Doubts, Disruptions and Distractions – These three Ds will choke off your learning so deal with them up front and get the job done.

No more late assignments. No more less than stellar test scores. No more “the devil made me do it!” as an excuse.

1. Doubts: “You are inherently brilliant!” Although that’s not the message most of us received growing up! Your brain has miraculous abilities, and what you tell yourself about yourself becomes your self-fulfilling prophecy.
    
   Before any learning assignment, affirm the following or something like it: “I am an active and confident learner and reading comes easily for me.” Stand up and affirm it out loud and then shake your arms and legs and body in a crazy motion for one minute, releasing all doubts about your ability. (There’s that Brain Gym thing again!) Then get down to business.
    
   And don’t worry what others think of you. When they see your results, they’ll learn to shake off the demon of doubt too!
    
2. Disruptions: Turn off your cell phone! Not on vibrate! Turn that thing off! The world is not coming to an end. If someone has an emergency, they should really call 911. You’ve got to handle your business. A distracted mind gets nothing accomplished. Stay focused on your goal in the allotted time and you’ll get the job done and feel better about yourself.
    
3. Distractions: Find a quiet place free of unnecessary noises and traffic. The library is an excellent place. No music, no farting around. The library is the place to get down to business.

One exception to that ‘no music’ rule. It may seem corny for some but listening to classical baroque music facilitates learning anything faster and better. It opens up the brain and helps to calm the body. Find five or six classical pieces and put them on your IPod and listen to them to activate your genius brain and advance your studies.

Smiles,
Millicent!