Advice from my son on focus
Below is an actual blog post from my 11 year old son David, who inspired this entire blog and the upcoming Focus app.
He has been working very hard on bettering his focus and his patience and it has worked out great for him.
His grades are up, he is happier and he is continuing to make great progress.
As a parent, it is such a rewarding gift seeing the results in my son from his efforts.
His approach can be applied to anyone. Not just other 11 year old ,according to David.
My Story
I used to have a hard time focusing, such as having to sit still for a period of time, or having trouble doing multiple things at once, etc… and honestly I still do.
I’m a very hyper and easily excited boy, but I got a LOT better, mentally, physically, and academically.
Let me tell you about some of the things to look out for. What I did that helped me.
- Perspective:
- In the movie, It’s “A Wonderful Life” a man has serious misfortunes happen one after another. Here are some of them.
- At the age of 12, he lost hearing out of one ear after saving his brother’s life.
- At the age of 21, his father unexpectedly dies and he takes on the business. The business fails and he uses his honeymoon money to save it. The business still fails to thrive. Then he faces fraud and jail.
- He tries to go suicide off a bridge. Then an angel comes to him and shows him his life in a better perspective. The happiness of saving his brother. All his happy birthdays. When he met his wife. When he took on the business. When his children were born.
- He looks at the angel, “I want to live!” He sobs.
This is a very extreme example but it has the same meaning. You have to be positive, smile, happiness is a choice, relax.
Smiling will trick your brain into being more cheerful. Get a rubber band and catch yourself saying negative things, then snap yourself. Not so it hurts, but just a little sting.
It will help you become more self-aware.
- Time Management:
- Plan your day out, train your willpower, control yourself, meditate.
- I plan my day out and it really helps.
- After school give yourself a break, then study, I do piano and fencing and basketball and percussion so plan your activities too.
- You could study for 30 minutes and then take a 10-minute break.
- Early in the morning take a jog around the neighborhood, stuff like that.
- A well-organized mind shows organized actions. It is a very good skill set to have in life.
- Never Giving Up:
F.irst
A.ttempt
I.n
L.earning
These are some of my favorite sayings.
“Failure is a good thing if you learn from it.”-Me
“Fake it until you make it.” -Someone
“It’s either do or doo-doo.” – My band director
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”-Albert Einstein
Don’t sweat it, it’ll be all right, just keep in trying. With enough repeating you will make it, just stay keen, positive, and patient, it’ll hit you. This is a VERY important skill you need to have.
Some more advice, Stay keen, positive, patient, learn to take criticism, never give up, manage your time well, stay calm, and keep a good perspective. Also, my parents helped a lot too, they are very supportive. Follow these guides and it will help you improve.
Trust me, it helps, I’ve lived through it.
[…] son is now eleven, and also wrote a post on how to focus. He is fidgeter like me. Check out How to Focus: Guide from an 11 year […]