You or ‘everyone else’?

Just because “everyone else does it” doesn’t mean you should join in.

It may be ‘everyone‘ around you drinking heavily and partying regularly, it may be ‘everyone‘ procrastinating on purpose, it may be ‘everyone‘ moaning about the state of the course without actively trying to change things.  Whatever you see ‘everyone‘ doing, don’t be afraid to make your own decision and do something else.  Your different attitude probably won’t be noticed.

photo by AndYaDontStop

photo by AndYaDontStop

Shunning the popular choice may be difficult and uncomfortable.  Doubly so if your decision means giving up something you enjoy or challenging yourself to work harder.  So long as you don’t give up anything important, it’s fine to forego the odd social outing or escapade.  You may even be indulging in too many entirely respectable activities.  Do you really need to be an active member of 7 societies, volunteer for 2 causes, keep down a part-time job, and try to stay on top of study?

While you shouldn’t feel obliged to defend your decisions, there will be the odd time when someone does question your actions.  Usually it doesn’t take more than thanking a person for their advice and quickly moving away from the conversation.  On the (very) rare occasion you face greater questioning, stay strong and don’t be afraid to point out why you’ve chosen a particular direction.  If you aren’t getting anywhere, if you feel uncomfortable talking about it, or if you don’t want to justify your actions to someone else, politely explain that you don’t want to discuss it further and (if necessary) physically move away from the situation.

Peer pressure has many faces.  A small percentage is uncalled for and something you don’t need from so-called ‘mates’.  Fortunately, much of it is friendly and of little consequence.  That’s why you probably have nothing to fear when you choose not to do what everybody else is doing.

It feels so much easier to let others make decisions for you.  If it goes wrong, you’ve got someone else to blame.  The truth is that when you make your own decisions, you begin to feel more in touch with what you truly want and need.  Don’t fear that you’ll become arrogant.  You should still listen to others, engage in debate, and appreciate that you’re not always right.  With that, the confidence in your decisions does help you grow stronger, getting you to think more clearly and independently before making commitments.

How have you moved away from an otherwise popular situation?  Have you taken a different attitude and found it worked to your advantage?

What will you do today?

What will you do today?  What will you do to shine?  What will you do to innovate?  What will you do to bring you closer to whatever it is you want?

I don’t know what you want, but I know a lot of things are within reach.  They’re just hiding most of the time.  Makes the game interesting…

My personal aim on this blog is to encourage all of you to take control of what’s at your disposal and use it well.  No need to hurt others, no need to become a workaholic, no need to be unethical.

But no matter how hard I try to help and no matter how many people get to view this website, only a handful of people are ever going to take it all the way.  It doesn’t matter how many people offer their advice to help others make a difference, only a small number will give their all and create their own pile of win.

Are you one of that small number?  Are you an innovator?

Why do only a relative few manage to shine?  Some possibilities:

  • Other aspects of life (big and small) get in the way;
  • Not everyone develops (or recognises) a true passion for anything;
  • There seems too much initial work to be bothered;
  • Fear of failure / Not prepared to take a risk;
  • You want to succeed, but give up when gratification doesn’t come quickly.

People give all sorts of reasons why they haven’t managed to go the whole way.  Some are good reasons and some are just excuses.  I bet they all feel like good reasons at the time.

Uni gives you access to so many resources that it’s crazy.  No matter how small your institution is, you can enjoy a wealth of goodness without moving off campus.

And with so many digital tools at our disposal, you’re able to push your own brand without having to ask for anyone else’s permission.  You have the power to stretch out wherever you want.  The Internet and mobile technology isn’t just for reading what people are doing, discussing last night, building a farm or joining the mafia!

“Let yourself experience life with your eyes and heart and mind wide open.”
Robbin – Brains On Fire

I’m not suggesting that all you need to do to succeed is to believe in what’s possible and keep trying again and again (and again) until you’ve won.  It’s not that simple and it’s not practical.

But that doesn’t mean you should give up and not bother at all.  Many successful entrepreneurs succeed amid many of their failures.  They won’t dwell on the failures.  In fact, the failures will soon be forgotten except for:

  • The knowledge that they’re a step closer to finding another success;
  • The lessons they’ve learned that will hold them in better stead for their next venture.

Nothing is guaranteed and nothing is certain, but the only way you can find out what’s possible is to start doing stuff. Do it now!  Sure, you shouldn’t just run off without due caution and with no plan whatsoever, but you do need to begin somewhere.

After all, you’ll never find the perfect circumstances to suit your personal situation.  You’re in a better position where you are than if you wait until you’re somewhere else.

You’ve got more chances than you probably think.  But you’ve got to take them.  Don’t waste it away.  I missed plenty opportunities simply because I didn’t know better.  It’s a mistake I try not to repeat on a regular basis.  It happens sometimes, but I’d rather slip up occasionally and get back up than sit on my bum and do nothing at all.

What will you do today?

EduLinks – Wikis, Politics & Common Sense

Top 10 Interview Tips – Times Online

It’s never too soon to think about how you’re going to shine in that interview.  Some solid tips here.

Half-a -dozen Monkeys – 5 Tasks That Should Not Be On Your To Do List

If you want to read some funny, clear and direct advice about your to do list, look no further.  Rich has written an awesome post.  Put it on your to do list to read!

StudentSpeak – Daring to disconnect from social media (Video)

How would you feel without Facebook?  Could you be tempted away from Twitter?  How long would you last?  See how long two students lasted when they tried to shy away from the social networks.

Campus Technology – 8 in 10 Students Turn to Wikipedia for Research

…But it’s mainly just to get started.  So long as you do it in moderation and use plenty other starting points as well, there’s not so much harm in that.

Finding Dulcinea – Top 10 Reasons Students Cannot Cite or Rely on Wikipedia

I say there’s not much harm in using Wikipedia as a starting point, but be warned!  For a fantastic set of reasons why you shouldn’t trust everything you read on Wikipedia, read this piece.  It’ll make you think twice.

From Student Direct – Decisions, decisions

“…in the Western world despite unprecedented material wealth, the majority of people are less happy than they were 50 years ago. There is too much choice, and because of this people struggle to uncover who they are and what they stand for.”

PickTheBrain – How to Stick to Your Study Plan

6 ways to a state of win.

From University of East Anglia – Young people, politics and popular culture

“If popular culture is to be used to engage young people in politics, it is crucial that young people are taken seriously as experienced consumers of media culture. This means taking their concerns and experiences seriously, but without packaging them in simplistic and patronising ways.”

Developing Stuff – Using Microsoft Word for long documents

Stu Johnson has put together a great resource that helps you easily deal with all sorts of matters in long documents.  Covering formats, tables of contents, automated processes, figures, captions, and a lot more.  The main document can be accessed directly here.

BBC News – Universities look into the future

The future looks very different.  And it may not be that far away…

The Simpler Life – 3 reasons we like to read common sense advice

One comment stands out in a massive way:

“Common sense is common.  Applying common sense is very rare.”

Remember this. It’s a hugely important point.

Students should expect a certain quality of learning

The student experience covers more than the degree that hopefully comes at the end of your time.  There’s the power of networking, there’s the entertainment, there are the friendships, there are clubs and societies, there are so many things that makes your time at uni beyond monetary value.

*But*…you do pay for a certain level of teaching and learning.  You expect access to the resources you need that make it possible for you to gain a First Class Honours.  Even if you don’t get that top grade, you shouldn’t be left thinking it was the institutions fault for not having provided you with all the tools to manage the highest grade possible.

photo by jam343

photo by jam343

Most aspects of learning are up to you.  It’s not always easy.  But teaching needs to be to a high standard and you have to develop learning processes in a way that complement the teaching.  That development can only come through effective guidance.  That guidance is something you’re paying for too.

You aren’t strictly paying for everything beyond teaching and learning, unless you’re charged for it elsewhere.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that you got your money’s worth in ways other than your learning experience.  You need to contact your Students’ Union and your uni’s student support service if:

  • the teaching isn’t up to speed;
  • you don’t get enough feedback;
  • the feedback isn’t timely;
  • you’re not given access to the tools that will further your learning;
  • the tools are unsatisfactory or outdated;
  • there’s something lacking that halts your progress;
  • any circumstance that has a negative impact upon your learning.

None of this means we should adopt an approach where students are seen as ‘consumers’. HE is not a physical product, nor is it a service with a particular end result.  You’re paying for something subjective.

However, you should be able to freely pursue their education in the knowledge that the right resources are available to them and that any shortcomings can – and should – be challenged.

Wes Streeting and Graeme Wise of NUS wrote a paper on the values of higher education and I like the way they sum up what’s necessary:

“Students should be able to challenge the quality of the learning environment and the support they are getting, and should also be able to take intellectual risks and sometimes pursue interests at a tangent to the main curriculum. It should be obvious that students can’t really do any of these things unless they have been reasonably diligent, attended most of the classes, done the background reading, and tried to seek out help and advice. It should be equally obvious that to do this, students need access to well-funded and well-managed resources, and the support of expert and helpful teachers. When all these things are happening in concert, the result is higher education imbued with what we might call ‘quality’.”

Are you receiving sufficient ‘quality’?