I’ve been back at school teaching for three weeks now. Even though it is just the beginning of the school year, I have already encountered students who lack motivation, repeatedly complain, or resist doing any work. On some of the assignments a few just go through the motions without applying themselves. I try to help them see the purpose of a specific assignment and how it fits in the broader picture of their education. If they just muddle through high school by achieving barely enough to obtain their diploma, then they aren’t actually learning, developing as a person, becoming a productive citizen, or preparing for a greater future. In those cases, my student, my school, and I have all wasted our time and missed a golden opportunity.
Deep down I believe every student carries a fiery passion to learn, but for a few their embers of desire smolder instead of igniting into flame because of trauma, anxiety, depression, and struggles outside of school. Yet there is still hope. These tough circumstances can be worked through and students can still learn. In fact, sometimes learning can be a key component of coping with challenging issues and moving forward when you feel stuck. So if you want to learn and grow as a person, here are four practical steps that can help.
Read Old Books
This advice actually comes from a teenager, Ruby LaRocca, who wrote it in a prize winning essay to her peers. In the essay she quoted Alan Bennett’s The History of Boys, “The best moments in reading are when you come across something—a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things—that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” Many people, myself included, read for information which is important, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of reading books. Books can be profound and beautiful. They can come alongside you like an empathetic friend. They can open worlds of discovery as you transcend your culture, space, and time. They can counsel you with insight into the human condition. They can challenge your thinking like a wise and compassionate mentor. So, check out a good book from your local library and start reading a little each day. Your librarian or several sources on the Internet can provide great recommendations of classic literature. Also, don’t overlook reading the Bible. It is God’s word to you, and therefore, it far surpasses any other book in wisdom, beauty, and the ability to change your life. The Bible is actually comprised of 66 smaller books. The book of John is an excellent place to start.
Write
Writing changes you for the better. Many studies have concluded that writing can foster healing. In an article for Harvard Business Review Deborah Siegel-Acevedo summarizes these findings, “A certain kind of guided, detailed writing can not only help us process what we’ve been through and assist us as we envision a path forward; it can lower our blood pressure, strengthen our immune systems, and increase our general well-being. Expressive writing can result in a reduction in stress, anxiety, and depression; improve our sleep and performance; and bring us greater focus and clarity.” Writing also bring clarity to processing problems, wrestling with dilemmas, and making tough decisions. Forcing yourself to think deeply and organize your thoughts into writing reveals insights that might otherwise get overlooked. Thirdly, writing is a powerful component of reflection. To continuously improve in a variety of endeavors you need to plan, do, check, and act. The planning phase involves writing what you will do. The checking phase involves reflecting on what you did. How did it go? What worked or didn’t work and why? Reflecting then drives how you will act, plan, and do moving forward. Documenting your planning and checking through writing benefits the whole cycle of improvement. Journaling is a great way to start. You benefit as you write to cope with trauma, to organize deep thinking for decisions, and to reflect on actions.
Create
Make more and watch less. Put away the phone more often. In our media saturated world, people can spend too much time in front of a screen passively consuming. It’s better to balance that time with actively exploring, expressing, and creating. Creating is much harder than consuming, but the extra work is rewarding and pays dividends in your physical, mental, and emotional well being. It may even contribute to the greater good of others.
A further benefit of creating is failure. Although you may view failure as something negative, it’s not. In his book, Creativity, Inc. Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar Animation, wrote, “We need to think about failure differently. I’m not the first to say that failure, when approached properly, can be an opportunity for growth. But the way most people interpret this assertion is that mistakes are a necessary evil. Mistakes aren’t a necessary evil. They aren’t evil at all. They are an inevitable consequence of doing something new (and, as such, should be seen as valuable; without them, we’d have no originality).” So start a productive hobby. Paint, photograph, draw, dance, sing, sculpt, play music, cook, craft, sew, knit, build, or write. Stick with it even though it will be hard at first. Embrace failure and learn from it. Over time you will find joy in creating instead of just consuming.
Converse and Connect
Most young people spend the majority of their time interacting with people their own age. That’s understandable, but not necessarily beneficial. It’s healthier to also engage with people older and younger than you. Older people have a wealth of experience and wisdom which can broaden your perspective. Ask them questions. Actively listen to them without distraction. Likewise, you have much to offer to those younger than you. Invest in younger siblings and other children. Mentor, challenge, and inspire them. Live as a role model for them.
By far the best person you can engage with is God. He created you and loves you. Confess to him any wrongdoing for it separates you from him. Receive his forgiveness. Then ask him how to live rightly. He will teach you through Jesus. Jesus is God the Son who became a man to show you and enable you to be with God, to become like him, and to do what he does. The book of John in the Bible is an excellent way to learn about the life-giving message, manner, and mission of Jesus that he makes available to all who trust him.
Conclusion
If you are unmotivated right now or dealing with difficulties, don’t settle for staying in that state. You can move forward. Fan the flame of learning to foster change. Read old books to find new friends, to discover new worlds, and to gain new insights. Journal to nurture healing and to navigate decisions. Reflect on what you have done to continuously improve. Consume less and create more, even if you fail along the way. Spend quality time talking and engaging with people older than you and younger than you. Invest in yourself. Take these small steps and it will lead to greater growth and happiness for you and those around you. Even better, engage with God by trusting Jesus and he will lead you to abundant, everlasting life.