Do you evaluate yourself realistically or do you set your expectations too high? If you expect perfection from yourself from the very beginning you are setting yourself up for failure.
A person who has never played the piano may take their first lesson and give up because they can not play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star after that first lesson. At this time they may say “I can not do this” when in reality they could if they kept taking lessons and practicing.
Tammy was a student to whom learning came easy. In Algebra her grades were in the A and B range until she missed some very important classes that taught a new concept. From that point on, she felt that she was not able to grasp Algebra. This is not the case, if Tammy were to learn those key concepts she missed, she would be able to grasp Algebra and move on. A helpful response in this instance might be: “You are a good student. You have been doing great in Algebra. You did not get this concept but we will work on it together and you can figure it out.”
Looking at situations honestly and realistically will help you grow and be healthy and happy.
If you are going to learn something new, you should set a timeline, in writing, that expresses realistic expectations as to what you will be able to do in a month, 2 months, 3 months, and on throughout the year.
