Reasons To Motivative Yourself to Learn (NOT BECAUSE OF GRADES)

Introduction

Whenever we want to achieve an academic goal, such as a high test score or complete mastery of a course, that is often our most reliable form of motivation to study. However, that motivation can easily drift away as the results are far below expectations, leading to discouragement and burnout. Academic achievement is an example of a reward that we look forward to with extrinsic motivation, motivation to engage in an activity for an expected external (grades, money. etc) reward.

Instead of extrinsic motivation, we can find inspiration through intrinsic motivation, the motivation to engage in an activity for the sake of enjoying the activity or personal rewards (fascination, excitement with the activity. etc). While it's very reasonable to have extrinsic motivators to study, especially since many of us don't enjoy school, we should all find intrinsic reasons to study to have a more valuable experience with our academics rather than the final result of our studying. Here are reasons that can encourage you to study outside of academic achievement, especially for subjects that you don't like.

1. Learning can improve your communication skills and make you a more interesting person.

When you learn information, you are better able to explain that information to other people. When you master a concept or a subject, you become well-versed to explain that information to others, leading to more connections, more topics to discuss (suppressing the chances of awkward silences!) and interesting conversations, making you a more sociable and enlightened individual.

2. Learning reduces the likelihood of preventable diseases.

Knowledge is power! Especially when it comes to your physical health, learning can reduce the probability of developing diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia. This is because learning improves your memory and keeps the nervous system active.

3. Learning information makes you more intelligent.

This might sound obvious, but some people believe that intelligence is fixed, leading them to adopt a fixed mindset and ignore the capabilities of expanding their intellect (thus discouraging them from learning). Being open-minded to learning new information can also help you adopt a growth mindset and feel more in control of your intellectual capabilities.

4. You'll feel better about treating yourself

When you study, you're expending large amounts of energy to concentrate and challenge your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. After you finish your study session, you'll feel that all that hard work has to be rewarded somehow, whether it's by watching some entertainment or treating yourself to a dessert.

5. You'll develop more productive habits and better personality traits.

Learning can also help develop attractive personality traits such as ambition, determination, and tenacity. These traits can make you more confident about yourself, attract people, and therefore raise your self-esteem, thereby enhancing your mental health. Learning can also force you to adapt to working in short, intense sessions, thus making productive use of your time.

6. To exercise your brain

Just like you should exercise your body, you should exercise your brain to keep it healthy so that you can generate neural pathways and keep an active working memory.

7. Because you like the subject that you're learning.

Studying information that interests you is another intrinsic factor to motivate yourself to learn. This reason can be very helpful when you choose subjects that you want to study such as electives in high school and university or choosing a specialization that you are passionate about in university.

8. Learning makes you a more independent and self-reliant person.

Almost everyone hates the thought of having to rely on someone else for their sufficiency, why not rely on yourself and feel empowered by the information that you understand?

9. Learning can be another reason to hang out with friends.

Almost everyone is busy with something, including your friends. But if your friends are studying a subject that you enjoy or are trying to perform well in, you can form a study group with them. Study groups are very engaging as they encourage students to explain concepts to others (thus strengthening their understanding of the learning material) and can encourage students to seek help from their friends. A question that you have been stuck on for an hour could be easily resolved by studying with a friend in 10 minutes or less.

10. Learning can improve your attention span

Avoiding distractions such as social media, video games, and others while focusing on learning can improve your concentration in the long term. An increased attention span reaps many positive benefits such as more resilience, productivity, and better organizational and time management skills.

11. Because you like the feeling of being productive

If you were like a lot of people during the pandemic, you were probably stuck at some time in your life that felt wasted because you focused on irrelevant things such as mindlessly scrolling through social media for countless hours and excessively sleeping when you felt like you had nothing to do. Then came the guilt of feeling extremely useless for not doing anything to improve your lifestyle. Learning can help you get out of this situation and make your life more meaningful.

12. Learning always leads to more opportunities, even if it's not the grades that you want.

Learning can lead to more employment opportunities or advancements at work (promotions & bonuses), thus generating income. Learning can also lead to new business ideas and projects that could get recognition and financial gain.

13. Learning can make you more creative

Along with enhancing your critical thinking and knowledge, learning can also give you more ideas to brainstorm when problem-solving or starting a new initiative. Creativity improves concentration, promotes self-expression, and encourages more risk-taking.

Conclusion

It can be difficult to bring yourself to study if the outcome is all that you are focused on. Focusing on the intrinsic reasons to learn can help you feel more motivated and engaged in your learning. Other than grades, what do you guys think should be a reason to motivate yourself and others to learn information? Let me know in the comments below!