11 Common Habits Every Student Should Break Before Leaving School

1. Blaming everyone else but yourself: “When you blame others, you give up your power to change”. Anthony. Dr. Robert. Being caught up in the habit of blaming others except you only spells out lack of responsibility. If you are in the habit of blaming your lecturer, friends or school for your results, this habit will not help you in the long run. 2. Spending most of your time on tech gadgets – PC, mobile, TV: “’I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us’”. In the Movie, Lord of the Rings. The millennial-generation is known for the habit of spending a lot of time on tech devices and activities with little lasting benefits. If you want to get ahead in your career, you must minimize the “unproductive” time you spend consuming devices. The same technology that kills your time is making someone else rich. 3. The it’s-all-about-the-money attitude: “You can have it all. Just not all at once.” Oprah Winfrey. Life is not all about you achieving your money making goals. If you don’t develop the habit of adding value to other people, you’ll have a tough time navigating through life. 4. Keeping every friendship: “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice; it is conformity.” Rollo May. Don’t get me wrong – we all need to make and keep friends. But if your friends aren’t adding value to your life, and don’t share in your aspiration, there is no point trying to conform. This simply means to choose who your ‘close’ friends are. 5. Worrying about competition: In the end, the only competition you have is with yourself. You goal is to strive to be better than you. 6. Trying to be perfect: “Life is not about being; it is about becoming.” Ikenna Odinaka. Perfection is a quality we may strive for, but we can never reach. Being judgemental and condescending is a sure way to build an island. Accept that you are human prone to make mistakes. Forgive yourself when you do, learn from your mistakes and move on. Likewise, understand that people aren’t perfect either. 7. Being selfish –it’s all about me attitude: It should never be all about the money nor all about you. Be considerate. If your dream does not have other people in it, it is not worth dreaming. 8. Doubting your potential and ability: Sometimes, School system can steal away your true personality and make you believe you are not as capable because of your poor performance in exams and tests. The reality is that life is not about passing tests and exams. And you have within you what it takes to achieve your dreams no matter how poorly or excellently you may perform academically. 9. Hating to read: “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will bw when you can’t help it.” Oscar Wilde. Who you become after school will be determined by the people you meet and the books you read. I’m not talking about academic books but books about self help, business, entrepreneurship, relationship, negotiation, lifestyle or any subject that interests you. You’ve got to cultivate the habit of reading, willy-nilly. 10. Hating to write: “If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important that the ability to communicate effectively” Gerald Ford. Everyone cannot become an excellent writer but everyone can and should learn basic communication writing skills. You are forgiven if you don’t like the academic style of writing. That makes the two of us – in fact most accomplished authors and writers defile the academic writing style. So you are in safe hands, if that is you. 11. Dodging to speak in public: This one is huge and a career killer. Everyone at one time or the other has to deal with this demon. In fact, having the fear of speaking in public is human. According to study, for most people, the fear of speaking in public is only second to the fear of death. That should encourage you that it is safe to have these fears. You can join a Toastmasters club near you to start developing this skill. Join us at Lighthouse Toastmasters club – I’ll be glad to meet you.