NINE HABITS GUARANTEEING STUDENT SUCCESS

Aldric Tinker

Special Report: Nine

Habits Guaranteeing

Student Success
If Everyone Has the Potential, Why aren’t

They There yet?

“That kid has potential!”

How many times have you heard this being said by

someone? The person may be a fresh graduate, a freshman,

or even a new employee! These experienced members of

society or the community acknowledge his capabilities based

on what they see.

But let’s fast forward to a decade or two later. Where would

this – now more experienced – kid be? Is he staying in a home

he owns or is it a rented one? Does she have her own kids or

she’s still single? Is she enjoying the life they wanted? Do his

eyes shine the same way: with the flames of passion?

Did that kid achieve and live out his potential?

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Wrong Attitude, Wrong Altitude

Your Attitude determines Your Altitude

After numerous researches, I can identify several reasons

why you wouldn’t achieve your full potential. A large bulk of it,

if not all, is caused by an inherent factor: your attitude.

As the saying goes, your attitude determines your

altitude. No matter where you want to go, your outlook of life

will determine how fast or slow, how far or accurate you can

be. Your attitude determines whether you’ll commit to your

undertaking or not. It also dictates your performance.

Many students feel that aptitude is all they need to make it

in life; so few would commit to having a positive attitude

towards their studies. What went through your mind a moment

ago? How does “positive attitude towards their studies” look

like in your mind’s eye?

Most of us will think of a geek with thick glasses or a nerd

so deep into a thick book.

A positive attitude towards learning means that you’re

committed to your learning styles, always looking for the best

solution so you can study more in less time! When I say

“study”, I mean:

 Reading;

 Exploring the idea;

 Understanding the materials and idea;

 Remember the idea;

 Apply the idea; and

 Modify the idea!

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Once you’re at a certain level of mastery, you can reject

old ideas and introduce new one outright!

Think about all the successful students and individuals

around you. They seem to have everything: friends, memory,

ideas, excitement, influence, as well as an aura of charisma.

Thanks to their outlook towards life, you find them so

alluring! Even when they’ve been kicked down by Life, amidst

the laughter and ridicule from everyone else, they pick

themselves up, brush their shoulders and move on. Yet, when

they move on, they seem to have something more than before

they fall!

Let’s put it this way: if you see two random individuals, one

is smiling while the other one is frowning or looks depressed

and disorganised, who would you be most attracted to? Who

would you be comfortable working with?

Not Knowing What they Want

Second cause of failing to achieve their full potential does

not know clearly what you want. When you fail to know what

you want, clearly, and commit to it, you’ll never go anywhere

meaningful. If you accomplish anything, it’s because what you

randomly do produces results. When something’s random,

you’ll find it hard to replicate the success!

Without a clear vision, you can never assess what you’re

doing against where you are now. Say if you’re driving from

Bintulu to Miri, which is approximately 300km apart. Until and

unless you know you’re going to Miri, which is 300km away,

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you can go in any direction that you want for all you care and

never reach your destination!

Let’s take another example: you want to achieve a 4.00

GPA this semester. For each course in your programme, the

marking scheme is as the following:

 10% - Class attendance

 10% - Group presentation

 20% - Assignments

 60% - Final exams

And a 4.00 (an A- at least) equals to 80% or more marks

per course.

Based on this information, you can already predict what

you must do to achieve that 4.00!

When you know clearly what you want, you’re going to find

all the information in achieving that goal. And then, you’ll be

using the information as markers to measure your progress.

When you are oblivious of what you want, you’ll easily be

swayed. In college, there are a thousand and one distractions.

Let’s not label them negative or positive – they are a

distraction when they’re not leading you towards your goals!

Let’s take the Bintulu to Miri example. When you decide to

make a stopover at Niah or even head down to Kuching, those

activities that do not contribute towards achieving your goal

(Miri) are distractions!

Before I end this, did you know that there are activities,

normally distractions, which can be very important to you! For

example eating, drinking, resting, breaks, reading a book and

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sports. Many take these for granted and “focus” their efforts to

one activity. This, unfortunately, can lead to long term downfall,

complacency and even health complications!

Going the wrong direction

As an extension of the last section, the other factor which

causes students to fail in achieving their full potential is going

the wrong way.

You can begin a journey heading towards your decided

destination. Somewhere along that journey, there are

possibilities of making a wrong turn. Because we’re not given a

specific set of instructions in life, more often than not we’ll

never know if we’re making a wrong turn until much later!

In this instance, your abilities to:

1. Admit that you’re wrong;

2. Admit that you’re sorry; and

3. Admit that you’ve made a mistake...

...Are detrimental to making sure you’re heading in the right

direction.

In life, there’s no right or wrong, they say. Then it would be

conflicting with our statement earlier! If there’s no right or

wrong decision, there shouldn’t be a right or wrong direction!

Right or wrong exists in the context of direction, relative to

your goals. If you need to go left, you know you’re heading the

wrong way if you go straight ahead or make a right turn.

With the absence of a clear set of guidelines, you need to

assess your direction based on your goals. You can be wrong

or err on the side of things – this is normal. But continuing your

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journey after you know you’re going in the wrong direction, for

whatever reason, is certainly wrong.

Remember what’s “right” and “wrong” is determined by

your goals, your beliefs and your attitude. It should not be

imposed on you, but you should be exposed to the

possibilities. Being sensitive and alert does not mean

abandoning your plans altogether. It basically means that you

need to find the best way to achieve your goals without

infringing on the rights and welfare of others.

No control, no responsibility

Psychology has determined that a person’s success can be

determined by their locus of control. This basically means

that are they in control (internal locus of control) or do they

allow circumstances to dictate their actions (external locus of

control).

Brian Tracy sums this as: a person’s success is determined

to the degree that they feel they are in control.

When you believe that you are more in control, you’ll do

more. When you do more, you achieve more.

As the mantra in sales goes, if one in 10 calls would buy

from you, you’ll need 100 calls to get 10! Using your learning

curve, improve performance and learn with every try. When

you make it your responsibility to improve your performance,

you’ll accomplish more in less time.

Level of acceptance against level of expectations

Your level of expectations is the level you expect

something to be accomplished at. Let’s say income: you

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expected income is RM5,000 per month. When it comes to

formal education, you expect to get an A, or a 4.00. This is

usually your New Year’s resolutions and half-hearted goals. It’s

“something nice to have, but not necessary”.

Your level of acceptance, on the other hand, is the level

of what you’ll be happy with. This is your “minimum”

requirements. In an academic setting, it’s nice to have an 4.00,

but 2.00 is alright also. Where income is concerned, it’s nice to

have a goal of RM5,000, but if having RM2,000 is alright, that’s

good enough for you.

Your level of acceptance determines how much effort you

put into your undertaking.

The wider the gap between your level of acceptance and

your level of expectations, the more you compromise and sell

yourself short.

How do you solve this? Make increase your level of

acceptance. Refuse to compromise. Stop rationalising and

start making it a must.

Attitude, not aptitude, determines success

A mistake you would be tempted to make is to assume

what you know will guarantee your success in school – or in

life. Yes, what you know may help you in the paper

examinations, but that’s not all when it comes to success.

Your attitude – how you see and behave – determines how

far you go in a social setting. Yes, the classroom can be

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considered as a social setting. No, you do not need additional

stress from people not liking you.

As college is a training ground preparing you for life, you

should be aware that after the three/seven years, you need to

work with colleagues. Employers are always on the lookout for

team players and those who can work with strangers.

Put it this way, you’re going to need your classmates’ help

when completing a group assignment or presentation. The last

thing you need haunting you in that 3 years to seven years is

the stress of being a social outcast.

Attitude can be changed. Have the right habits and see

from different perspectives. Your approach will be change by

how far you allow it to.

So, I conclude this section by stressing the importance of

your attitude over your attitude in a social setting.

Nine Habits Guaranteeing Your Success

Habit 1: Exceed Expectations

All successful people exceed expectations – that’s one

reason they’re successful. They aim to do more and do better.

If they fail, they convert their failures into feedbacks.

Feedbacks that will, in turn, help them improve.

But long before you can exceed expectations, you need to

know what is expected of you. Example you lecturers say the

assignment is due in 3 weeks’ time. Why don’t you work on it

and submit it days or a week in advance?

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You can also consult your lecturers by emailing the work to

her before you formally submit it. Get her thoughts and

comments. Refine your work based on her comments.

Your work method has set you apart from your classmates.

If you have to do it in groups, make a decision to apply this

method to the group work. Share this method with your

classmates and help them out. You’ll be remembered by your

future colleagues and counterparts. (Counterparts? You and

your classmates would hold separate positions in the

company. If you’re aiming to work in the same firm as your

classmate, your help once upon a time can tip the scale in your

favour.)

Once you know what’s expected of you, decide to go

beyond expectations. That way you’ll learn and experience

more than your classmates, juniors and seniors.

Habit 2: Be Proactive – Make Things Happen

Successful people make things happen. Those who are not

usually sit around, complain and react.

When you’re proactive, you give the impression that you’re

reliable and can take on more responsibilities than your peers.

Compare the Chief Executive Officer of a multinational

corporation and a receptionist working in the same

organisation. Whose decision would ultimately make a

difference in the organisation? Who’s paid more?

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When you’re proactive, you anticipate problems before

they happen. You’re armed with solutions that can resolve or

mitigate the problem long before it happens.

A reactive person acts because he is forced to by

circumstances. If you adopt the wait-and-see-indefinitely

attitude, your locus of control is external. Remember: a person

feels he is in control to the degree of his locus of control.

In the event of an emergency, a reactive person panics and

performs terribly compared to one who went out of his way and

make sure he’s prepared.

Habit 3: Take 100% Responsibility

Responsibility is a touchy issue. We like to play the victim

role and place blame on others. It’s easier that way.

Why did you fail?

 The lecturer didn’t know how to teach.

 The materials were in English – I’m poor in English.

 The class is boring.

 The class is too large.

 This is too difficult!

 This assignment is not my level! I don’t care, I will

not do it!

We can give a thousand and one colourful answers

justifying and rationalising our failure.

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Taking 100% responsibility means you place it on yourself

to ensure your success. Learn and apply knowledge that can

help you improve.

If your lecturer is boring in class, perhaps you can – based

on the notes – conduct your own research on the topic.

Arrange it in an interesting manner. One set of techniques I’d

recommend is accelerated learning.

Taking 100% responsibility is not taking 100% of the

blame. When you’re responsible for something, you take action

to ratify the problem and come up with the solution. Blaming

does not necessarily mean action is taken. Self-blaming is

negative!

Habit 4: Delayed Gratification

Delayed gratification means enjoying your harvest later. In

the age of Instant things (instant noodles, instant messaging,

real-time statistics et al.), delayed gratification scares many of

us!

Delayed gratification means you think in a longer time

horizon than normal. Instead of thinking about “having fun”,

think “will what I do make a difference 5 years from now?”

What activities would benefit you 5 years from now? Stuff

like studying, attending classes and paying attention would

stand out. Let’s not forget, learning how to learn effectively

also brings in a benefit in the long run! Think of the time you

can save when you can take notes more effectively.

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Habit 5: Incorporate Passion

When was the last time you thought about the starving girl

in Chad or Mali? What about the Bangladeshi worker whose

family is mourning his loss after a beam fell on him at work on

a construction site?

Unless you incorporate emotions, more accurately

“passion”, whatever you do will easily be forgotten. Remember

the movie Titanic? So many people recall the scenes because

they were emotionally involved!

Similarly, how many guys can remember the scores and

players of their No. 1 football clubs? Can you imagine the post-

match conversation? How a striker kicked the ball in or the

save that was made by the goalie? So passionate are these

guys that they try to emulate/model after their idols when

playing futsal?

If you want to enjoy success in your field, make it as

passionate as possible to you. Live and breathe the subject.

Think about it over and over again until you feel more and

more confident of the subject.

Habit 6: Act with Integrity

Fulfil your promise. Do what you say. Be sensitive of ethics

and norms even though you don’t agree or practice it.

Acting with integrity also means no copying during exams

and citing your sources during you assignments.

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Integrity also requires you to respect time. If the class

starts at 2.00pm, be there before. You never know if there are

changes in location.

Follow your college’s dress code. Yes, you are an adult

and you have the right to express your individuality. There are

many ways to do that and comply with general college

guidelines. Just as you have the right to express yourself,

others have the right to judge you based on the impression

that you give.

Ask any multinational corporation CEO what the no. 1 trait

they look for in an employee. Gladly they tell you it’s “integrity”.

Habit 7: Be 100% Committed

Commitment is rare – both in the workplace and in school.

Many people talk, fuss and complain. Many promise and pay

lip service. That’s all they do.

When you commit yourself to something, you’ll do

everything reasonably possible to ensure the task is completed

successfully.

If you’re learning something that needs practice, like

language, commit to practice using the language – irrespective

of how you think you may sound. Practice makes perfect –

especially when you aim to learn with every try.

Habit 8: Turn Failure into Success

For every action, there is a reaction. Your harvest depends

on what you planted and allowed to grow [or die]. Remember

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that there’s always a lesson behind every incident. What’s

important is you learn with every try.

A success is not a testament that you’re perfect. A failure,

too, is does not mean you’re a complete failure. Events are

events.

After every experience, ask: what can I learn from this?

How can I improve the next time I do this same thing?

No successful person or student is a perfectionist.

Perfectionists are among the last people to be hired as they

are the most difficult people to work with.

Habit 9: Respect and love knowledge

As a student, you’re in the business of acquiring,

understanding and manipulating knowledge.

Be wary of information overload. As much as you have

the capability to remember more than the latest model of

personal computer, to comprehend it is another story. You do

not have the luxury of time, energy and resources to! Maybe

after you’ve achieved a certain amount of financial affluence,

you get to spend the time to dive further.

Learn what you need to learn – not just the basics but also

how to apply it and what you need to understand.

When facing daunting or boring lecturers, remember that

you want her knowledge.

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Commit to read materials (books, blogs, reports,

magazines etc.) about your field at least an hour a day. By

doing this, you’ve read more than your peers and prospective

employers! Well, unless they reading 60 minutes a day or

more as well.

Moving From Average to Beyond!

There you go! These are the nine habits of highly

successful students. To turn an action into a habit, you need to

do it – free of rationalisation and justification – for at least 21

days. Tell your mind that you want to practice this for 21 days.

Remind yourself by reading this special report over and

over again – at least six times. By doing that alone, you are

already set to overtake your classmates within months. By the

time you graduate – assuming you just entered college – you’d

be more valuable compared to your students.

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About the Author

Aldric Tinker is a Certified NLP

Practitioner, copywriter, digital author and

Follow Aldric on Twitter:
professional speaker. His experience spans
@aldrictinker. Visit
from broadcasting advertising, background http://www.aldrictinker.com today to

acting, talk therapy, empowering and explore what services you can benefit

motivational talks, legal studies and from or read tips and ideas you can

use for your learning or marketing.

communication.

Contact Aldric via email:

For copywriting, Aldric’s clients included
aldric@aldrictinker.com
several advertising agencies in Kuala Lumpur

and Johor Bahru like Octagon Creative.

Aldric once served as Junior Copywriter for Primeworks

Studios writing advertisements for TV3, ntv7, 8tv and tv9

channels. His specialisations include:

 Brochure writing;

 Positioning and branding;

 Education industry;

 Real estate/residential properties;

 Web copy; and

 Electronic books (e-books).

Currently, Aldric Tinker is doing his Diploma in

Occupational Safety and Health.

Aldric Tinker is a proponent of accelerated learning,

neurolinguistic programming and personal empowerment.

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