Fighting the "stealer" of motivation

Pursuing a professional degree requires an immense amount of dedication and determination. Unlike many other ventures, law school takes self-motivation and an extreme desire to study in order to be successful. With that said, I often found myself lacking in the motivation arena. Midway through the semester I was dragging my feet, becoming complacent, feeling down and overwhelmed. Knowing what I need to do and actually doing it created a hurdle that I needed help getting over. Why does this happen? It always happens around the same time, every year without any particular event to bring on this slump that I fall into. You always begin a semester super motivated, excited and determined but it never lasts. What can I do to preserve that initial fervor? As my 2L year progresses, I felt myself falling into the same hole; but recognizing that this was coming makes it easier to dig myself out. My solution:

-Find something to do that you can complete in a day.

- Make this accomplishment tangible, something you can look at, something you can be proud of.

-Make this venture something that you have been meaning to do but never got to do it.

I followed the above steps and found myself in a better place after. Now I am able to get my priorities in order, prepare myself for finals and regain the motivation I lost! I hope that my experience will help others overcome the lack of motivation that creeps up on unsuspecting law students. Stay focused and keep your eyes on the prize!

~Giovannii Ruffin '11