smh... student motivation hints

How often do you think this? Oh, that wasn't so bad! That wasn't so hard! We often naturally build things up to be bigger or harder than they really are but once we get started or even once we finish we realize it's no big deal. 

Rutherford tells a story about how a frustrated conversation turns into a deep understanding.

Are you stressed? Is that even a bad thing? Stress is necessary for growth, learning, and improvement. Can you talk about things differently and use different words to change your perspective on anything? YES, SI SE PEUDE. Everything you say or feel or tell yourself has a HUGE impact on how you perceive it, so take control and view stress positively! 

We all fall off. We all lose momentum, hit a road block, or get tired. But how do you respond to it? BOUNCE BACK is the quick little phrase we can use to shake our heads and start fresh on a path we know we want to get back on. Say it out loud, or develop your own little saying, but always have something quick and easy you can use to restart your motivation. 

Bored? Tired? Tired of the same old things? SPICE IT UP. Novelty is super exciting for our brains, and you can actually create this for yourself! Change your environment, change your methods and process. Start a new habit, get outside, stand up, study differently, discuss your homework, do work in a different room. You can trick your brain to have more fun and be more focused by giving it somethin...

Can you control everything in you life? Can you change your mistakes in the past? Can you control your perspective and emotions and your actions right now? Carefully and accurately dissecting any situation can expose whether you are wasting your time with regret or complaints when you SHOULD be focused on the future and SOLUTIONS. 

It's so hard to conceptualize the future, and to make sacrifices in the present to make your future self proud, but that's what we know we should do! Instant gratification is great for right now, and your brain is wired for that, but as humans we have a unique ability to understand how to plan for our future success and happiness.

Life is all about the grind, right? Well, kinda... when we make time for the things that we LOVE, it gasses us up for all the other things that aren't as wonderful. Devote even a small amount of time and ENERGY to something that brings you pure joy. Also, can you find some small part of a tough task that you love and focus more on THAT???

Is your grade injured? Is your mental health injured? Is you motivation injured? Everyone knows what you have to do when you get a sports injury, specific & focused physical therapy! But it's the same thing for any issue when anything in life is "broken" or "injured". Take specific therapeutic actions every day that get you back to being fully functional and that slow process might just actual...

The podcast origin story: who is your host Rutherford, and why does he make this podcast? 

Feel like you focus on the negatives too much? It's natural, but it's not helpful. Give yourself the positive feedback you need to focus on what you are proud of accomplishing, and the progress you HAVE made, even if you're not totally there yet. This positivity will be WAY more effective in pushing you to do more!

How your view yourself is your CHOICE, and it is so powerful. Choose to be positive, motivated, supporting, healthy. You will find that if you think you are a type of person, you will be that person- negative or positive, good or bad. It's so easy, so simple, and if you focus on being the type of person that engages in positive actions and thoughts, then all of a sudden it starts to happen!

Stuck in a rut? Stuck in your house or your room or a bad mood? Stuck in depression, anxiety, laziness? Failing classes? YOU have the power to get out of anything, either literally walking outside, or mentally moving on. It's so powerful, I DARE you to try it...

(Yes, we went there...) Maybe you're thinking about it all wrong, focusing on the wrong dates?! If something is due on friday, that means you need to start thinking about when you actually have time to DO it waaaaaay before friday. We're all busy, and our productivity can come in waves. You know what works best for you, so organize your stuff based on DOing, not the DUE dates...

If it's quick and easy, why procrastinate?? Trust me, I love procrastinating, and it's not all bad, but when something simple or urgent comes across your desk or your mind, maybe you can and then SHOULD just DO IT NOW. Not everything has to be planned or thought out. It's faster to just do it right now when you're thinking about it! 

Productivity, college, good grades, health, nutrition, positivity, stress, calm, or a 500lb back squat. Everything we want in life is a journey, and by focusing on the journey instead of the destination we can make progress in becoming who we want to be. But how do we Journey? Start today! Take baby steps, always focus on the positives, and reach out to those around you. 

Peer pressure can be GREAT, if your peers are doing the right thing! We as humans are heavily influenced by our community, our surroundings, the people around us. So surround yourself with positive, motivated, supportive people who are doing the things you want to be doing! And you have the power to be that positive person in someone else's life too! 

you know it happens. so accept it. but you don't need to completely give up, make it worse, or draw it out. Identify the root cause/issue, figure out what you can control and do, and move forward. 

Hate it when teachers give you due dates and deadlines? Parents do this too, what the heck? BUT, here's the secret: it's all fake! Teachers pick whatever due dates they like because the school hired us to. So what if you hired yourself to make up your own due date that works better for you?  Obviously you can't turn things in late, but you know you hate stressing, you know you hate procrastin...

Ever notice that when you have nothing to do you don't get anything done? But in contrast, when you're super busy you're super productive?? Doesn't make sense... but it's true, right?!?! The more you have going on in life, the more focused and organized you HAVE to be, and so you rise to the occasion! 

Bad day? Bad Week? Everyone knows THE STRUGGLE IS REAL, but that doesn't mean you give up. The idea of the struggle bus is that it is a VEHICLE. What do vehicle's do?? They MOVE. They keep GOING. We are defined by how good we can be when things aren't good. So own the struggle, and drive that bus.

Fun, Grit, Regret, Delayed Gratification. Not everything in life is fun right now, but does that mean you shouldn't do it? Or maybe you can just shift your mindset? 

When fears paralyze you, it's time to do something. Fear is a feeling that you can't control, but you can use feelings to create actions that are good for you! The only way to make SURE you fail is to do nothing, so if you're afraid of failing, find some action to focus your energy on! Worrying is worthless.

Remember how hard it was to learn how to walk? Of course not, it's easy now. But trust me- it's freakin hard. The trick? JUST GET UP AND TRY IT. You will fall, fail, and barely go anywhere, but there's no sense sitting and fearing it, worrying about it, or planning. You have no idea until you just GO FOR IT! 

What is holding you back? Maybe it's your environment, technology, emotions, or even confidence? Only once you figure out what it is SPECIFICALLY, then you can start to figure out how to get through it, around it, or break it down!