Dedicated to Students and Mentors.
Chapter 1: Why do we eat?
There could be multiple answers to this question, none of which will stand out from the rest of them as basically, the fundamental answer will be somewhere around “Hunger”. We do eat because we get hungry. That’s the need that pushes the action. And what’s our goal— we have to stop ourselves from dying out of starvation.
Now let’s replace “eating” with “studying” and take a look at the same parameters.
Need: You are studying to learn new things (about the topic you are interested in).
Goal: To stop yourselves from ending up with a bad career.
A lot of us have this tendency to ignore the goal when it comes to the second scenario. We are way too serious about eating. People do eat anywhere they can! They do eat at home, they do eat at work, they do eat while they are traveling, they do eat while they are at the movies, ah well, they do eat even when they are in bed! This is because we do know the repercussions of missing too many meals can be hard and immediate (Still doesn't explain why we eat everywhere).
In the case of Studying, there is no such immediate repercussion. You can enjoy not studying for a pretty long time as the immediate financial damage is not usually your concern and the career damage is somewhere way ahead in the future! The truth is when it hits you, it hits hard and time will not help you either.
Chapter 2: Goal vs Actions?
Recently there was a comment directed at me that when I make such statements, it can be demotivating. First of all,
Motivation /ˌməʊtɪˈveɪʃn/ : The reason for working hard to achieve a goal.
Demotivation /ˌd-məʊtɪˈveɪʃn/ : The intent of stopping someone from working hard to achieve a goal.
Two keywords — Working Hard and Goal. How can anyone demotivate someone who doesn't have a goal and is not working hard for it. Also as Ali Abdaal once said, A two-year-old kid might need motivation to achieve a goal, but an adult doesn't. They should just do it as they have the sensibility to understand the repercussions.
Goal can be simply put as what you want to achieve positively in a period. Based on this you are planning your Actions.
An example of this from my domain could be:
Goal: Want to be a Freelance Graphic Designer with a steady and decent income.
Actions: Study Design Fundamentals, Read Design Books, Master Design Tools, Follow Designers, Attend Design Events, Build a Network, Understand the Business of Design, Develop Communication, Gather enough Knowledge, Build a reputation with Mentors, Be up-to-date.
You need to set up a timeline for this. Make a schedule and start working on your actions at a slow but gradually improving pace. Use resources effectively. Invest time, and space to focus on these actions.
Chapter 3: Why do we need Support?
There was this kid I knew from my childhood - my brother’s schoolmate. One day in primary class, they were learning about planets. There were diagrams, images, globes, and whatnot. That’s when our little guy stood up and asked a question, “So as we live on earth, and when we send rockets to space, will it hit the outer cover, or is there an opening?”. The entire class was shocked for a second and when they realized it, everyone started laughing. This whole time the poor guy thought we lived inside that sphere called Earth.
He got pretty much all the data. That there are planets, we live on a planet called Earth, there are rockets and rock music! But there wasn’t a narrative there where he could connect everything sensibly. It's not the kid’s fault at all. This is exactly what happens when you gather data from random sources like YouTube, Instagram and X. And this is where you need the right support. A mentor / a curriculum / an academy / a peer - anyone who gives you the right narrative and guidance. Try to make and use them, if you don’t have one yet. A good mentor is not someone who is going to spoon-feed you with easy consumables, they must be someone who can show you the path.
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