This week in sessions we have touched base with every student around their WHY. As in, why are they doing the HSC, because no one is doing it for fun. I personally have a ‘vision check in’ with students to help them understand that the HSC is so much more than just the ATAR received at the end of the process. Who you become as a person as a result of conquering the HSC is the most important thing and if you give it your all then the results will be great too.
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Having worked with 1000’s of students over the last 15 years in my position as Head Performance Coach, the most energising and motivating ideas to generate the desired focus and drive are:
- Demonstrating gratitude to Mum and Dad for all the sacrifices that have been made through the effort demonstrated.
- Schoolies with no regrets will be 10 times better.
- Goal ATAR
- Goal university course (or if unsure about a course then it’s all about options).
- Sibling rivalry (a powerful force for those who want to beat their sibling)
- Proving you can overcome challenges which sets you up for being able to deal with more challenges.
- Setting up for a better life
- GAP year (if applicable) will be soooo much better with no regrets
- Getting something out of 13 years of schooling.
- Setting up for better career opportunities.
In some cases I will suggest the above motivating ideas to help the student understand what the HSC is really about, rather than them positioning it as an annoyance that is getting in the way of their life as a 16, 17, or 18 year old. A student who focuses on the 10 vision ideas mentioned above will always be more motivated than a student who doesn’t.
As humans we can’t engage our vision (also known as Student Key Behaviour #1) too much, and without question the most important step to stay motivated, eliminate distractions and reduce procrastination is getting our goals up in front of us every single day.
In moving around the sessions I ask if students have their goals in front of them and it’s no surprise to me which students say yes and which say no. The ones who say ‘yes’ have committed to achieving their goals and are producing the output that allows them to stay in control of the HSC. For those who say ‘no’ I was already fairly certain they didn’t have their goals in front of them when I asked the question, because I can see they aren’t producing the output that will leave them finishing with no regrets.
I published a video last week about the importance of getting our goals (titled ‘Why you’re not motivated’) in front of us every single day. Click here to watch the 2 minute video.Â
Have a great weekend,
Jesse GardinerHead Performance Coach
