There are many factors that can contribute to a
student not graduating with good grade. Many of
these factors may be beyond the control of the
student. However, from observation many students
fail to graduate with good grades for reasons which
can be traced directly to them. They knowingly or
unknowingly plotted their own failure.
Here are 5
common ways
many students
jeopardize
their chances
of graduating
with good
grades;
Poor Start: It is said that
the beginning of a thing
matters. This is true if you
aim to graduate with good
grades. It has been
observed that students
who end up graduating
with good grades are the
ones that started putting
the needed effort right
from their first year. Many
think that they have plenty
of time, so they use their
first year to have “fun” only
to realize how difficult it is to make up for what has
been lost already.
Lack of Interest: For one reason or the other many
students find themselves admitted to study a
particular course they have no interest to study. Many
of such students usually develop apathy for academic
activities. Some others take their academics with levity
hoping they will change into a more preferable course
one later (which may never happen). Only to wish they
have been more serious later. Even if the course
wasn’t what you opted for, take time to find out what
the course is all about and its prospects. You never
can tell, you may end up loving it more than your
preferred course.
There are some others who have no interest
whatsoever in academics. They are in school against
their own will. A student once told me, “I’m here just
because my parents want me to be here.” You can
hardly put a good amount of effort needed to succeed
in something you are not interested in.
Misplaced Priorities/Poor Time Management:
One major cause of failure is broken or diverted focus.
You are in school to study and learn. That means you
shouldn’t focus on something else at the expense of
the main reason you are in school. I am not saying you
shouldn’t take out time to socialize, have fun, etc. but
don’t indulge in these things at the expense of your
study. In higher institutions there are many things that
will likely get you distracted. Hence, the need for you
to get your priorities right, set relevant goals and
eliminate as much distraction as possible in order to
remain focused on your main objective.
Negative Influence: In campus, you are going to
meet the good, the bad and the ugly. Therefore who
you choose or allow to choose you as a friend will
likely influence you either positively or negatively.
Beware of “friends” who will discourage you from
attending lectures and studying.
Poor Study Habits: Since the main objective you
are in school is to study and learn, your success will
depend on your study habits/pattern. Studying hard is
not enough, you also need to study smart. An effective
study habit considers what to study, when to study
and how to study.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Answer These Riddles and You Will Find theAnswers to Life
Looking for deeper meaning, trying to find patterns in
everything, eager to answer life’s riddles—it is this
curiosity and hunger for knowledge that has gotten us
to where we are now as a species. We have built an
advanced civilization by coming up with solutions to
problems, and even though we may be somewhat
complacent at this stage of our history, there are still a
lot of little questions that every person needs to
answer throughout his or her life in order to find that
unique brand of happiness that will be slightly
different for each of us.
As I am a big fan of the Socratic method, I will play a
benevolent Riddler and give you a list of brain-teasers
that, when answered and understood, will help you
come closer to finding answers to much deeper
issues. Oh, and trust me, learning how to apply any of
this knowledge in real life, day to day, will be the true
challenge you’ll have to face. There will be enough
space between each riddle and its answer to allow you
to think it over and do some guessing before you scroll
down, so take your time.
Riddle 1
Journey without it
and you will never
prevail, but if you
have too much of it
you will surely fail.
Answer: Confidence
While there are plenty of those who lack the
confidence to stand up for themselves and seize
opportunities, there are also plenty of people out
there who overestimate their abilities and bite off
more than they can chew. To ensure a reasonable
level of happiness in life and achieve as much as you
can, you have to live between these extremes and
learn to strike the right balance between the different
values that you govern yourself by.
Riddle 2
Poor people have it. Rich people need it. It
can make you or break you.
Answer: Adversity
Steel is hardened by being exposed to the roaring fires
of a furnace and then cooled down, and so too is the
human spirit hardened by adversity. The rich and
privileged lack it and often become spoiled, with a
warped view of reality and a childish ignorance of the
ways of the world. However, if a person faces
numerous hardships without the ability to cool down
and recover, his or her spirit can be broken or they can
become bitter and jaded. You need to live through
some tough times to get a respect for life and hone
those survival skills, but remember that there are also
those whose hardships have taken them to a
dangerous place—beware of such people.
Riddle 3
Everyone wants more of it to feel special, yet
the more you have of it the less special you
feel.
Answer: Knowledge
Ah, to be young and foolish is a wonderful thing. You
think you know everything, that you are indestructible
and have life all figured out, then as you get older and
wiser, and delve much deeper into certain subjects,
you suddenly realize just how much more there is to
know. It can take people an entire lifetime to truly
master a skill or acquire detailed knowledge on a topic,
and there are just too many skills and topics for any
one person to cover in several lifetimes.
Understanding this makes you humble, and it also
makes you question people who think they have all the
answers.
Riddle 4
If you have me, you want to share me. If you
share me, you haven’t got me. What am I?
Answer: Secret
Some people fail to grasp the true importance of
secrets. From a moral standpoint, they help you avoid
lying, but at the same time allow you to protect your
privacy and the privacy of those close to you. There is
an urge to gossip and spread interesting information
that we as humans are born with, but it has to be
controlled. Little facts that only a few people know
help strengthen the bonds of friendship and love
between them—protecting someone’s secret in this
day and age is nearly as brave and noble as protecting
them from a wild animal.
Riddle 5
You can only have it once you have given it.
Answer: Respect
One of the most misunderstood concepts out there,
respect is asked for yet seldom given. Some even try to
take it by force or buy it, but if you are unable to show
others respect and treat them as equals you will never
be able to truly earn their respect. People respect
bravery, intelligence, skill, talent, compassion and
physical and mental strength, and these things cannot
be faked.
Riddle 6
Imagine you are in a dark room. How do
you get out?
Answer: Stop imagining it
There is something to be said about the
destructiveness of self-fulfilling prophecies that
people regularly impose upon themselves. When every
hint of trouble is immediately viewed as a disaster and
any attempt at remedying a situation is brushed aside
with “What’s the point? It will never work,” then what
chance do we stand when things really go bad? It is
important not to give up before the battle has even
begun, and to avoid taking yourself to that dark and
lonely place all the time. A little positivity and
determination will go a long way.
Riddle 7
What is always coming but never arrives?
Answer: Tomorrow
Procrastination is born out of laziness and the fear of
making changes, and it is the biggest dream killer out
there. If you keep rescheduling important things for
tomorrow, Monday or next month, you’ll stay in the
same place as the world keeps moving on without you.
Some 20-30 minutes here, an hour or two there,
it’s not much time to invest in bettering yourself and if
you keep doing it every day you will reap huge
benefits. Don’t wait for tomorrow, do what needs to
be done right now.
Riddle 8
At night they come without being fetched.
By day they are lost without being stolen.
Answer: Doubts and fears
That old piece of advice given by our elders: “sleep on
it”, is as simple as it is absolutely brilliant. At night
before sleep we are at our most vulnerable, even if we
have someone to hold tight. Those nagging doubts
come creeping in, our insecurities and fears start
eating away at our mind, and that self-critical voice
gets a bit louder as the room goes quiet. However,
after a good night’s sleep, as we wake up and let some
sunshine into the room, get some fresh coffee and
tasty food in our system, those troubled thoughts
seem miles away. This is a much better time for talking
things over, making big decisions and important
phone calls.
Riddle 9
A prison you feel safe in, yet never quite
happy. Whenever you try to leave, it only
grows bigger.
Answer: Your comfort zone
The feeling of safety we get when we hide in our little
comfort zone is a false one, and the lack of initiative
will eventually lead to us feeling miserable. In order to
improve we have to be willing to try new things, throw
ourselves into uncomfortable situations and learn to
cope with them over time. As we become comfortable
with different situations and become proficient in a
variety of additional skills, that comfort zone will keep
expanding, and we will constantly need to keep
running beyond its edges.
Riddle 10
If you break me I do not stop working; if you
touch me I may be snared; if you lose me
nothing will matter.
Answer: Your heart
Letting someone get close, reach in and touch our
heart is an exhilarating and frightening experience at
the same time. There are plenty of people out there,
more than enough for everyone to find a great match.
In fact, you may find a good match several times over,
and just as your heart breaks it will also mend and be
ready to be touched again. However, if you lose that
empathy that makes you a decent human being, life
will become bleak and meaningless, so keep your heart
somewhere safe and nurture it.
Riddle 11
It starts off light and easy to bear, yet the
more you carry it with you, the heavier a
burden it becomes.
Answer: A guilty conscience
We sometimes make rash decisions, especially when
we are young and full of raging hormones, and even
when we know we did wrong we manage to rationalize
things and convince ourselves that we did nothing
wrong or that we have no choice. The thing is, you can
only keep justifying your actions for so long before
your conscience starts eating away at you. This is why
many people living a dangerous lifestyle, be they thugs
or soldiers and cops, burn out and turn to alcohol or
drugs. Abide by a code of ethics you have adopted at
all times, and you will stay in good mental health.
Riddle 12
I do not listen to reason, but I hear every
siren’s song and will try to steer us towards
the rocks if you let me take the wheel. Who
am I?
Answer: Ego
When you let your ego take over it’s very easy to take
offense at the slightest insult, start shouting matches
with people, try to show off and injure yourself at the
gym, bite off more than you can chew and ruin
relationships. It is only concerned with preserving
your perceived social status and will quickly turn you
into a drooling Neanderthal, and this goes for both
men and women. When you walk out of the house it’s
best to leave your ego at home – you don’t have to
prove anything to anybody as long as you have a good
sense of self-worth and are surrounded by people
who understand and respect you.
Riddle 13
One by one we fall from heaven down into
the depths of past, and our world is ever
upturned so that yet some time we’ll last.
Answer: Dreams and aspirations
The way we see ourselves will change over time, and
some of the dreams we had and the goals we set will
be left behind. However, as our worldview and
personality changes, new dreams and aspirations
emerge, which is a perfectly normal and healthy part
of maturing. We are not giving up who we are, we are
just evolving into an improved version of that same
person, and knowing this allows us to let go of the
past.
Riddle 14
A mile from end to end, yet as close to as a
friend. A precious commodity, freely given.
Found on the rich, poor, short and tall, but
shared among children most of all. What is
it?
Answer: A smile
This simple little thing really becomes a precious
commodity once you get older. A lot of people suffer
from anxiety and depression, and most of us spend a
good part of the week under constant stress. We
forget to smile sincerely, from the bottom of our heart
like the carefree children we once were. This is why
time spent with close family and friends becomes so
precious. We need to remember how to open our eyes
to the beauty and hilarity of the world around us, and
smile more.
Riddle 15
We hurt without moving. We poison without
touching. We bear the truth and the lies. We
are not to be judged by our size. What are
we?
Answer: Words
Our words can have an incredible effect on others.
They can cause pain and sorrow, bring joy and
laughter, make people uncomfortable, educate or
offend. A lot of people don’t really think about the
words they use, but we should all choose our words
more carefully. Just a few inappropriate words
uttered in the wrong moment can change our lives
forever, and it is up to us to learn to communicate
more tactfully so that we can dictate the outcome of
such situations, rather than let our emotions get the
better of us.
Spend a few minutes pondering these riddles and try
to think about a moment in your life that could serve
as an example for any of the points covered here. Feel
free to dissect each of the riddles and come back to
them again after you’ve had them running around in
your head for a day or two
everything, eager to answer life’s riddles—it is this
curiosity and hunger for knowledge that has gotten us
to where we are now as a species. We have built an
advanced civilization by coming up with solutions to
problems, and even though we may be somewhat
complacent at this stage of our history, there are still a
lot of little questions that every person needs to
answer throughout his or her life in order to find that
unique brand of happiness that will be slightly
different for each of us.
As I am a big fan of the Socratic method, I will play a
benevolent Riddler and give you a list of brain-teasers
that, when answered and understood, will help you
come closer to finding answers to much deeper
issues. Oh, and trust me, learning how to apply any of
this knowledge in real life, day to day, will be the true
challenge you’ll have to face. There will be enough
space between each riddle and its answer to allow you
to think it over and do some guessing before you scroll
down, so take your time.
Riddle 1
Journey without it
and you will never
prevail, but if you
have too much of it
you will surely fail.
Answer: Confidence
While there are plenty of those who lack the
confidence to stand up for themselves and seize
opportunities, there are also plenty of people out
there who overestimate their abilities and bite off
more than they can chew. To ensure a reasonable
level of happiness in life and achieve as much as you
can, you have to live between these extremes and
learn to strike the right balance between the different
values that you govern yourself by.
Riddle 2
Poor people have it. Rich people need it. It
can make you or break you.
Answer: Adversity
Steel is hardened by being exposed to the roaring fires
of a furnace and then cooled down, and so too is the
human spirit hardened by adversity. The rich and
privileged lack it and often become spoiled, with a
warped view of reality and a childish ignorance of the
ways of the world. However, if a person faces
numerous hardships without the ability to cool down
and recover, his or her spirit can be broken or they can
become bitter and jaded. You need to live through
some tough times to get a respect for life and hone
those survival skills, but remember that there are also
those whose hardships have taken them to a
dangerous place—beware of such people.
Riddle 3
Everyone wants more of it to feel special, yet
the more you have of it the less special you
feel.
Answer: Knowledge
Ah, to be young and foolish is a wonderful thing. You
think you know everything, that you are indestructible
and have life all figured out, then as you get older and
wiser, and delve much deeper into certain subjects,
you suddenly realize just how much more there is to
know. It can take people an entire lifetime to truly
master a skill or acquire detailed knowledge on a topic,
and there are just too many skills and topics for any
one person to cover in several lifetimes.
Understanding this makes you humble, and it also
makes you question people who think they have all the
answers.
Riddle 4
If you have me, you want to share me. If you
share me, you haven’t got me. What am I?
Answer: Secret
Some people fail to grasp the true importance of
secrets. From a moral standpoint, they help you avoid
lying, but at the same time allow you to protect your
privacy and the privacy of those close to you. There is
an urge to gossip and spread interesting information
that we as humans are born with, but it has to be
controlled. Little facts that only a few people know
help strengthen the bonds of friendship and love
between them—protecting someone’s secret in this
day and age is nearly as brave and noble as protecting
them from a wild animal.
Riddle 5
You can only have it once you have given it.
Answer: Respect
One of the most misunderstood concepts out there,
respect is asked for yet seldom given. Some even try to
take it by force or buy it, but if you are unable to show
others respect and treat them as equals you will never
be able to truly earn their respect. People respect
bravery, intelligence, skill, talent, compassion and
physical and mental strength, and these things cannot
be faked.
Riddle 6
Imagine you are in a dark room. How do
you get out?
Answer: Stop imagining it
There is something to be said about the
destructiveness of self-fulfilling prophecies that
people regularly impose upon themselves. When every
hint of trouble is immediately viewed as a disaster and
any attempt at remedying a situation is brushed aside
with “What’s the point? It will never work,” then what
chance do we stand when things really go bad? It is
important not to give up before the battle has even
begun, and to avoid taking yourself to that dark and
lonely place all the time. A little positivity and
determination will go a long way.
Riddle 7
What is always coming but never arrives?
Answer: Tomorrow
Procrastination is born out of laziness and the fear of
making changes, and it is the biggest dream killer out
there. If you keep rescheduling important things for
tomorrow, Monday or next month, you’ll stay in the
same place as the world keeps moving on without you.
Some 20-30 minutes here, an hour or two there,
it’s not much time to invest in bettering yourself and if
you keep doing it every day you will reap huge
benefits. Don’t wait for tomorrow, do what needs to
be done right now.
Riddle 8
At night they come without being fetched.
By day they are lost without being stolen.
Answer: Doubts and fears
That old piece of advice given by our elders: “sleep on
it”, is as simple as it is absolutely brilliant. At night
before sleep we are at our most vulnerable, even if we
have someone to hold tight. Those nagging doubts
come creeping in, our insecurities and fears start
eating away at our mind, and that self-critical voice
gets a bit louder as the room goes quiet. However,
after a good night’s sleep, as we wake up and let some
sunshine into the room, get some fresh coffee and
tasty food in our system, those troubled thoughts
seem miles away. This is a much better time for talking
things over, making big decisions and important
phone calls.
Riddle 9
A prison you feel safe in, yet never quite
happy. Whenever you try to leave, it only
grows bigger.
Answer: Your comfort zone
The feeling of safety we get when we hide in our little
comfort zone is a false one, and the lack of initiative
will eventually lead to us feeling miserable. In order to
improve we have to be willing to try new things, throw
ourselves into uncomfortable situations and learn to
cope with them over time. As we become comfortable
with different situations and become proficient in a
variety of additional skills, that comfort zone will keep
expanding, and we will constantly need to keep
running beyond its edges.
Riddle 10
If you break me I do not stop working; if you
touch me I may be snared; if you lose me
nothing will matter.
Answer: Your heart
Letting someone get close, reach in and touch our
heart is an exhilarating and frightening experience at
the same time. There are plenty of people out there,
more than enough for everyone to find a great match.
In fact, you may find a good match several times over,
and just as your heart breaks it will also mend and be
ready to be touched again. However, if you lose that
empathy that makes you a decent human being, life
will become bleak and meaningless, so keep your heart
somewhere safe and nurture it.
Riddle 11
It starts off light and easy to bear, yet the
more you carry it with you, the heavier a
burden it becomes.
Answer: A guilty conscience
We sometimes make rash decisions, especially when
we are young and full of raging hormones, and even
when we know we did wrong we manage to rationalize
things and convince ourselves that we did nothing
wrong or that we have no choice. The thing is, you can
only keep justifying your actions for so long before
your conscience starts eating away at you. This is why
many people living a dangerous lifestyle, be they thugs
or soldiers and cops, burn out and turn to alcohol or
drugs. Abide by a code of ethics you have adopted at
all times, and you will stay in good mental health.
Riddle 12
I do not listen to reason, but I hear every
siren’s song and will try to steer us towards
the rocks if you let me take the wheel. Who
am I?
Answer: Ego
When you let your ego take over it’s very easy to take
offense at the slightest insult, start shouting matches
with people, try to show off and injure yourself at the
gym, bite off more than you can chew and ruin
relationships. It is only concerned with preserving
your perceived social status and will quickly turn you
into a drooling Neanderthal, and this goes for both
men and women. When you walk out of the house it’s
best to leave your ego at home – you don’t have to
prove anything to anybody as long as you have a good
sense of self-worth and are surrounded by people
who understand and respect you.
Riddle 13
One by one we fall from heaven down into
the depths of past, and our world is ever
upturned so that yet some time we’ll last.
Answer: Dreams and aspirations
The way we see ourselves will change over time, and
some of the dreams we had and the goals we set will
be left behind. However, as our worldview and
personality changes, new dreams and aspirations
emerge, which is a perfectly normal and healthy part
of maturing. We are not giving up who we are, we are
just evolving into an improved version of that same
person, and knowing this allows us to let go of the
past.
Riddle 14
A mile from end to end, yet as close to as a
friend. A precious commodity, freely given.
Found on the rich, poor, short and tall, but
shared among children most of all. What is
it?
Answer: A smile
This simple little thing really becomes a precious
commodity once you get older. A lot of people suffer
from anxiety and depression, and most of us spend a
good part of the week under constant stress. We
forget to smile sincerely, from the bottom of our heart
like the carefree children we once were. This is why
time spent with close family and friends becomes so
precious. We need to remember how to open our eyes
to the beauty and hilarity of the world around us, and
smile more.
Riddle 15
We hurt without moving. We poison without
touching. We bear the truth and the lies. We
are not to be judged by our size. What are
we?
Answer: Words
Our words can have an incredible effect on others.
They can cause pain and sorrow, bring joy and
laughter, make people uncomfortable, educate or
offend. A lot of people don’t really think about the
words they use, but we should all choose our words
more carefully. Just a few inappropriate words
uttered in the wrong moment can change our lives
forever, and it is up to us to learn to communicate
more tactfully so that we can dictate the outcome of
such situations, rather than let our emotions get the
better of us.
Spend a few minutes pondering these riddles and try
to think about a moment in your life that could serve
as an example for any of the points covered here. Feel
free to dissect each of the riddles and come back to
them again after you’ve had them running around in
your head for a day or two
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)