Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life

1. On Course Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life Chapter 3 DISCOVERING SELF-MOTIVATION

2. CHOICES OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTSDISCOVERING SELF-MOTIVATION

3. CREATING INNER MOTIVATION FOCUS QUESTIONS How important do educators think motivation is to your academic success? What determines how motivated you are? What can you do to keep your motivation consistently high this semester . . . and beyond?

4. FACTORS AFFECTING SELF-MOTIVATION Self-motivation is greatest when two factors work together at high levels: Value and Expectation. When either factor is low, our motivation is insufficient to overcome life’s inevitable obstacles. When both factors are high, even the biggest obstacles can’t stop us!

5. FORMULA FOR MOTIVATION V x E = M "V" represents "Value" (how important something is to us) "E" represents "Expectation" (how confident we are about achieving it) Multiplying these two factors gives us "M," our level of "Motivation"

6. FORMULA FOR MOTIVATION EXAMPLE John’s goal is to earn an "A" in his writing class. John wants to be a published author, so this goal has high Value for him. He gives it a "10." John has always done well in writing classes, so his expectation of success is also a "10."

7. FORMULA FOR MOTIVATION John’s formula for motivation looks like this: V x E = M 10 x 10 = 100 Clearly, John’s motivation is very high in his writing class. Now let's see John’s motivation for his biology class...

8. FORMULA FOR MOTIVATION Science has always been a struggle for John because he hates memorizing facts and terms that he believes are unimportant to him. However, John values getting a degree, and he knows he has to pass a science class with at least a “C” to graduate; thus, he rates the Value of the biology class to him as a “7.” Though he’s not excited about taking biology, he is reasonably confident that he can earn at least a “C.” Thus, he rates his Expectation of success as a “6.”

9. FORMULA FOR MOTIVATION John’s formula for motivation looks like this: V x E = M 7 x 6 = 42 Clearly, John’s motivation in biology is not nearly as high as in his writing class. If the going gets tough, which course do you think he’ll stop going to, withdraw from, or fail? What can John do to raise his motivation in biology?

10. ONE STUDENT'S STORY:Chee Meng Vang When we lose motivation, it’s easy to make choices that take us off course. What choices did Chee Meng Vang make that were sabotaging his success in college? What did he do that raised his motivation and how did that change his choices? (Remember: V x E = M) If your own motivation slips, what could you do to raise it?

11. THE DAPPS RULE D A P P S DATED ACHIEVABLE PERSONAL POSITIVE SPECIFIC

12. COMMITTING TO YOUR GOALS AND DREAMS FOCUS QUESTIONS Do you start new projects (such as college) with great enthusiasm, only to lose motivation along the way? How can you keep your motivation strong?

13. ONE STUDENT'S STORY:Amanda Schmeling Visualize your dream in the present tense… For you, what is the most interesting or useful aspect of Amanda's story? Be prepared to explain your choice.

14. BELIEVING IN YOURSELF:WRITING A PERSONAL AFFIRMATION FOCUS QUESTIONS What personal qualities will you need to achieve your dreams? How can you strengthen these qualities?

15. EMPOWERING YOUR AFFIRMATION 1. Repeat your affirmation. (Several times a day.) 2. Dispute your Inner Critic. (Remember a time when you demonstrated a quality in your affirmation.) 3. Align your words and deeds. (Each time your actions demonstrate a quality, you strengthen both the quality and your belief in possessing the qualities.)

16. ONE STUDENT'S STORY:Donna Ludwick What did Donna do to help overcome her doubts and fears about succeeding in college? What doubts or fears do you have about your ability to do academic work successfully…or any other ability? How could you apply what Donna did to overcome your own doubts or fears?

17. WISE CHOICES IN COLLEGE What is your level of motivation to do well in college? Be honest! How will learning effective study strategies increase your motivation? Knowing effective study strategies increases your expectations of success. (Remember, V x E = M)

18. WISE CHOICES IN COLLEGE Examine the strategies in the "Before Taking Notes" section. Which of these are actions you already do? Which of the others do you think would help you the most to improve your academic performance? 2. Repeat Step 1 for the "While Taking Notes" and "After Taking Notes" sections. 3. Choose one strategy from each section and make a personal commitment to use these three strategies consistently for one week.

19. REVIEW & SUMMARY What does the motivation formula reveal about self-motivation? Which aspect of the DAPPS rule do you think is the most important? How does visualization contribute to self-motivation and achieving goals? How does a personal affirmation influence your expectation of success?

20. KEY CHOICES FOR DISCOVERING SELF-MOTIVATION Committing to Your Goals & Dreams Designing a Compelling Life Plan Creating Inner Motivation

21. TICKET OUT What aspect of discovering self-motivation seems most challenging to you? Why?