Staying motivated.

It was once said that “Entrepreneurship is about spending a few years of your life like others won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your lives like others can’t”, I think this quote can be related to students doing their Junior cert in many ways – only in this case we are talking weeks rather than years. There is nothing worse than the feeling of regret, you probably know lots of people who say that they “don’t care” about the Junior Cert and that they don’t study. I’ve two things to inform you about these people, 1 – They are most likely lying, and 2 – If they are being honest, then they will regret this decision come September when they get their results.

I often hear people saying that the Junior Cert ‘doesn’t matter’, but your results are important in life and I guarantee you that you will enjoy your summer holidays and transition year a hell of a lot more knowing that you tried your hardest and did your best in the Junior Cert – therefore getting the results you wanted.

Over the next few weeks you may miss out on some events and not be able to spend as much time relaxing and going out with your friends, but it is all worth it when you are happy with your results and can really enjoy the next few months with no feeling of regret or disappointment. So keep this in mind – “A successful Junior Cert is about spending a few months of your life like others won’t, so that you can spend the next few months of your life like others can’t”.

Here are a few things for you to think about if you aren’t feeling motivated to study:

• Imagine the morning of the exam.

The exams in June will be the most important exams you have done in your life and it is natural that you will be nervous on the day. But on top of this, you will feel extremely stressed out and regretful if you haven’t done enough revision. On the other hand, somebody who has put in the work will feel much more relaxed knowing that they are prepared for anything that can come up the exam. If you haven’t been studying as much recently and are struggling to find motivation just think about the morning of the exam. I guarantee you that if you slack off now it will be a decision you will come to seriously regret.

• Think about the day you get your results:

If you are getting tired of studying or have lost interest, think of what you are studying for in the first place. Try to imagine yourself receiving your results in September, think about how you would feel when telling your family and friends what you got knowing that you could have done better.

• Visualise Success:

Imagining how you will feel if you do not do well is not the only way of motivating yourself to study, for some people just the thought of doing well and impressing everyone around them is enough. You can really make the most of, and truly enjoy the year after your Junior Cert if you are happy and proud of the results you have achieved. You will look back on your results with pride and joy for the rest of your life and they will be impressive on a CV in the future.

• Believe in yourself:

In order to be successful in life you need to have undoubted self-belief. Believe in your ability and preparation. There should not be a single doubt in your mind that you can’t achieve the grades you want. Don’t play the blame game and point fingers to teachers or parents either. Your grades are reliant on your own work and no one else’s. Hard work pays it’s as simple as that.

• It’s never too late:

Remember that even if you have not done as much work as you could have, everything you do between now and the exam will stand to you on the day and into the future. You may not get straight A’s, but if you work hard over the next few weeks you can be sure that it will show in your results. Remember that a D is much better than a fail, and B is much better than a C.

You may have a done a lot of study up until now, or you might have done nothing at all, either way the next few weeks are vital in getting the grades you want in the Junior Cert. The main thing to keep in mind is how you will feel after getting the results you wanted, in comparison to how you will feel if you underachieve and don’t get what you were originally hoping for.

If you really want to maximise your chances of doing well sign up to JC-Learn HERE.