"What is this ingredient?" asked the woman.
"It is a tiger's whisker."
The woman left promising to get what he wanted. The very next day she went in search of a tiger and finally saw one on the banks of a river. The tiger snarled when he saw her and she retreated.
She returned to the spot the next day. Again the tiger snarled and again she retreated. But she kept going to the place and gradually the animal got used to her presence and stopped snarling.
She began to bring him food. In course of time the tiger became so friendly that he would come right up to her to take the food.

The two hospital patients

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on holiday.
And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.

Reaction vs. Response

 

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Suddenly, a cockroach flew from somewhere and sat on her. I wondered if this was the cockroach’s response to all the glory that was spoken about it! She started screaming out of fear. With panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started doing jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach. Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group got cranky to what was happening. The lady finally managed to push the cockroach to another lady in the group. Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama. The waiter rushed forward to their rescue. In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behavior of the cockroach on his shirt.

Thinking "Out of the Box"

 

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Many hundreds of years ago in a small Italian town, a merchant had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the merchant's beautiful daughter so he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the merchant's debt if he could marry the daughter. Both the merchant and his daughter were horrified by the proposal.

Frog in a Milk-Pa

 

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A frog was hopping around a farmyard, when it decided to investigate the barn. Being somewhat careless, and maybe a little too curious, he ended up falling into a pail half-filled with fresh milk.
As he swam about attempting to reach the top of the pail, he found that the sides of the pail were too high and steep to reach. He tried to stretch his back legs to push off the bottom of the pail but found it too deep. But this frog was determined not to give up, and he continued to struggle.
He kicked and squirmed and kicked and squirmed, until at last, all his churning about in the milk had turned the milk into a big hunk of butter. The butter was now solid enough for him to climb onto and get out of the pail!
The Moral of The Story? "Never Give Up!"