Hey Math student, math parent. Welcome to another edition of Coach Edison.
Insightful strategies for math (and life)❕
BET ON YOURSELF
In this Coach Edison edition I’ll talk about, ‘Betting on yourself’. Or said another way how much do you believe in yourself that you will achieve! Believe to achieve❕
Believe to achieve❕
Betting on yourself is sort of like predicting your future - it’s not a wayward dream or a hopeful hope or pie-in-the-sky thing, or even let’s aim for the stars and hope to hit the moon! No! It comes from a belief of yourself and in yourself, and an understanding of who you are, what your character is made up of!
It’s you writing your own story in life,
and yeah, since Math by Edison is about math, yeah you can write your own math story.
My plan was to post this on Wednesday last week, then this Tuesday week, but the world upended my plans.
Make your own story - you may surprise yourself.
What follows is outside-the-box thinking. It worked!
I never liked math in high school, wasn't great at it, and saw no need for it in life. With that as a starting point and my pattern pointing to flatlining, I needed a push, a tug, to help me figure out a new direction to a new end. It started with having a compelling reason that was motivating me - a fire in the belly, where I was willing and ready to run through any brick wall. With that end in mind, I worked backwards.
Did I say that I was never a strong math student.
I had satisfactory math habits and skills (e.g. tried to understand, did all my homework, asked teachers for help), so I was average at math but by no means stellar. That changed in my last year of high school when I had to choose what I wanted to do at university. The problem is that apart from my love of sports, I had zero other interests and, hence, no clue about what university program to choose.
Ultimately, I chose a program I didn’t like, had no interest or talent in or history with. I chose Engineering for one reason - my father was an engineer. I know, not the way you decide on a university program.
Up next was at which university?
For some reason, I had the harebrained idea that wouldn’t it be neat if I got into the top Engineering university in Canada. I still smile whenever I think about that overly optimistic blue sky thought I had as a teenager. But what started as a fleeting thought became an all-consuming passion. The challenge was that if I replicated my math grades from previous years in my last year of high school, that would not be high enough to get me into that university for Engineering. Even getting a little better wouldn’t help. I needed a boost! A big boost!
A high level of motivation has a way of swathing a path
through visible and invisible obstacles, and I was getting that in spades. I was about to bet on myself in ways I never imagined. I made two changes: the first was a way to take my motivation to the next level, and the second was regarding my love for sports.
Bet on yourself to be better.
Taking motivation to the next level
I came up with a crazy idea with my math tests - I made a bet with the class genius! Yup, I challenged him and bet him that I’d beat him on a math test. The deal was if I ever got a higher mark on a math test, he’d give me $1. And if he got a higher mark, I’d pay him $1. He was a mid-90s to 100% student, and well, I wasn’t. Radical, I know. I remember me offering him this bet and him looking at me in a strange, quizzical way and saying, “Are you sure - you’ll be throwing away your money.” And with that, we were on. That wager upped my motivation as I figured if I beat him once, just once, that would be glorious. I lost every single bet to the genius guy!
I lost every single bet to the genius guy!
I lost every single bet to the genius guy!
Every one! Never beat him on any math tests – none, nada, zilch. I got close and once within whiffing distance. Was out over 20 bucks by the end of the year. Yes, I bet on myself to be better, and I lost every single bet, but the ultimate objective was never to beat him, just to use it as leverage to help me be better at math. And it worked – I got better and marks took a leap. We both had fun with it - after every test, he’d look over at me and ask, “How did you do?” or I’d say, “Are you above 95?” and he’d nod. Ha! Was painful, yet so ‘rewarding’.
Losing and winning at the same time felt so good.
Note: If your culture or religion does not allow betting, then figure out another way that can and will take your motivation to the next level.
Sports and no sports
Sometimes, to get something you really want, you must give up something you really like to do – it’s a trade. For me, it was giving up the one thing I loved, playing sports. The routine of home from school at 3:30 pm, snack, out the door and playing sports with my buddies till 8:30-9:00 pm, then starting to study, got replaced. Came home at 3:30 pm stayed the same, but then had dinner and went to sleep. Got up around 10 or 11 pm and started studying. Worked like a charm as sports wasn’t a distraction, all my buddies were getting ready for bed, nothing on TV, no internet back then, the house was peaceful, and all I did was study. Sometimes until 4:00 am, and back to sleep until 7:00 am, then get ready for school. Other times until 6am and back to sleep for an hour. I mean, there was that genius guy to beat and that university waiting to choose me.
I got accepted into Engineering at the University of Waterloo!
Amaze yourself. Write your own math story!
When you’re ready to do whatever it takes, be prepared - your results may amaze you.
So are you ready to … bet on yourself?
Coach Edison
Insightful strategies for math (and life)
… and sometimes out-of-the-box-thinking❕
Edison Hopkinson BSc Mech Eng, B. Ed