HOW TO BECOME AN EXCELLENT STUDENT

The following qualities in ACTS acronym will help you become an excellent student. 

A-Attitude.  You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control how to respond on what happens to you. You cannot control the flow of traffic, but you can keep yourself cool when stuck in traffic jam. This means, you can choose your reactions to events. Who does not know that attitude is a choice? If you don't know that, let me repeat, attitude is a choice! You can choose to get angry or to stay calm when faced with upsetting situation. You can choose to be happy or sad in a difficult circumstances. Regardless of what happened to you, you have a choice make. As a student, you must have a positive attitude. With all the challenges of being a student--tough teachers and courses, peer pressures and lack of finances--you must stay positive.

C-Concentration. Another word for concentration is focus. As a teacher, I always tell my students to focus and stay focused. Don’t get distracted with many things that you lose your focus on things that matters. Love-life may be an inspiration to some, but a distraction to others. When I was pastoring a church in the Philippines, my rule for my young people (girls) was "never have a  boyfriend until college is done!" You must understand why I said that though. In the Philippines, many women students get pregnant a year before they finish college. Having a boyfriend or a girlfriend is, often, a distraction instead of inspiration, although some think otherwise. 

T-Time-management.  Learn to manage your time well! You will go farther than the rest of your peers if you do. Try to understand the following reality.

•  We don’t have the same ability
•  We don’t have the same strength 
•  We don’t have the same opportunity
•  We don’t have the same background
•  We don’t have the same status 
• We don't have the same resources.........But.......

.........everyone has the same amount of time everyday! 

It doesn't matter who you are (your status) or what you do (your profession/vocation). We all have the same amount of time every day! We have different talent, resources, background, opportunity, education, status, and the like, but all of us have same amount of hours everyday-24 hours! Thus, managing your time is pretty important to become an excellent student or to become achievers. 

S-Self-discipline.  Self-discipline maybe called, delayed gratification. While others waste their time on TV and on social networks, you must study hard. While others are enjoying their time doing nothing, work hard to complete your homework, project and research work.  Discipline does not mean you should not enjoy life, discipline means knowing how to balance your priorities. 

Let me simplify, excellence means hard work and diligence. To become an excellent student is to become the best you can be, without competing with others but yourself. Never compare yourself with others, just do the best you can and be the best you can be.