College Motivator #12: Figure out if you are a “structure” person or...

 ...someone who can self-motivate at any given time.

CAREER PATH MOTIVATOR

#12

Figure out if you want predictable structured working hours, or if you are motivated to work until the job gets done.  Also, figure out whether you are willing to work during hours when most people play.  (such as a real estate agent or someone in the hospitality field)

QUICK STORY BEFORE PICKING A CAREER PATH

Figure out if you are a “structure” person or someone who can self-motivate at any given time.

Years ago, I briefly did freelance work full-time and found it difficult to motivate myself day in and day out.  In that environment, you have to create a regimen and stick to it with discipline. 

I like some structure in my daily routine, but not too much.  Classes bring that framework

to my work life.  For me, just knowing that I need to be at a certain place on time brings me certainty, clarity, and anticipation.

This story is the basis for Motivator #12

99 Motivators for College Success

College Motivator #73: Live Life with No Regrets, but...

COLLEGE LIFE MOTIVATOR

#73

Live life with no regrets but understand the consequences of your decisions.  Your professors should understand that you need to miss class to attend a job interview.  However, you will still be responsible for getting class notes and making up any required work.

QUICK STORIES FOR COLLEGE LIFE

Know the consequences of no regrets.

I had a student who said there was a “pie in the sky” casting call for some production, but it meant getting in line and waiting for hours at a downtown hotel.  And missing my class.

I simply told her that she could go, but was responsible for getting class notes from a fellow student.  I believe in going after opportunities, even when it means sometimes doing the irresponsible thing, like telling a professor that you need to ditch class for a pipe dream of a chance at something big.

I learned that lesson as a law student, when I was clerking at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  A movie was being filmed downtown starring Robert Redford, and they needed extras to fill up an old minor league baseball stadium.  Instead of playing on green grass, I did the responsible thing by going to work that day.

Years later, every time I see The Natural, I say to myself: “If only I called in sick that day.”  Thankfully, this is a minor regret.  It serves as a lesson to me about risk taking and understanding the consequences.  Be a risk taker in your college life, but know where to draw the foul line.

99 Motivators for College Success in Patch

Book Gives Tips for College Success

Johns Creek resident and GSU professor Perry Binder says he wants to see students succeed, and that's why he's written a second book. 

"The jump from high school to college is a huge adjustment, and that's where my book comes in," he says. "99 Motivators for College Success gives bite-sized tips and quotes on how to succeed in the college classroom, in picking a major, and in adjusting to college life. The book also offers guidance on how to study for multiple choice exams and write model essay exam answers"

Binder adds, "It is also for the parents of students to better understand what’s expected of children in college, and the pressures they face from professors, peers, and family members." 

Continue reading at:  
http://johnscreek.patch.com/articles/book-gives-tips-for-college-success

Never crush anyone’s career dreams (Excerpt, 99 Motivators for College Success)

CAREER PATH MOTIVATOR

#4

Don’t let anyone crush your dreams.  However, the riskier your dream, the better your backup plan must be.

QUICK STORY BEFORE PICKING A CAREER PATH

Never crush anyone’s dreams.

When I was a little kid, I dreamed about playing professional basketball.  In third grade, we had to write an essay on what we wanted to be when we grew up.  I wrote that I wanted to be 6’10” and play in Madison Square Garden.  When the teacher handed back my paper, she laughed out loud and said: “You can’t do that!”

That was the first time someone had crushed my professional dream.  The teacher may have been right about the 6’10” part, but this molder of young minds lacked the understanding of what negative reinforcement can do to little kids.  She also lacked the understanding that height isn’t everything for a basketball player.  Teachers, especially in the impressionable K-12 years, are my personal heroes.  Yet they need to be dream builders, not dream destroyers.  It’s healthy to discuss rational backup career plans, but why spoil youthful exuberance which could flower into the unexpected?

            Postscript:  When I was 25 years old, I got to play one-on-one with 7’4” center Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz, that year’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year.  I’ll leave the game results to your active imagination.

This story is the basis for Motivator #4

99 Motivators™ for College Success

© 2012 Perry Binder, LLC

Click here to purchase on Amazon

99 Motivators for College Success book: High School Graduation Gift

This book is not just for high school and college students - it's also for their parents, as a guide to the pressures facing students in college life, classes, and career choices.

Available on Amazon - on Kindle soon (click here)

Main Sections:
I. Motivators for Success in Picking a Major or Career Path (Motivators 1-33)
- Quick Stories Before Picking a Career Path
II. Motivators for Success in the Classroom (Motivators 34-66)
- Quick Stories from the Classroom
III. Motivators for Success in Adjusting to College Life (Motivators 67-99)
- Quick Stories for College Life

Other Sections include:
- Read the Contract! (and other Lessons)
- Graduation
- Epilogue: L.I.G.H.T. B.U.L.B. Moments for New Professors and Teachers
Appendix:
- How to Study for Straightforward Multiple Choice Questions
- How to Approach "Application" Multiple Choice Questions
- How to Write a College Essay Exam Answer
- Bonus: How to Write a Law School Essay Exam Answer
- Books that Motivate Professor Binder

Available on Amazon - on Kindle soon (click here)