Best Advice

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• Shireen Bhatia-1 Alum Member

  July 2017 261 karma

  Omg I just posted about this. Be kind to yourself! Don't neglect yourself. Pay attention to your needs and remember that you come first.
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  July 2017 23929 karma

  @charlesteity said:
  What's the best advice you received when you got bummed out while studying? What gave you the motivation and confidence to continue pushing? Thanks!

  Reading a book called The One Thing by Gary Keller. That book helped a lot.

  I also am big into personal development and those types of things. Motivating yourself is like showering; it is something you need to do daily.... Learning that if you want something, that discipline is what you need to rely on because that is an attribute. Motivation doesn't last long and you basically will end up bummed out on a regular basis if you rely on it too heavily.

  What gave me the motivation and confidence to keep pushing: Hmmm.... I just think it is inherent in me. I know that's probably not a satisfactory answer, but I was raised by my grandma who passed away right when I finished high school. Since then I've been on my own with a big sink or swim mentality. So I don't even consider failure or giving up and option. So don't let it be one for you either.

  Also, it is just a test. Paper and a pencil. Books. These things can't actually hurt us or cause us any harm. Just remember that because your brain is going to try to play all these tricks on you to get you to give up via our primate brain.

  Lastly, I want to be an attorney for some really pragmatic reasons. Nothing lofty. I think it helps to have some dreams, goal, visions, and know the difference. I figure the LSAT is by far the easiest part of all of this and if I'm killing myself just for the entrance exam, might be time to hit those GMAT books some more, lol. In the end, it's your dream and no one's going to live it for you but you! So hit the books or course haha
• 4 Likes

  imharris Alum Member

  July 2017 466 karma

  I always joke that the lsat is a $160,000 test because you can earn up to that much in scholarships.

  money isn't everything, but here it helps motivate me to study more when I'm feeling bummed.
• 1 Like

  rafaelito Alum Member

  July 2017 1063 karma

  I personally try to maintain a fun approach. I've always loved learning and pushing my intellectual ability to the limit. So I try to remind myself not to score chase but have to fun! This test can only make you smarter. Use it wisely.
• 1 Like

  Sprinkles Alum Member ⭐

  July 2017 edited July 2017 11542 karma

  Slow and steady. Don't rush to finish anything especially in the LSAT world. One concept not comprehended properly and you moved on from, can cost you lots of points. I made a post a while back about a quote I saw from Chef Gordon Ramsay's Reddit AMA that related beautifully to how we should be studying for the LSAT:
  https://7sage.com/forums/discussion/10371/chef-gordon-ramsay-does-not-approve-of-your-lsat-shortcuts#latest
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  July 2017 23929 karma

  @RafaelBernard said:
  I personally try to maintain a fun approach. I've always loved learning and pushing my intellectual ability to the limit. So I try to remind myself not to score chase but have to fun! This test can only make you smarter. Use it wisely.

  This is an amazing mindset to have toward learning in general. I think a lot of us here have learned to, through one way or another, at least like some aspect of learning this test. It feels good to get better at something that ultimately is of this import.

  If you make it fun, you'll definitely be more motivated to do it!
• 1 Like

  StellaBlue Alum Member

  July 2017 185 karma

  Something that tends to work for me is asking myself why I really want to study law. If I think about all the lofty, idealistic reasons--helping people, protecting voting rights--then spending hours each day studying for a test seems like the least I can do to reach that goal. Small price to pay for giving back. I guess in my mind it's like this: http://parallelevision.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/do-it-for-her.jpg
• 2 Likes

  gioaragon95 Alum Member

  July 2017 edited July 2017 174 karma

  I tend to watch videos of Maya Angelou and others. So I often say to myself and as she say's...

  "nothing human can be alien to me"

  Why should this test be any different? This test is hard and it's meant to be this way.
  So, I will take each question one by one, day by day, and continue to believe that I too am also worthy and able to achieve many great things like those that came before me.
• rafaelito Alum Member

  July 2017 1063 karma

  @"Alex Divine" said:

  @RafaelBernard said:
  I personally try to maintain a fun approach. I've always loved learning and pushing my intellectual ability to the limit. So I try to remind myself not to score chase but have to fun! This test can only make you smarter. Use it wisely.

  This is an amazing mindset to have toward learning in general. I think a lot of us here have learned to, through one way or another, at least like some aspect of learning this test. It feels good to get better at something that ultimately is of this import.

  If you make it fun, you'll definitely be more motivated to do it!

  Agreed!
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  July 2017 23929 karma

  Also, just to add, sometimes reading a book like Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl helps to put things in perspective.

  I also get motivated by realizing law is just a job. It's not your identity or anything else than just a way to provide yourself a living. I'm sure some people will claim they have a calling for it and all that -- great! Go for it! I'm just as interested in finance and other pursuits.

  Still, having other options and other marketable skills helps to motivate you to do what you actually want to do. Law is highly competitive now, I think the unemployment rate is 7x not 7% more than the average job seeker. So that competitiveness motivates me to be better. I work hard at my job now so I can have a larger network and gain experience that will help me. This way I won't be a first year associate on Investopedia looking up what options are....
• spitzy11 Alum Member

  July 2017 772 karma

  I remember that every time I look at a piece of LSAT material, it's an opportunity for improvement. There are days/nights after work (like tonight) where I really wanted to go to bed at 9 and not BR at all. So tempting. But I knew that even the littlest bit of exposure would benefit me if I did it correctly.
  I also often think about short term pain, long term gain. The more I put into this test now, the less likely I am to have to ever look at another damn LSAT problem again after September test. Ever. Ever. Plus, long term gain in that scholarship money $$$
• Rigid Designator Alum Member

  July 2017 1091 karma

  I abandoned my studies last November because I wasn't seeing the progress I wanted and I figured I just wasn't cut out for my goal score. What got me motivated again was sitting down, looking at my weaknesses and then, crucially, acknowledging that these weaknesses were solvable with time and practise. I put some money aside and in the new year I picked up the 7sage course to try and correct those weaknesses. So I'd say what picked me up was recognising that whatever it was that was bumming me out, there was probably a workable solution out there.