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For those of us preparing to take a long time studying for the LSAT...

SprinklesSprinkles Alum Member
in General 11542 karma
Consider this:
“The reason why people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go, instead of how far they have gotten.”

Feel free to share your dose of motivation :)

Comments

  • SamiSami Live Member Sage 7Sage Tutor
    edited October 2016 10774 karma
    “The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”


    ― Stephen McCranie

    This one is my favorite. Reminds me to keep going. :)
  • AlexAlex Alum Member
    edited October 2016 23929 karma
    One of my professors in college was divorcing her husband after they had been married for about 3 years. She was explaining to us that he was basically a loser. (This was in the context of a philosophy class) He had been planning to go to medical school while they were dating and he kept making excuses and putting off studying for the MCAT. She explained that he would keep saying how smart and capable he is and how great of a doctor would be, but never really would take the first steps to actually doing it.

    Long story short is this professor basically explained that in life we only do things which we are capable of; only things which we can actually achieve. And we obviously don't and can't do those things which we cannot. Be it a matter of smarts, will, or circumstance. She was a philosophy professor and this was her philosophy. It made a lot of sense and resonated with me.

    Albeit a bit meta, after a couple years of thinking about it, I realized that if I am truly meant to be a lawyer and achieve what I want in life I need to have the will power to do it. I worked my ass off for my GPA and I'm not going to let this one test be the reason I don't go to my dream schools.

    Another source of motivation is that I'm genuinely a competitive person and want to go to the best law school to "compete" against the smartest up and coming legal minds. I didn't go to a better school during UG for financial and family reasons and instead went to a state school despite getting into much better schools. So a big source of motivation for me has been working hard to ensure I can go to a top school for law school. Basically there is me and my dreams. And in between is a bunch of work I need to do - so I am motivated as heck to do it!

    Lastly, I think in the scheme of things the LSAT isn't that hard. I think we convince ourselves and each other that this is some insanely hard test when in fact, I don't think it is. It is just a test that requires a lot of preparation to do well for most part. So my motivation is just to beat this thing. I kind of see it like a hard video game I need to beat to get this damn monkey off my back, lol.
  • Not Ralph NaderNot Ralph Nader Alum Member Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    2098 karma
    I just let Tom Cruise tell it to me everyday :) I watch this video everyday before I start studying



    I know this is the chapter of my life that includes LSAT if I do not do it now and do it right I will regret it for rest of my life.
  • AlexAlex Alum Member
    23929 karma
    @nader.parham I love that scene! I had forgotten all about it until you posted it. So very true!

    Thank you :)
  • westcoastbestcoastwestcoastbestcoast Alum Member
    3788 karma
    Its the journey rather than the destination that matters the most. No matter what the outcome, one can be grateful for the journey.
  • Nanchito-1-1Nanchito-1-1 Yearly Member
    1762 karma
    @nader.parham said:

    I know this is the chapter of my life that includes LSAT if I do not do it now and do it right I will regret it for rest of my life.
    Thisthisthisthisthisthisthis
  • SprinklesSprinkles Alum Member
    11542 karma
    Thanks for sharing guys! Love getting so many positive vibes from my 7sage homies :)
  • desire2learndesire2learn Member
    1171 karma
    Ultimately preparing for the LSAT for me is just an exercise in preparing myself for Law School or for just being better prepared for life. Even if I bomb on test day for any reason, the time and effort I have put in have given me new skills that cannot be taken away by a score. I work hard because I enjoy learning and stretching myself and adding skills to my life that I did not have before. I enjoy that feeling of getting my butt kicked (wait for it) and then having to decide how to respond. The moment of deciding to not give up/freak out/wimp out but to dig in IS THE FREAKING BEST. It's that chance to find out what you are made of. And accepting that I might continue to fail but not because I couldn't face it. It is the willingness to take the risk. And it happens over and over and over as you go through the ups and downs of the LSAT/life. It is one of the things I loved most about playing sports in high school and college. The chance to face the fear and doubt and decide to not care, but to just go full steam and accept whatever outcome happened. Sports and life and the LSAT are not about the outcome (although 99% of the world will disagree with you), they are about the inner battle.
  • Swift777Swift777 Member
    83 karma
    As Mike Kim would say, "The best way to ensure success is to deserve it! The ones who succeed are the ones most passionate about reaching their goals, and have the greatest capacity to work towards those goals."
  • SamiSami Live Member Sage 7Sage Tutor
    10774 karma
    @desire2learn said:
    The chance to face the fear and doubt and decide to not care, but to just go full steam and accept whatever outcome happened.
    This was great <3
  • H O ThomasH O Thomas Alum Member
    204 karma
    "Potential is wasted energy... I want to see what you're capable of." -RCR, Nov. 17, 2014



    DO IT!!!

    Without going into an overly sob story about myself, I made the same promise during two interviews. The promise was that if they hired me, I would go as far as I possibly could in that career field.

    The job I accepted was a legal assistant job at a law firm. I am now the head attorney's personal paralegal after being there for one year. The next step is lawyer. The step after that is better lawyer, or judge.

    The other job was a post-traumatic event counselor for family services.
  • Creasey LSATCreasey LSAT Member
    423 karma
    These famous words of wisdom inspire me daily - "BE A FUCKING BEAST"
  • MoosaderMoosader Alum Member
    234 karma

    glad i came across this :)

  • paniz.gh91paniz.gh91 Free Trial Member
    82 karma

    From time to time, especially when I reach a plateau, I feel like I'm not capable of doing any better or that maybe I have reached my potential. But then I keep saying to myself "If one can do it- I can do it, if no one can do it, I must do it."And it actually helps!

  • Mo ZubairMo Zubair Alum Member
    391 karma

    @Moosader Thanks for bumping this up. Quite nice!

  • MoosaderMoosader Alum Member
    234 karma

    @"Mo Zubair" Totes

  • SprinklesSprinkles Alum Member
    11542 karma

    @Moosader said:
    glad i came across this :)

    Aww, same here! studying for the LSAT can be suuuuper daunting but what's even more daunting is studying for this test feeling all alone and unmotivated.

  • Bevs ScooterMinionBevs ScooterMinion Alum Member
    edited March 2017 1018 karma

    Thank you for starting this thread, @"montaha.rizeq" - I'm sitting for the LSAT in June 2018.

    "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." - Confucius.

    For daily motivation, other than those funky Minions, my mom wrote this down for me, and it lives next to the coffee pot:

    "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." - Henry Ford

    When I need more, I remember (shortened for emphasis): "Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass." - Maya Angelou.

  • leslieh327leslieh327 Alum Member
    130 karma

    YASSSSSSSSSSSSS to ALL THIS MOTIVATION!!!!!!!!

  • thisisspartathisissparta Alum Member
    1363 karma

    My three favorite interrelated quotes:

    "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" - Thomas Edison

    "Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did." - Newt Gingrich

    "Enjoy your sweat because hard work doesn't guarantee success, but without it you don't have a chance" - Alex Rodriguez

  • jpandljpandl Alum Member
    112 karma

    FOCUS
    Follow One Course Until Successful

    You have to go down the LSAT path with full intentions, otherwise it is not focused IMHO

  • diegospencediegospence Free Trial Member
    3 karma

    All of this! Thanks.

  • Bevs ScooterMinionBevs ScooterMinion Alum Member
    1018 karma

    Bumpity bump. <3

  • tringo335tringo335 Alum Member
    3679 karma

    "May your curse in life be that your hard work is constantly mistaken for talent" You may not be the smartest person in the room, but you can be the hardest working. And that's all you need to succeed at the LSAT.

  • 7 karma

    Love this thread, & all the Mike Kim / LSAT Trainer quotes.

    My main motivation has been echoed in how I've been living: the challenge of not giving into external forces that demand I "just take the test," & pushing myself to take the space I require to get where I need to be.

    Took a few months away from hardcore/conscious study to let it all settle in. Now it feels good to be back in the thick of it...I am actually experiencing a significant difference in my newfound LSAT approach. Learned habits solidifying into instinct. The unconscious mind does wonderful things when you give it the time that's required.

    With that in mind...one of my favorite sources of inspiration:

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