How to pass exams – Part 7 – It’s hard work being on an adventure

“If you really want something, and really work hard, and take advantage of opportunities, and never give up, you will find a way.”

Jane Goodall, English Zoologist

For some – the next bit of advice might be a shock…

In our world of instant coffee, pot noodles and movies on demand, we can sometimes forget that not everything happens instantly. Have you ever tasted a Pot Noodle, you’ll soon be hungry again, instant sometimes just doesn’t cut it. There’s nothing better than a great home cooked meal, that’s why students go home!

When I first started researching success in life I came across this seemingly obvious advice and I sort of wish it wasn’t on the list. I wish I could say ‘you’ll just make it one day, it will all happen to you, you don’t have to work hard, just chill – everything will be fine’. It would make this blog go viral, but it just isn’t true.

We have to work hard to succeed in anything. Some people’s planning for their future is to simply buy a lottery ticket, I see people do it all the time. Many lottery winners have been called “Lottery Losers” because they wish they hadn’t won the money after a while as it makes them very unhappy.

Success is mostly in your hands, and Richard St. John agrees. He found out that successful people work hard, but if you’re passionate about something you can work hard and have fun. Result.

Larry Page (one of the founders of Google) said, “You can’t just have inspiration. It’s maybe 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration”, he was quoting the inventor Thomas Edison from 1903.

[ Based on years of research you can read more about Lee’s work at http://leejackson.org/education/howtoenjoyandsucceedatschoolandcollege – How to pass exams ]

Now, it has to be said I don’t look like a natural runner, (Rugby League player maybe), but one of my ambitions was to take part in the Great North Run in Newcastle. So one year I signed up and went from zero to running 13 miles in just a few months. Most of the training was boring, repetitive and sometimes even miserable but when, on the big day, I was struggling at 11 miles into the run I was so glad I had done all that training. The slog, night after night around Leeds meant that when it came to the crunch I could finish the race. Working hard paid off, when I needed it most.

Doing my research before I speak anywhere is exactly the same, hard work…works! Work hard, but even better, work smart. Take breaks, have a day off, but earn it by having 5 or 6 days on!

Work hard then reward yourself. As we say up north…CRACK ON, then have a cup of tea! My sister once got told off by her builder because she kept giving the lads bacon sandwiches first thing in the morning. “Stop giving them bacon” the boss said, “they don‘t get anything done otherwise!” Work then reward.

I know you’ve probably been told this many times already, but there are no short cuts to being successful at school. A lot of it is just working as hard and as smartly as you can. Work to your best, you know deep down what that is.

More to come…

This an excerpt from Top UK School Speaker Lee Jackson’s book “How To Enjoy And Succeed At School And College” Available in paperback and on Kindle (for only £1.99 during pre-exam time) here now. 

How to pass exams – Part 6 – Discover your passion in the adventure

“Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion”
Martha Graham, choreographer & dancer (1894 – 1991)

In his research Richard St. John found out that successful people are simply passionate about what they do. Amazingly, even the people who were financially successful often said ‘I would do this for love and not for money. ’ Woah! Hang on? I would do this for LOVE and not for money!’ Don’t people just do things for money?

I meet people in school all the time who want to be in a high paid job for that reason only, yet all the research shows that if money is your motivation the novelty wears off very quickly and you will soon hate your job. I meet loads of well-paid but miserable people – strange but true! Successful people are happy when they follow their passions, that’s what keeps them going long term. So, here’s a biggy…what are you passionate about? What is the subject at school/college that you are passionate about? What is it you really love to do? What is it you do where time passes really quickly?

When I was your age I was a hip hop scratch DJ and in a band. I spent nearly all my time DJing, recording and learning new DJ skills. When I was pulling together a mix time would just fly by, like it does now when I am speaking or writing. So for me at that time my hobby turned into my life.

What subject at school does time seem to pass really quickly? What do you get the best grades in? What are you passionate about?

[ Based on years of research you can read more about Lee’s work at http://leejackson.org/education/howtoenjoyandsucceedatschoolandcollege – How to pass exams ]  

Once you recognise what you are passionate about let that passion rub off into other parts of your school life, even if you only really like one lesson a day that can make all the difference. One positive hour can make your day fly by, even if that’s break time with your mates, add up five of them and you’ve had a much better week and before you know it you’ve had a better year! And yes, better results and more fun into the bargain. School can be fun, not always, but sometimes. I think it should be fun, what do you think?

When I was a youth worker I always put in my diary a couple of things a week that I would really enjoy. For me it was basketball practice. Those two practices a week helped the rest of the week go much easier. Even the boring bits went quicker. Those basketball practices were like pegs to “hang my week on”. Use your passions to fire up your school/college life.

Do you think Steve Jobs hates Apple Macs, David Beckham hates football or Kylie hates music? Of course not, they have found their passion, that’s what has helped them achieve.
More to come…

This an excerpt from Top UK School Speaker Lee Jackson’s book “How To Enjoy And Succeed At School And College” Available in paperback and on Kindle (for only £1.99 during pre-exam time) here now.

How to pass exams – Part 5

Now comes the challenge, as you’ve probably worked out this blog is about you achieving (the you shaped) success at your school and college.

But, if you go onto Amazon.co.uk and type in “success” in the book section you get up to 325,306 results!

That means you’d have to read 325,306 different books from 325,306 different people or listen to 325,306 different talks from 325,306 different people, all with their views on what they think success is and how it can be achieved by us so-called “normal people”!

BUT DON’T PANIC – HELP IS AT HAND!

I came across Richard St. John from Canada (you can see his talks on www.ted.com) who has the solution to our 325,306 problem! He took ten years to interview over five hundred successful people face-to-face, he questioned people who were at the top of their game in whatever they do. People from all walks of life – successful people in business, entertainment, politics, research, scientists, artists and astronauts – right through to community leaders and sports legends. From Richard Branson to Russell Crowe, Bill Gates to Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowling to J-Lo, even Ben from Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream!

Once he had gathered all the information together he asked a simple question, what have they all got in common?

Now that’s a powerful question!

(You can read about this work further in his book “8 Traits Successful People Have In Common: 8 To Be Great” by Richard St. John, 2010, ISBN 9780973900972)

[ Based on years of research you can read more about Lee’s work at http://leejackson.org/education/howtoenjoyandsucceedatschoolandcollege – How to pass exams ]   

In the next part of the blog series, using my own stories/experiences and some of his research, we can see how we can put these powerful principles into practice at school and college. If they worked for Matt Groening (The Simpsons’ creator) and James Dyson (the posh bright yellow hoover bloke!), I reckon they’ll help to achieve your you shaped success too.

This blog is focused on education but you’ll find that this advice will help you in the world of work and your personal life too – like I did.

Are you up for it? Let’s go…

But first – pause for thought…

Whether you feel like it or not you are an amazing person.

Need proof?

Look at your fingerprint now, no-one has your fingerprint.

You are amazing.

The retina of your eye is unique to you.

You are amazing.

Your DNA structure is also unique to you.

You are amazing.

There will never be anyone like you!
More to come…

This an excerpt from Top UK School Speaker Lee Jackson’s book “How To Enjoy And Succeed At School And College” Available in paperback and on Kindle (for only £1.99 during pre-exam time) here now. 

How to pass exams

How to pass exams – Part 4

“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.”
Judy Garland

Do you remember the song “Rock Star” by Nickelback, and the video where their fans are miming along to the words?

Every generation has a song that says ‘If I could just be somewhere else or someone else, or have a credit card without limit’, I’d be alright.

My generation had a song called ‘Money for Nothing’ by Dire Straits; they sang “If I could play my guitar on the MTV”. There’s an even cheesier song by a band called ‘Bros’ (ask your parents or carers if they remember that cheese monster classic!), they sang ‘When Will I, Will I Be Famous?’

Have you ever heard people say that the “grass is always greener somewhere else?” That got me thinking about my favourite quotation from Coach John Wooden.

He said: “Success is peace of mind…in knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

John Wooden is the most successful U.S. college basketball coach of all time – he won seven championships back-to-back and coached many of the greats.  Interesting, he doesn’t mention fame, or money.

[ Based on years of research you can read more about Lee’s work at http://leejackson.org/education/howtoenjoyandsucceedatschoolandcollege – how to pass exams ] 

At the end of your exams/course you’ll probably have a two or three month break, one of the longest holidays that you’ll ever get in your life! You’ve got two options in that break, you can relax, have fun and peace of mind because you know that you did your best. Or, you can be stressed out wishing you’d done more work.

Peace of mind is a great thing because YOU know that YOU did your best.

You see there’s a shape in the world that is YOU shaped. My shape’s slightly larger than your shape, but it’s still my shape! It’s Lee Jackson shaped. I can do amazing things as my shape, I bring unique things to the places I visit and the community I live in. I bring unique things to this book.

And that means you do too! You bring unique skills and gifts to your home, school/college and eventually your workplace. But the problem is that, if like in the Nickelback song, we’re always trying to be someone else…we can’t be our shape effectively.

If we are saying – “If I can just be like that person in my class; if I just had her hair; if I just had his money or if I could just do essays like they can,” then we are trying to be someone else – we are comparing ourselves to others and we will always feel worse doing that. And if we are trying to be someone else then…my question is ‘who is being you?’

You bring something unique to your school/college and if you do your best, your school becomes a greater and better place because of the gifts you bring to it. Everyone wins! But it’s never about being perfect, it’s about trying our best and being unique.

Then even if we don’t become top of the class we can still look back and say “I tried my best”. That cures post exam stress and it’s good for us as it’s how we find out what we are really capable of.

More to come…

This an excerpt from Top UK School Speaker Lee Jackson’s book “How To Enjoy And Succeed At School And College” Available in paperback and on Kindle (for only £1.99 during pre-exam time) here now.

How to pass exams

How to pass exams Part 3…

“When I look into the future, it’s so bright it burns my eyes.”
Oprah Winfrey

That’s enough about the past, let’s flip it around now and talk about the future, [drum roll please…]

(Above image used with kind permission © Pip Wilson and Ian Long,
not to be published without written permission from www.blobtree.com)

If I was to ask you, how do you FEEL about your future, which blob would you be?

(BTW Blobs aren’t male or female, black or white, they’re just blobs!)

Which blob are you right now?

Maybe you feel like you’ve nearly made it and you’re on the right track, or you’ve stopped halfway over the bridge and still have a lot of questions, or maybe you are literally hanging on by your fingernails and no-one really knows it. More people have been there than you realise.

Your feelings make you special and unique, they should never be dismissed or put down because they make you who you are. However, the great news is this…we have choices and are not ruled by our feelings.

We can change the way we feel.

Wherever you are on the blob bridge you’re not stuck, if we waited until we felt like going to school some of us would never get to school at all! One of the great things about life is that no matter how we feel now, by putting a few things into practice we can change the way we feel about learning. e.g. If you don’t like maths and walk into school saying this to yourself, and then you line up outside the classroom telling your mates ‘I hate maths, we all hate maths, everybody hates maths!’, what’s going to happen in class?

[ Based on years of research you can read more about Lee’s work at http://leejackson.org/education/howtoenjoyandsucceedatschoolandcollege ]

Is it going to be a good maths lesson? No, because our feelings, thoughts and actions have steered that day into an ‘I hate maths’ day. We’ve made ourselves and our mates hate maths by shining a massive big searchlight on it.

The more we focus on something the bigger it becomes. Sometimes we have to change our focus or move the searchlight to a more positive place.

Put another way, when your favourite song comes on the radio it can really change the way you feel. If you are in public you might tap your fingers, move your feet or even smile, but if you are at home you might sing out loud or even do a silly dance.

Our feelings can change for the better, and I hope this blog will help you to do just that, to feel and act more positively towards school and college.

So you can do well and have more fun along the way.

There’s no point being successful if we are lonely and don’t smile or even dance stupidly once in a while! We can steer our feelings in the right direction by what we say, do and think. Life is 10% about what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.

We can’t control every aspect of our lives but we can have a lot of control over our emotions, whether we feel like we do or not.

Action Point:
How do you feel about your future? What actions can you take to be more in control?

More to come…

This an excerpt from Top UK School Speaker Lee Jackson’s book “How To Enjoy And Succeed At School And College” 

Available in paperback and on Kindle (for only £1.99 during pre-exam time) here now.

How to pass exams – Part 2 – The learning adventure begins…

Do you remember your first day at primary school, or a moment in your first few years of school?

Can you remember walking to school, your first teacher, or your first school friends?

The best thing about primary school for me was when I walked in on that first day and BOOM! I saw a peg with my name on it!

“DA-DAH!” that peg was MINE! It was all about the peg, everyone’s first taste of fame! You’ve come a long way since then.

A long way since you couldn’t tie your shoelaces and your mum/dad or carer had to take you into the classroom every day and sit you on the ’reading carpet’!

In fact I’d like to reveal to you that since your first day in primary school you have been in school 6 hours a day,
(choose the relevant one for you);

BY THE END OF YEAR 9 – 195 days a year over 10 years, that’s 1,950 days or 11,700 hours!

BY THE END OF YEAR 10 –195 days a year over 11 years, that’s 2,145 days or 12,870 hours!

BY THE END OF YEAR 11 –195 days a year over 12 years, that’s 2340 days or 14,000 hours!

BY THE END OF YEAR 12/COLLEGE –195 days a year over 13 years, that’s 2535 days or 15,210 hours!

BY THE END OF YEAR 13/COLLEGE –195 days a year over 14 years, that’s 2730 days or 16,380 hours!

Give yourself a round of applause (and maybe even a little chocolate bar!) That’s a looooong time.

Although you’ve probably been there slightly less in reality – maybe a couple of hours off when you went to the dentist, or had head lice (like I did aged nine)! But for 98% of the population, those are the hours we’ve put in, amazing isn’t it? So you can declare ‘I’m an expert in learning, I’ve done it for almost 14,000+ hours.’

Imagine doing anything for 14,000 hours?

You are an expert in learning because that’s what your brain has been trained for over all that time. You are well brainy.

Based on years of research you can read more about Lee’s work at http://leejackson.org/education/howtoenjoyandsucceedatschoolandcollege

So, the first tool for your tool box is to look back. Not at your failures or the days that didn’t go quite so well, (we’ve all had those days), but when you’re having a challenging day you can look back and say, ‘Do you know what, I’ve done this for 14,000+ hours, I’m going to go to school just get on with it today.’

Or when you’ve got an exam you can say, ‘Do you know what, I’ve done mock exams, test papers and SATS – I will get up this morning and I will do this exam because I’ve done it before!’

Always look back a little bit, because sometimes we’re so focused on the present or the future that we don’t glance back and realise how far we’ve come. When you first started school adding 2+2 was a challenge, now you’re doing complicated equations, writing essays, and creating things with computer aided design. But you’d never think that on your first day, when you first saw that peg with your name on it. I bet you’d never have thought you’d be able to do the things you are doing now.  Glance back a bit, it’s like fuel for your fire – it can keep you going, it can keep the learning engine running…

Action Point: What have you learnt so far? Write your action points or thoughts down.

More to come…

This an excerpt from Top UK School Speaker Lee Jackson’s book “How To Enjoy And Succeed At School And College” Available in paperback and on Kindle (for only £1.99 during pre-exam time) here now.  

How to pass exams – Part 1

Are you ready for an adventure?

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela

People usually think that life (and education) is either a battle or an adventure.

I’ve decided it’s an adventure.

That simple statement changes everything.

It means that even on our ‘not so good’ days, we can still get up and ‘crack on’. It means that this school thing is do-able; it doesn’t have to be a daily disaster or a constant nightmare. If you are going on an adventure you have to plan, pack your things and get your head straight. Let’s face it. School is something that 98% of us have to go through, so we may as well make the most of it. Succeeding in school exams doesn’t mean you have to lose your friends and any credibility you may have – it’s just about using our time well and checking our attitude once in a while. I meet people all the time who wish they had done better at school – I wish I’d done more maths in school instead of messing about with Tomo and McTavish (real names!). But there is no point wishing – we have to do things differently to get different results.

Based on years of research you can read more about Lee’s work at http://leejackson.org/education/howtoenjoyandsucceedatschoolandcollege

From the start, it’s OK if we have fun while we learn.

Let me ask you something… Would you like to learn something new today?  While you are reading I want you to listen out for one of my favourite noises…this is it…“DING!” (imagine a bell ringing, like one of those you get at posh hotel reception desks)… That’s the noise that your brain makes when you’re learning something new. Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re a very clever person (I know that because you’re reading this blog!). A Year 7 lad once came up to me and said ‘Lee, err…does my brain actually make that noise?’ And I had to explain to him that biologically it doesn’t actually make that noise but it kind of makes that noise. That’s because there are some things in this blog that you just won’t get or won’t mean anything to you, but when you read other parts the bell in your brain will go DING!  You’ll think ‘I need to think about that’ or even better it might go DING! ‘I’m going to write that bit down’ or best of all it might go DING! ‘I’m going to do something about that’.

That’s what makes the difference when you read something and put it into practice. That is the difference between people who want to enjoy and succeed in life and people who just want to drift – usually downhill pulling others with them 🙁

Alternatively, imagine you’ve got a tool box on your lap – you can do a mime with me now if you like, you don’t have to wear white mime make-up or anything! Open your imaginary tool box. In a way this blog is going to give you some good stuff to put into your tool box – things that will help you in school, help you to succeed and help you to have fun too.

That’s what this blog series will help you do. You ready?

This could be a life-changer…

This an excerpt from Top UK School Speaker Lee Jackson’s book “How To Enjoy And Succeed At School And College” Available in paperback and on Kindle (for only £1.99 during pre-exam time) here now.