Are you a student who finds learning to be incredibly boring? Or are you a parent that has no idea how to intellectually motivate your child? Well, there’s a way to get on the right path and it all starts with focusing on professional development for students.
You may be asking how professional development for students correlates with finding excitement in learning. Well, like a professional, a student is someone that works towards achieving satisfaction financially, spiritually, physically, and intellectually. Well, at least that’s the kind of student you want to be in order to have a successful life, not just a successful moment.
As a child, I was told that I needed to be the best in class and get the best grades. After all, life is hard and it’s a lot of work. Well, this way of thinking led me to have very little discipline and interest in the things that would ultimately better the quality of my life.
After discovering how working towards my goals as a professional could correlate to excitement and joy, I now work harder and achieve more than I have ever in my whole life. When you’re done reading this post you’ll be able to get an idea of the fuel you’ll need in order to work on your professional development as a student.
This post is all about professional development for students and how you can start working towards success at any age.
Professional Development for Students
Fall in love
Spark Curiosity
Without curiosity, there’s no need to take any steps in life. There’s no need to question what happens and there’s no opportunity to ignite some passion.
I fell in love with learning after taking acting classes. I discovered how much bigger my world could be and how many more things I could experience if I was more knowledgeable. Find things that you’re interested in and pursue them and see what kind of sparks may occur.
Only with discovery will you find doors to open and walk through.
Acknowledge the Power you have
Steve Jobs said it best, “Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact. And that is everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you.”
The old cliche is beyond true – anything is possible. Sure some people can be luckier than others but no one has power over you, your abilities, or your destiny. Anything you could ever want is completely within reach. All you have to do is go for it.
When you take control into your own hands, only then will you be able to better yourself and the world.
Find your Role Models
There is so much pleasure in realizing you’re not alone. When you find someone that is like you and they’re doing something that you could see yourself doing – you’re one step closer to finding your purpose. And the purpose is important because it basically gives you something to do. Something that you’d like to do.
When you find a good role model you have motivation for life. You also have a great person you can look to, to advise you on how to react to different situations.
Build Discipline
Join a Social Activity
It’s time to have a little dedication and practice seeing things through. It’s very easy to find something that sparks some interest in you. But to commit to it and follow through is a whole other challenge.
When you commit and prove that you are reliable. Not only will you actually see the fruits of your labor. Which is a joy in itself. You’ll also begin to build a reputation where people are going to want to be around you and work with you.
This muscle can be built by joining a recreational sport, a club, or starting a social hobby.
Small Habits equals Big Change
At the end of the day, we all work for ourselves to some degree. We pick the job, we decide how hard we want to work and we try to make ourselves proud.
Give yourself the opportunity to enjoy your evolution by sprinkling some small wins or habits that will always remind you of your power and worth.
A super duper simple and easy example is fixing your bed in the morning. If you fix your bed first thing in the morning then that’s one thing you got done, one thing you can be proud of, and one way of proving to yourself how much control you have over your life and the environment around you.
Find a Buddy
Life is a lot of work. There’s always something you could want or that you can be working towards and some days are harder than others.
Get a friend that is on a similar path and be each other’s support. Remind each other of what you’re working towards. And celebrate the success with them.
It’s very easy to go down a black hole of distractions or insecurities when you’re pursuing something new. Find someone that will help you shine a light on the good that you’re doing no matter where you may be.
Do it for Free
Complete a Project
It’s not all about money. As you open yourself up to new opportunities and experience little wins you begin to find satisfaction in being a part of something. Take the time to actually create something that is all yours and do it for free.
When you do something you enjoy for free, you work very hard. You’ll work harder for that project than any paycheck in the world.
Find that part of yourself that is completely driven and find ways to bring them into your everyday life. Hey, you may end up being one of those lucky people who absolutely love their jobs.
Welcome Feedback
No one is born an expert. We can all become greater and better at something but we can’t do it alone.
Allow people to share with you how they’re experiencing the product (this can be a drawing) or service (this can be you playing the guitar) you’re providing. And if they’re an expert in the field then see if they have any suggestions on how you could find more success through your performance.
We don’t want people just saying unkind or uninstructive things to you. Remember you want to professionally work on your development not become a puppet for someone else’s needs.
Be Consistent
It only takes a few weeks to build a habit. Once you become accustomed to a routine then no one could really deter you from your goals.
Build this level of stamina by keeping the promises you make to yourself. We’re our biggest critics but we’re also our biggest supporters. Make sure you’re landing on the positive side of the spectrum and become your biggest supporter.
Everything you do should ultimately benefits you.
Learn from Others
Get a Mentor
Have you ever found yourself in a class or social activity that wasn’t as challenging or satisfying as it could be? Or where you felt like you weren’t receiving the support you needed to get to the next level?
Well, when you have a mentor it’s like having your own tutor and therapist all rolled into one. When you have a friend that you look up to and who cares about your development then your level of potential increases by light years. Never underestimate the importance of the guidance you’re receiving and where it’s coming from.
Birds of a Feather
On that same note, your friends could hinder you or nurture you into success. It’s been said in many motivational speeches that a person’s future can be predicted based on the people they surround themselves with.
This is not to say you’re friends have to be perfect. We’re all working through our own journies. There are just some personality traits that could influence you negatively. Some of these traits may be someone who doesn’t take responsibility for anything, someone who has no desire to do anything, someone who has a hard time seeing how their behavior could affect others and the list goes on and on. We all see it. Basically, if you feel defeated after you spend some time with a friend, ask yourself is it me or them?
Surround yourself with friends you can learn from.
Get Close to a Corporation
Last but not least. The most obvious answer of them all. If you want to work on your professional development then you need to become exposed to professionals and corporations are the best place to look.
Large fortune 500 companies sometimes get a bad rap, especially from entrepreneur-hungry millennials but you have to admit a lot can be learned from these organizations.
If a company has the ability to scale to multiple locations and touch millions of people then they’re doing something right. See if you can attend a school event hosted by a corporation, intern, or get a job at an office. It’s 100% more interesting than the movies make it out to be.
This post is all about professional development for students and how to get started.
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