My problem with school and life and general is that I lack motivation. I'm afraid I won't end up doing much with my life because I won't have the drive and motivation it takes to actually do anything. I will go to college in the fall and I want to do well so I was wondering if anyone knew how to become more motivated.
129384
What interests and excites you?  It's much harder to be motivated if you don't find joy in what you are doing.  Make sure you take at least one "fun" course.  Maybe it has nothing to do with your major and isn't a required course, but it will be one you *want* to go to.  And put it between a few classes you aren't as interested in so you'll want to make it to school just for that class.\n\nGive yourself a little structure.  Set small goals you have to complete each day.  Maybe the goal is studying for 20 minutes before you have dinner.  Mark your success off in some way so that you can look back and see that you are accomplishing things.\n\nEnlist the support of friends.  Join study groups.  Make peer pressure work for you...pressuring you to do the things you are having trouble motivating yourself to do.
480850
sometimes we don't feel motivated but later we regret it. forget about motivation. read the text and underline only the important things. then read it again but just the underlined bits. don't underline 2 much. then close the book and do something else for 10-15 min. read the underlined again. try to review in your head the whole thing. reconstruct the whole matter in your head. you can also speak it out loud if you wish. look for more information on the same subject or on parts of it which are not completely clear on the net or elsewhere. read the underlined again.
116951
Motivation and determintation are required to succeed in life.  You don't have to know everything to get ahead; You just need to have the motivation to find the answers and the ability to LEARN. Some people have the drive to succeed and others just don't.\n\n5 years ago I got out of high school and was waiting tables.  I now own my car, my house, my own business, and earn a great living.  I didn't accomplish this by "knowing the right people" or being absurdly talented in one area.  I accomplished everything by the motivation that I wanted to be financially secure and successful.\n\nFaith in God didn't hurt either. ;)
226850
My life has never been perfect (even till now). Ups and downs and sideways, too. But the essence of life is how you live it during the good times and , unfortunately, during the bad times, too. So all of those bad things I charge to experience and hope that I don't trip over the same rock twice. And for the good things, keep on coming.\n\nMost of those who reply to this question so far say that they should have done better in elementary or high school or college. Right answers. There are no wrong answers. But come to think of it, don't you guys feel that your misses and "mistakes" have helped you to grow stronger and better equipped to face more challenges? What do you think?
360877
Hey. first of all - college is nothing like high school. Not at all. I go to UF and at least here, it's the best experience I could ever have hoped for. You can study  things that are interesting to you, with professors who actually care about you and your thoughts on the subject.\n\nAlso, there is so much free time to do anything that interests you. I feel as though coming to college was just learning to be independent and focus your life on your interests. \n\nYou can meet so many people with similar interests too by joining student organizations.\n\nI think you should give it a try. I mean if you don't like it - then you can look for another way. One of my friends did her first semester and hated it. So she's hiking the AT in February and plans to write a book about it when she's done.\n\nTheres something out there for everyone - but I think college is a great place to begin searching for whats for you.
484706
I feel the same way!  I am a junior in college also.  I was so motivated before but have had to force myself to do things this semester.  I have a test this upcoming Wednesday and a presentation due next Wednesday.  Instead of studying or doing research, I am on Yahoo Answers!  To combat your problem, just force yourself to start working on the paper.  Once you get the ball rolling, you will find it gets easier.  Don't allow yourself to take a break unless you absolutely have to or you will just go back to procrastinating.  Good luck!
251023
PLease whatever you do DO NOT DROP OUT OF SCHOOL!!!! From a woman who is struggling herself, i envy you that you are in high school and still have a chance to make it. I understand that thngs are tough right now, but it will pay off. You have to sacrifice a few things to make it in this world. Dropping out of school is not an option and you will regret it for the rest of your life. You will not get these years back. I was sitting on the bus and watched the high school kids going to school and i almost wanted to cry. I cannot go back in time and fix what I did. If i knew then what I know now, I would have been in the front of the class, front and center, on time and did extra work on my projects. Then maybe i could have gone to Princeton or something. if you do this, you will be having to play catch up all of your life. Your situation is just hard now, NOW. it will not be the same tomorrow. Would you really want to ruin your life because of a small obstacle now. Please think about this. I had to do some regrettable things in my life and dropping out was one of them. I played catch up and i am 23 and still struggling while i have a friend who is 25 and is already working on his Masters degree at LIU. I envy him so much and it makes me look at my life. I have an Associates degree and am planning on "trying" to get my Bachelors one day, hopefully soon, but all of the struggles i had to overcome are unimaginable. The shame hurts more. So please, while you are still young and have a chance to be somebody, stay in school and do your best with what you have. If not for your family, for ME or anyone, but do it for yourself. I would hope that you do become successful and live a life free of worries. Make the right decision and stay in school.
591233
While people you know that are your age may be close to graduation, there are still many around who haven't even started yet. At age 21, you are still very young and have many, many years ahead of you. \n\nDon't be discouraged because you have decided to take charge of you life and go to college. You are right where YOU should be. Don't live your life looking around you, look to yourself to find your own way and what works best for you.\n\nYou will be fine as long as you stay focused on your goal and never give up. Be proud that you are able to go to college and take care of yourself. You will be at an advantage when you go to college because you are more mature and have more life experience that will benefit you in college.
14753
Same problem..so I hear ya.  I also however, don't have the determination to get in there do my thing in school and finish it out.  The best thing I did as an eye opener was make an appointment to talk to one of the counselors at the school.  They did assessments with me, and tests to see what I was good at and in and what I would do awful to be in.  This narrowed out things..and brought things to light that I probably shouldn't do when I actually considered or tried them before (no wonder they didn't work).  So in the end I was left with a much smaller number of career/school choices to research more and choose from.  We even talked about things in my personal life that may interfere or why I felt the way I did about school.  It helped me out tremendously..good luck!
34837
College isn't for everyone.  \n\nThat said, you also have the perfect opportunity to explore things that you like.  \n\nYou say you like painting and psychology?\n\nWell why not look into art theraphy?  \nYou probably aren't doing well in school because you aren't focused on anything.  \nI understand that as I was the same way.  I took a year off and after being in the crappy job market I went back to school.  \n\nI've got my degree now, but still don't have a decent job making a decent wage.  However, college was fullfilling for me and I don't regret it.  It just hasn't helped me in the current job market.  \n\nTake the time to explore things you are interested in, or take some time off because if you can't focus in school and you are failing your classes you are probably wasting your time right now.
672221
One of the hardest things I have ever done was sit and watch my class graduate from the audience. I got pregnant @16 and dropped out my junior year. i tried going back, but it didn't work out for me. I attended the graduation ceremony to see my friends, and I cried. I felt like the biggest loser.  I never did graduate, but did obtain a GED.  I have a good job, a nice house, a good car, & 2 BEAUTIFUL childern. I NEVER graduated, Am i a loser?\n\nBe proud of yourself for what you have acomplished. So you don't get to "walk" with your class.  you still met your requirements(or will after you earn the 1&1&#92;2 credits) that is HUGE! that is more than I did and more than alot of people will do.
677251
I have that withdrawal too! I was in college for elementary ed. Now that I'm teaching (high school), I really miss college. I miss learning (and yes, even studying). I miss my friends. Most of all, I miss my extracurricular activities. I always had something to do in college. Now I just come home and play video games and sit on Yahoo! Answers. *sigh* I hope to go back to grad school soon. You should too!
664881
It depends on the class level. I find that a lot of students don't care about their grades and slack off until they get towards the end of the marking period and then start to freak out asking me if they're going to fail and what they can do now so that they don't fail. But, that's mostly in my lower-level classes. In my high-level classes, I have kids that freak out over a B and kids that won't accept anything less than an A. Yes, sometimes the pressure does come from the parents, but I've found that more often than not, the pressure comes from within the kid. They want to get into a good college, they want to get scholarships, they want to be valedictorian, and on and on. At the high school level (I teach 11th grade history), parents can no longer motivate the students. The students have to motivate themselves. Parents can punish, parents can yell, parents can stand over the kid while they do their homework, but overall, the kids have to be the ones who want the grades.
137237
For me motivation just wasn't the key.  I used to be 100 pounds overweight and I never exercised.  No way was I motivated to start.  I had to look at it differently, like a job or a chore, and just set a time that I was going to do it and then get up and DO IT, no excuses, no matter what.  Believe it or not, it works.  (heck, I did lots of other things that I don't want to do because I have to do them, why not add exercise to the list) A year and a half later, I LOVE exercising.  I look forward to it and feel like a slug if I don't do it.  It's just habit now, part of my day that I enjoy.  There just was no possible way that I was going to feel motivated to exercise almost every day when I had been sedentary for so long, but making it part of my routine really did the trick for me.
75705
When I was at the university I had the same problem for a couple of years. It was so good having fun as a young student. As Oscar Wilde put it, "I can resist everything except temptation".\nThen one day, a friend of mine who already finished the studies at that time, told me this phrase: "Look, you are throwing away yourself".\nAt that precise moment I realized the situation. I restarted studying hard and in short time I graduated. Today, I still thank that friend of mine.\nSo simple. You have to get to the point where you feel that you may be throwing away yourself. Perhaps that moment is not now, but I suggest you start think about it. Hold on, and good luck!
490500
You just need to get yourself on a routine.  Say you can't party until you do your homework, do your homework and study RIGHT after class so you don't have to worry about it later.  It's worked for me thus far.
239445
unmotivated people.  I have encountered people that I once thought were dumb but given the opportunity and platform to voice there opinions were actually much brighter than once anticipated.  We have to understand that a lot of people out there have either a lot of book sense or a lot of common sense but unfortunately don't have a very good mix of both.  I err on the side of common sense but when motivated can be very intellectual or better put will showcase my knowledge.  So I definitely think this is a motivational issue.  And if it is money that is the motivational factor which I suspect it very well is in most situations then until some is paid what he/she feels they are worth you won't see their true abilities.  To a side note though,  I do feel that too many people get jobs based on who they know rather than what they know.  Welcome to the spectrum- where does your light shine though?