Positive life change always arises out of a failure of some sort. Sometimes these failures are large and sometimes these failures are small, but ultimately our lives are better for them, even if they hurt at the time.
Right now, law students are starting to get their grades back from the fall semester. The thing I hear most often from students around this time, especially from 1Ls, is "this is the worst semester grades I have ever had." It seems like almost everyone feels this way. I hear it from students all over the spectrum. Just this morning, I heard it from a student who received two Ds and a student who received a B+ and an A. Consequently, I'm guessing that almost every law student is planning on making some life changes this coming semester.
Even among those who aren't law students, the New Year is a famous time for people to make resolutions for positive life choices that only last until February. There are two tricks to making positive life changes stick.
First, a student should look back at his or her past semester and be specific in what needs to change. He or she should also make sure that the planned change reflects the seriousness of the failure. As an example, after a show my band played last month, I felt so sore the next day from jumping around on stage with a guitar strapped to my shoulders that I couldn't move. I figured the basic problem was that I've gained 50 pounds in the five years that I've lived surrounded by South Carolina's deliciousness and lack of public transportation. So, instead of making some vague promise to myself to "work out more" or "eat healthier," I picked a few specific things I could change. Those things were: Dunkin Donuts only one morning a week (down from every morning), take the stairs at work, beer only two nights a week (keeping it under a six-pack and trying to stick with light beer, down from a few craft beers more or less every time we had band practice), lifting weights MWF (up from not exercising at all), and not going back for seconds at dinner (down from probably hitting thirds or fourths). The failure I'm addressing isn't dramatic (feeling sore after rocking people's faces off), so my changes aren't that big. If I'd been told I had a heart condition or something, I would feel motivated to do more.
The other day, I spoke with a student who didn't do as well as she had hoped, and we came up with a similar list of specifics: leave laptop and take class notes by hand, study at undergraduate library instead of at home, do practice questions in every subject every week, and meet with Academic Success once per week. With these specifics, I have no doubt she is going to drastically improve this coming semester (because I've seen it happen over and over and over again).
Second, if a student wants to change, that student has to seriously take a look at who he or she is. It never seems to work if a student decides to drastically change ("I'm going to get up every day at five a.m. to do my work, although I've alway been a night person that sleeps until 10 a.m.!") or tries to mirror a successful student whose life and personality might be drastically different. The student has to look at himself or herself and see the places that can be tweaked. As an example, giving up the sweet, sweet ambrosia of Dunkin Donuts and beer entirely would probably be the most effective thing to do, but I know that once I tell myself that I can't have something, that's all I'm going to want. So, I'm letting myself have a little of both within parameters that work for me (for others, a six-pack might seem like a ridiculous amount of beer to drink in a week–my wife, who doesn't like beer, thinks it's silly, while I can't fathom the amount of ice cream she apparently needs to feel fulfilled–plus, I'm in a band, so there's some cred issues involved). One size never fits all, and playing someone else's jam leads to bad bar bands covering "Mustang Sally" for the bazillionth time.
So, in the spirit of looking back and doing what works for you, I've included The Minutemen's "History Lesson — Part II," the punk rock classic that provided this blog entry its title.
The Minutemen — History Lesson Part II
(Alex Ruskell)
