The Study Challenge

The Study Challenge

The act of studying is a very daunting task that takes discipline and determination to do. A lot of ‘nerve’ energy is expended while studying. The glaring fact that studying is carried out in the sitting position baffles many that it could consume so much energy while it lasts. A lot of people would avoid studying if there were a way out because of its inherent challenge. The study challenge is quite subtle but obvious. Study is not deemed to have been carried out if its challenge is not overcome. The study challenge is a huge one and a sure pacifier if it is surmounted.

The first study challenge is to discover your makeup. Everyone has a unique makeup that defines how studying would be carried out. The challenge is to discover how you get the best out of studying. To overcome this, many approaches have been discovered and they are limitless. These discoveries are tailored to the needs of the individual. Some key questions must be honestly answered to overcome the study challenge of knowing yourself. What environment do you love studying in? What time of the day are you most productive when studying? How long can you study at a stretch before fatigue sets in? How often do you need to study to get the desired result in an examination? Again, studying poses the challenge of discovering yourself before anything else.

The second study challenge is “doing”. After discovering yourself, the challenge of actually studying becomes the next big mountain to climb. The zeal and drive to sit at a table to study is not really easy to come by. Most people get encouragement to study from the fear of fear of failure. But, the rewards of studying transcends straight “As”.  The dare this challenge is to make studying a habit and above all, an attitude. A schedule must be prepared and strictly followed. All distractions must be placed where they belong – never lose focus. The materials, tools and aids that help accomplish the study process must be acquired and possessed and in some occasions borrowed. Above all, sit down and study!

Understanding is the third study challenge. The type of reading employed in studying is very laborious and slow. This is just the tip of the iceberg. As slow and demanding as studying is, one could spend several weeks on a particular part of interest in the study journey and not understand the message or grasp the full concept of the part. This particular challenge must be surmounted before any time benefit can be derived from studying. A lot of ways and paths have been developed to ease this part of the study challenge, Examples in texts and class, tutorials and extra classes, the expertise of more experienced people and sheer gladiatorial confrontation. Understanding is very paramount in the study process and it is a challenge that everyone who wants to study must overcome. The good news is, persistence and doggedness have always helped those who find themselves at this stage of the study challenge.

The study challenge of mastering comes after understanding. To master a subject matter is the goal that must be scored after understanding is acquired. Mastering is a regimented and formula based goal. Repetition is the only thing needed to overcome the challenge of mastering. It could even be argued that it is the easiest challenge in the study process. All concepts must be thoroughly grasped, hordes of questions must be solved, and rules must be revisited over and over again till the guru is formed.

When a subject matter has been left for a while, it slips from the grasp of the master with the passage of time. The study challenge of retention ensures that this does not happen. In schools where students read a lot of courses per year, it is very easy for a student to forget what was studied and mastered on one of the many subject matters that must be attended to. Retention as a study challenge dares the one who studies to never forget what has been studied. Specialization is the very powerful tools that have been used to effectively overcome the study challenge of retention. Retention helps to ensure that answers would be provided on the go and improvisation would be a stone’s throw away.

Impartation has formed the core of the human existence from the birth of time. A lot of information and clues have been handed down through the ages by virtue of impartation. Sages, lecturers, coaches, mentors, teachers and trainers survive in their chosen trade through their exceptional ability to impart knowledge and skill. The genesis of impartation always begins from a “lonely mountain” or places where hours, days and years are spent studying intensely. The study challenge given by impartation is simple, can you make another as proficient as yourself in a subject matter? If the answer is “yes” or “even better than I am”, then this challenge has seen its expiration.

The mother of all challenges in the study process is invention. The study challenge of invention is no cheap turf. The likes of Newton, Galileo, Einstein and a long list of Nobel Prize winners would give more than enough idea, what it entails to overcome the study challenge of invention. Modern living and the future greatly depends on men and women who succeed in breaking the sphinx-like jinx of this particular challenge. It incorporates a legion of puzzles and mysteries to deter even the valiant of heart. An ancient, relative and current foe, study’s invention challenge cannot be avoided. The long list of incurable diseases, increasing energy demands, weather and climate, the ups and downs of the money and capital market and a host of other minions of study’s invention challenge compels us to keep our eyes open and our brains at red alert.