The motto for next week is: I don't trade what I want most for what I want now.
What does your student want to achieve by the end of the year?
Do they want to:
• Make more friends?
• Get good grades?
• Play well in their sports or improve in their hobbies?
To help students achieve their goals, they need to know what they want most!
Once they can identify what they want to accomplish this year, help them understand that life is a balance of planning for the future and living in the moment. This means there will be times when they must give up something they want now for something they want more later.
This is easier said than done because motivation can come and go in waves, and staying focused on a big goal every day is hard.
Here are some ways you can help your child tap into their motivation:
1. Ask them to think about what they want most. For example, playing video games is what they want now, but this isn’t their ultimate goal. Help them focus on what they want the most.
2. Consider your future self. Explain to them that while watching more T.V. feels nice now, their future self will be unhappy when they aren't prepared for tomorrow's spelling test.
3. Schedule time for both work and play. We are less likely to resent working toward our long-term goals when our schedule includes time for both relaxation and work.
"The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable prerequisite for success." – Brian Tracy
