Study what you love & love what you study!*
Intrinsic Motivation!
Intrinsic motivation refers to “motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure. Intrinsic motivation is based on taking pleasure in an activity rather than working towards an external reward.” – Wikipedia. Pleasure, enjoyment & education/school in the same sentence? Of course! Choose a program/subject you love & notice the meaning of school change! This is something that I say to motivate every student! You will more likely be absorbed & intrinsically motivated if studying something that you really enjoy for the sake of learning & accumulating knowledge. If you find yourself complaining every single time that you have to go to class, every time that you have to open your textbook/read, every time that you have to do homework/study for an exam, then I think you need to take some time and ask yourself some questions. If complaining happens often, then maybe you are simply in the wrong field/discipline. Maybe you are in school for extrinsic reasons & therefore your motivation has an extrinsic rather than an intrinsic flavor! But why am I writing about education & motivation?
I was never an “A” student at a younger age (elementary,highschool&college). In fact, I disliked learning so much that I wanted to drop out. My parents played an important role in influencing & motivating me to stay in shcool. At that age, school simply meant spending time with friends. Through time, as I got to know myself better, knew what I wanted & was mature enough to make my own decisions in life, my feelings began to shift. Until this very day, it still astonishes me when I realize how ”dislike” turned into love in University! How did I go from one directionto the other? What influenced me to appreciate & vaue education & learning?
Study what you love & love what you study
Loving what I study & being passionate about the subjects that I chose (Psychology) was what allowed me to perceive classrooms as conference rooms, professors as speakers, textbooks as interesting sources of information for learning opportunities, studying as an experience & knowledge booster, exams as an estimate (in %) of my learning & understanding capacity etc…When I changed the way I looked at education, the meaning of education changed! My perception & passion led to my persistent efforts which in turn led to my performance & academic success. In sum: to all students; study what you love & love what you study!
After completing my bachelors degree (BA), which I was deeply passionate about, I got even thirstier for knowledge, eager to reach a higher intellectual fulfillment. At that point, I knew that it just wasn’t yet the time for me to put an end to my student life & academic goals. As Oscar Wilde said: “you can never be overeducated.” Determined to delay gratification in favor of my future goals, here I am today, doing my Master’s Degree MSc. Marketing -not to mention, considering the PhD (Doctor of Philosophy). Nelson Mandela & I strongly believe that “everything seems impossible until it’s done.”
Intrinsic motivation & implication
*Picture of my colleague & I. In addition to our role as graduate students, him & I have decided to assist, motivate & entertain the few hundreds of students in our marketing option. It’s one feeling to be inspired but an incomparably better one to want to truly motivate & share your inspiration with others! This is our mission for 2012-2013.
My favorite Inspiring quotes about education
“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” -Malcolm X
Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow. -Anthony D’Angelo
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”-Mahatma Gandhi
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” -Confucius
“The only real failure in life is one not learned from.” -Anthony J. D’Angelo
“Education aims to give you a boost up the ladder of knowledge.” -Martin H. Fische
“Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.”-Leonardo da Vinci
“You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” - Oscar Wilde
Express & share your questions, thoughts & ideas in the comment section below! Any favorite quotes about education?
