Ignite your career

The American philosopher Henry D. Thoreau in the nineteenth century said that "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." This means that most of us lack the courage to live the life we dream about. To have the courage to pursue our dreams despite knowing that we risk failure is perhaps the greatest form of courage. 

Quote from this good inspirational free book: http://bookboon.com/en/business-ebooks/career/ignite-your-career. 

They have other free books, too, so check it out. Not all of them are worth it, though. 

Motivation for students: set goals for studying

To pass exams you should know why you have to study. So, take a few moments to understand the reason behind all of that struggle and hell that you are currently going through. I have never done that, but I suggest you write your reasons on a paper and put it on the wall and remember them every time you feel like slacking off and procrastinating.

Here are some quotes that might put you in the right state of mind for goal-setting:

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” 
- Bill Copeland

”Vision without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare.” 
- Japanese Proverb

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
- Wayne Gretzky

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” 
- Lao Tzu

“Don’t go through life, grow through life.” 
- Eric Butterworth

“People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” 
- Steve Jobs

”Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em.” 
- William Shakespeare

“Some men see things as they are and say why – I dream things that never were and say why not.”
- George Bernard Shaw

”Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great makes you feel that you, too, can become great.” 
- Mark Twain

“The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others.” 
- Hasidic Proverb

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” 
- Abraham Lincoln

For motivation to actually begin to study go to this page.
Here is an intro for Motivation for students series of posts.

Motivation for students: to study after failing the previous test/exam

I know how it feels to fail. I had to take a few exams twice, got low marks for some and often got depressed with results even though not all of it was that bad. Looking back at my student years I know I could do much better. I guess I can even make up some advice of how to go through a row of exams or tests, when you failed the previous one:

1. It's ok. Everything's fine. Breath.

2. Do not panic! I know you've used most of your preparation time for the next exam whining over the previous one. But now it's time to take your life in your hands and fight because it's not over yet!

3. You should always remember that you are awesome for just trying. Some people do not do that. Thus you are strong and amazing human being who can and will endure anything.

4. I've got quotes that will surely set you on fire for studying some more today:

"I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work." 
- Thomas Edison

"It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up." 
- Vince Lombardi

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him." 
- Sidney Greenberg

"Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor." 
- Truman Capote

"Winners lose much more often than losers. So if you keep losing but you’re still trying, keep it up! You’re right on track." 
- Matthew Keith Groves

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." 
- John Wooden

"If you keep saying things are going to be bad, you have a chance of being a prophet." 
- Isaac B. Singer

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Winston Churchill

"An obstacle is often a stepping stone." 
- Prescott

"There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them." 
- Dr. Denis Waitley

"The sure way to miss success is to miss the opportunity." 
- Victor Chasles

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." 
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger." 
- Friedrich Nietzsche

"Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down." 
- Charles F. Kettering

"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog." 
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

"Success is sweet: the sweeter if long delayed and attained through manifold struggles and defeats." 
- Amos Bronson Alcott

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." 
- George Eliot

"In any situation, the best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing; the worst thing you can do is nothing." 
- Theodore Roosevelt

"If you’re going through hell, keep going." 
- Winston Churchill

Here is the intro for motivation for students series of posts. 

Motivation for students: to actually study

Tips:

1. Decide why you have to study. The shining goal (or dreadful consequences) is what will keep you working through the night. 

2. Define the scope of work. You've got to know how much information you are going to out in your head in the next few days/hours. Go through questions and materials you already have, get additional books or friends' lectures. Plan and set goals for every day! (or at least read some material for every question especially for oral exams!). 

3. Understand your weak points. If you remember something from your classes, revise it and move on to the questions of which you've never heard or know very little. 

4. Forget about your past failures. Whatever happened, happened. Like Batman, you've got to rise again regardless of your position. Stay positive!

5. Here are some quotes that will help you to set your mind on studying for exam or test or whatever obstacle there is on your road to graduation:

"Make use of time, let not advantage slip." 

- William Shakespeare

"Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today." 

- Benjamin Franklin

"Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there." 

- Will Rogers

"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right." 

- Henry Ford

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." 

- Benjamin Franklin

"If not us, who? If not now, when?" 

- John F. Kennedy

"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." 

- Chinese Proverb

"If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." 

- Napoleon Hill

"The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs… one step at a time." 

- Joe Girard

"Don’t let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was." 

- Richard L. Evans

"It has been my philosophy of life that difficulties vanish when faced boldly." 

- Isaac Asimov

"Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get." 

- Ray Kroc

"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." 

- Vince Lombardi

"Men do less than they ought, unless they do all they can." 

- Thomas Carlyle

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." 

- Aristotle 

(because we all know that sometimes you have to read complete gibberish)

"The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work." 

- Richard Bach

"The real opportunity for success lies within the person and not in the job." 

- Zig Ziglar

"Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
- Henry David Thoreau

Here is the intro for motivation for students series of posts. 

Motivation for students: intro

Student years for me were the years, when I needed motivation the most. Especially with all the exams, tests, routine work which seemed to never end. Now I have passed two last exams at the university and I am free to start my adult life.

I would like to make a series of posts with tips and inspirational quotes that kept me motivated throughout these 5 years of getting a law degree. I hope this will inspire you to study and learn new things and will help you with living the life of a bright and successful student. 

Motivation for students: set goals for studying

Motivation for students: to actually study

Motivation for students: to study after failing the previous test/exam

Good luck!