“The starting point of all achievement is desire” – Napoleon Hill
Our requests are predominantly from parents looking for private tutors for their children, or adult learners who wish to develop their knowledge in a specific subject.
“I want a tutor to help my son prepare for secondary school entry examinations”.
“I want a tutor who can help my child get into a specific school”.
“I want to improve my English”
are examples of some of requests we get on a daily basis.
Our objective is ultimately to help serve our clients and support them in delivering the results they desire; we do this by starting with the end in mind.
Observing some of the most successful people in the world, amongst some of the common traits that appear to show up as a dominant characteristic in their traits have been their habit of goal setting. Firstly, having a burning desire to actualise a goal and then followed by fully committing to taking the necessary steps to achieving it.
Visualisation, followed by relentlessness and persistence to carry forward your desires until fruition is at the heart in which success lies. Napoleon Hill says it best in the book “Think and Grow Rich”.
“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”
Without gaining clarity of what exactly it is that we hope to achieve, it becomes difficult to turn our desires into actualisation. An analogy to help explain this better would be almost like blindly driving somewhere hoping to arrive at a destination without having a visual or mental “map”. Many of us feel lost and confused in the process because we have not clearly defined a vision for what it is exactly that we want to achieve. Precision and specificity of one’s desires through clearly journalling what it is exactly that is most desirable to you is the first fundamental stepping stone to its achievement. Moreover, having a definiteness of purpose, a compelling driving force, your “why”, is incredibly essential. Having a firm reason why your desire is a “must” instead of a “should” creates a paradigm shift that will help you actualise your goals more efficiently and effectively. It is your “why” that will help you develop the disciplinary skills to motivate you through the process.
For example, some students feel disheartened if their progress is not as fast as anticipated or desired. However, we must remember that throughout the course of tuition, we are effectively planting seeds of knowledge, creating a strong and evergreen foundation to achieving results. At times, parents may have a “get results fast” mentality, arranging tuition at the last minute and expecting a fast turnaround. Whilst we are advocates of utilising time efficiently and delivering results with a sense of urgency, it is important to bear in mind that results take time and consistency. This is best explained by using the notion of planting a seed in the ground and expecting a tree to grow in a short space of time. I would invite these parents to adopt a “long term and sustainable” approach to achieving results. Most parents who want their child to eventually obtain a placement in a specific competitive secondary school will usually enquire at least a year ahead and this not only is a more realistic time frame but also allows the child to build the “foundation” and condition themselves mentally for success.
How to set goals
Here’s a guideline to setting goals.
Goals need to be “SMART” – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timebound
S- Specific
Specifically outline what result you desire. For example “I want to achieve an A grade in my GCSE English exam”.
M- Measurable
Ensure your goal is measurable. For example, “I want to score at least 90% in my end of year Maths exam.“
A- Attainable
Your goal must be attainable. For example, if you are entered for the “Foundation” paper and the highest grade you can achieve is a C grade, it will not be possible to achieve an A grade this way.
R- Realistic
Your goal must be realistic. It is important to set goals that are realistic according to where you are currently at and where you want to be taking into consideration the time frame and the amount of effort is required, rather than your current ability.
T- Timebound
Goals are dreams with deadlines; it is important to have a “non-negotiable” attitude to achieving your desires on a specific date. Leisurely embarking on our goals will not only delay the process of achievement, but it will likely demotivate you. Speed of implementation and consistently making progress is what high achievers habitually do.
How to set daily goals using the RPM method
The “RPM” method stands for “Rapid Planning Method” which is also an acronym for Results, Purpose and Massive action, coined by Anthony Robbins.
Results:
Start by clearly writing down what results you want to achieve for the day. This helps with accountability and raising your consciousness of what it is exactly that you want to achieve. For example, if your three month goal is to achieve 90% in an algebra Maths exam, then perhaps it would be useful to look at the criteria of where marks are awarded, divide the modules into small sub-categories or criteria into actionable steps to work on and practise.
An example of these are:
“I will easily practise and answer 5 questions on solving algebraic equations by today”.
“I will easily complete my essay assignment and submit my coursework online by today”.
“I will easily attempt a specimen 11+ exam paper for City of London school by today”.
By using the words “I will easily” instead of “I want to”, I find that it programmes the mind to attract possibility rather than probability. It is through subconscious conditioning that habits are formed which will in turn create results.
Purpose
By constantly reinforcing your definiteness of purpose into your subconscious mind, you will be propelled to making progress in spite of any challenges that may arise. Granted, there will be moments where you may feel demotivated or disheartened, and so it is of paramount importance that your purpose firmly incentivises you to push forward whether you feel like it or not and despite any obstacles that may pull you away from fulfilling the results you set out to achieve for that day.
Humans are incentivised through feelings of pain or pleasure. What drives us to change or do something is the feeling of pleasure associated with an action or pain to inaction.
Examples of these include:
“If I don’t complete my essay assignment and submit my coursework today I will be penalised which will affect my overall grade.”
“If I don’t practise my 11+ paper for City of London school my leisure time will be reduced.”
“If I practise and understand how to solve questions on algebraic equations I will feel accomplished and have only 4 more topics to go over.”
Massive action
Actualisation of goals is preceded by taking action and carrying forward what you set out to achieve. At times, students may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they are consuming and expected to retain and often go through “analysis paralysis” where they are worried about writing a story perfectly, for example. This “perfectionist” mentality can hinder progress; whilst it is encouraged to set the bar high, sometimes this can cause students to compromise speed of implementation. It is better to take imperfection action than perfect inaction; at least there will be a foundation to work on and built upon.
Proceeding to apply action as immediately as possible after clearly defining clear goals and having a compelling purpose will not only avoid procrastination but help condition your belief that you can create the results you desire. You must use feelings of pain and pleasure to associate with these actions to create a sense of urgency. Without urgency, we are likely to not follow through with our plans which will programme our subconscious mind into believing that not only are we limited in our capabilities but that it is an acceptable standard to not follow through on our goals.
What are some goals you have for your child? Does your child have a tendency to procrastinate or feel demotivated to taking action? Have you tried implementing these goal-setting steps? We would love to hear from you!
If you would like help with setting clear goals for your child, you can arrange an assessment for your child by clicking here. If you would like to work with a one to one tutor who can help accelerate your child’s learning development and achieving goals please Contact Us.