I need some motivation of some kind

I have a secret. I haven't touched my CCNA book in over 2 weeks. I am half way done with it, but I have lost the fire that I had. Anyone got any secret to keeping that motivation going in a motivation-less world? I use to dive into my book and just read the hell out of it, I was at a going rate of a chapter a day and scoring chapter tests (both critical and multiple choice) of 80%+

What do you guys/gals think?

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Iristheangel

One word: Goals.

Commit to doing X amount of realistic work a day whether it be reading one chapter or just 20 pages out of the book. Set that goal and stick with it. That way you will always feel like you're moving forward with your studying.

If you still need more motivation or you wonder why you're doing this, write out your long term goals (house, car, etc) and then write out the path you need to get there (job title, certification track, degrees, etc). When you're running out of steam or whatever, remind yourself why you are doing all of this. I have an old paycheck stub from about 5 years ago that I keep on my fridge from when I was making under $12/hr. Every time I see it, I'm motivated to keep on going.

Just find what will light that fire for you

astrogeek

Maybe take a break from reading and start diving into some labs. Sometimes when I do this I'll get stuck in parts of a lab and have to refer back to the reading....which then gets me motivated to read a bit more in depth before going back to the labs. If you don't have lab equipment you can just play around in packet tracer or GNS3 and try setting up some different scenarios, if you have the money you could also start building a lab which I always find fun when I'm bored of reading

Which CCNA book are you on? ICND1 or 2?

kremit

I am studying for the ICND2. I am going the refresher route right now with all the routing protocols and making sure I have no doubts in my mind about anything. I am going through the lammle book right now, then going through the cisco book. Hopefully it will be enough. yikes.

paul78

@kremit - I think its perfectly normal to feel as you do. It happens to most people and everyone needs a little motivation once in a while. Selfmotivation is a lifelong conscious practice and @iristheangel's point about goals and her technique is splendid idea. And so is @astrogeek

For me, I am reminded of always thinking of long term goals - specifically the saying "Begin with the end in mind". The long term example of that saying is "what do you want people to think about you at your funeral?" It come from a book "7 habits of highly effective people". The book was recently on my mind because the author, Stephen Covey passed away last night.

Good luck in your continued pursuits.

glenn_33

You gotta keep on keepin' on man!

We all get lazy...work at a pace that's comfortable with you and good luck!

chaser7783

One thing that helped me take a break from reading and supplement my studies was to watch some CBT nuggets. Was a different and yet refreshing way for me to study over reading page after page.

rwmidl

On of my coworkers is working on his CISSP (he's been doing it for a few years). I told him the easiest way to keep motivated is go ahead and schedule the exam NOW for a few months out. That way you have a target!

the_hutch

Listening to the Pokemon theme song always helps me get motivated...Pokémon Theme Song - YouTube

the_Grinch

Sometimes it is good to take a step back and regroup. Take a week off to plan what you want done and when. I find it also helps when you actually use what you are studying. That is part of what derailed my CCNA studies, great to have the knowledge, but when you don't do it everyday you start to dull very quickly.

osJoe

I am in the same situation as you kremit.. However I have recently been setting goals for every week of study, mainly just getting the hours in.. Either from the books or videos, it helps me to jump between the two so I do not get burned out on one or the other.

Also.. Motivation for Success: Motivation for Success: Uncomfortable vs Exhaustion - YouTube

kremit

the_Grinch wrote: »

Sometimes it is good to take a step back and regroup. Take a week off to plan what you want done and when. I find it also helps when you actually use what you are studying. That is part of what derailed my CCNA studies, great to have the knowledge, but when you don't do it everyday you start to dull very quickly.

exactly. it seems no one is willing to give a chance, so why bother is what i have in the back of my head right now. The other part of this is talking to someone. I don't really have anyone to talk to about this kind of stuff, so coming here helps. For me, talking to friends or family isn't the same as peers, seeing if they went through the same situation and their experiences.

kremit

osJoe wrote: »

I am in the same situation as you kremit.. However I have recently been setting goals for every week of study, mainly just getting the hours in.. Either from the books or videos, it helps me to jump between the two so I do not get burned out on one or the other.

Also.. Motivation for Success: Motivation for Success: Uncomfortable vs Exhaustion - YouTube

wow.. thank you.

Nytrocide

the_hutch wrote: »

Listening to the Pokemon theme song always helps me get motivated...Pokémon Theme Song - YouTube

I love you XD

snowdins

Get into an argument with upper management. Being comfortable in your current job can get you unmotivated. Stir up the pot and feel the pressure to get the hell up or out.

I need to put the beer down and forget this hellish week

onesaint

Like Iristheangel said, small goal coupled with long term goals. That is a really fantastic driving force. Also, I found that when I got sick of one way of looking at things, turning to another study method helped keep me in touch. Say I was reading Odom's books and got sick of it, I would turn to the same topic in a CBT, get interested again, and go back for more detail in the book. I eventually ended up buckling down to a 30 day ramp up to the exam.

surrounding yourself with motivational materials helps as well. Books such as "Think and Grow Rich," "7 habits of highly effective people," "Attitude is Everything," will serve to keep you motivated and help focus you on the task at hand as well as your longer goals. Daily affirmations are a great help as well. I keep the previous mentioned books on audio and will listen to them on my commute when I notice a sag in my ambitions.

Don't waste the time you've spent on this. Stay hungry and keep at it.