motivation is not enough
By himzey
@himzey (1321)
India
August 7, 2011 4:03am CST
Hi lotters !
Here is what happened few days ago, while I was taking maths tuitions. A few of my students complained about the difficulty they face while solving conceptual questions, and how things become too boring when extended unnecessarily. I tried to explain them that maths can be real fun, and nothing is boring unless you have made up your mind. So, I suggested them some methods they can adopt while starting with a new topic, so as to increase their retention power. They all were excited and quite eager to try them and the next day they shared their experiences. It really made me laugh out loud was when they told me that they tried to apply the methods I suggested in other subjects including language and social sciences and it turned out to be a total chaos.
It was then I realized, motivation alone is not enough. It needs "direction" as its companion in the journey of success. Its like bathing, it doesn't last long. Without direction, motivation may not be fruitful and often fire back at oneself.
As it is well said: "Motivation is not enough,.. if you have an Idiot and you motivate him, you now have a MOTIVATED IDIOT"
PS: it doesn't mean that I consider my students as idiots, they are damn talented.. :p
1 person likes this
1 response
@vkatrix (78)
• India
7 Aug 11
I have two incidents to share here.
1. My little cousin was being bullied after school by some guys, so my aunt taught him to grab their collar and punch their nose the next time they did that. When she was demonstrating to him, she, obviously, did not want to hurt him; and so instead of punching his nose, she hit her own (not too hard, of course) believing that the essence of a fight had been imbued in him.
The very next day, he returned home in tears and with great effort she could get it out of him. You guessed it right:
He'd grabbed the collars AND PUNCHED HIS OWN NOSE EXACTLY AS HIS MOTHER HAD TAUGHT HIM TOO!!! :D XD
On the other hand
2. When i was five years old, we had a gardener in our servants' quarter with his two sons and a daughter. The eldest son (let's call him K) would have been in eleventh class, i believe, at that time. They'd always looked up to my father as their idol - much to my immense pleasure :P - and if he advised them on something, it was invariably carried out, even if it was their family matter. :))
Last year, K sought my father out, ON THE NET, asked him if he was the same V he knew who lived in No. 12 at XYZ, Delhi - ALL IN AN IMPECCABLE ENGLISH! He talked about how he studied hard enough to get a degree in Computer Engineering from a respectable college and got inducted into a Multi National Company. At the age of thirty, he's been over half the world, travelling on account of business matters from Chicago, USA to Sydney, Australia. And he's extremely humble and down-to-earth and modest of his achievements! He's got his sister married now, and the younger brother is working in IBM and he simply hands out all the credit to my father for the all the motivation he's been. It was an unforgettable moment when we read his mail!! :')
And he's an inspiration for me now!! A thought of him keeps me motivated to keep going no matter come what may!!
So, you've put it very well, concluding beautifully with that quote there. It really sums it all up.
Motivation without direction is compass without it's needle - you know you can head north, but you still do not know which way to take!!
