How do you feel about education?

Does school seem like a tedious and boring chore?

Do you regularly skip class and homework?

If you’re completing your school assignments and attending classes because you want to make others happy, like a parent or caregiver, then this short-term motivation will soon come to an end. It’s time to think about how education is important to you and not for anyone else.

You need a personal reason to feel motivated.

For example, when you complete something difficult, you feel a sense of accomplishment – this feeling is worth the effort it takes to experience it.

Another way to obtain long-term motivation is when others, like your friends, genuinely depend on you.

For example, if you joined a netball team, let’s say you’re Centre, so your team depends on you to come to training and matches because you need to work together to win games. In doing so, you feel motivated to turn up and support your teammates and friends. You want to go to training so you can get better and because your team relies on you.

You form a sense of accountability. It’s known that we disappoint ourselves before we disappoint others. Joining a fun team or a group will motivate you to keep attending and not skip!

So you’ll think, “I promised Jess I would go to netball training tonight, and she’ll give me a hard time if I don’t show up.” And then, you can think about how good the activity makes you feel.

Once you do or complete something, you have a sense of accomplishment. You feel great about it. It’s all worth it. Getting started is the tricky part.

Think about your life, where and why are you committed to a specific activity?

You might think, “Well, I think it’s fun, and all of my friends are on the team.”

How could you transfer some of that motivation and ambition to your schoolwork, which is also important?

Could you figure out a way to involve your friends and make homework fun?

But why should you apply this to your schoolwork?

Well, what do you want to do in the future? You will likely need to complete Year 11 or Year 13/Sixth Form/College to go into the career you’re aiming for. You will probably need your GCSEs or maybe even A-Levels.

There’s a saying, ‘short-term sacrifice for long-term gain’.

A company will want to hire someone dedicated, not someone who quits. Qualifications are not just a piece of paper; they prove your perseverance, dedication and hard work.

So what’s your game plan?

Every day you wake up in the morning, you have choices: will I be the best I can be? Not THE best, but MY best. Will I honestly try these challenging things?

Think about how successful people became successful. What were their first steps? Did they fail? If so, how many times?

Twelve publishers rejected JK Rowling before publishing Harry Potter.

Think about the first steps, not the final results.

Now think about what you have done well. You’ve got this far, and so, you should be proud of yourself. Life isn’t about who is the most talented or doing the best. Life is about who is dedicated and does the work. Your hard work will pay off. Remember your dreams, set small manageable goals and dedicate yourself.

You can do amazing things. We believe in you.