Motivation for competitions

[gluegun]

How do you keep the motivation for competing?

I wanted to start taking physics more seriously this year and so I decided to go to the nationals, but lately whenever I can't do a problem I just give uo and can't look at the book for days. Nationals are in late February and I need to go over the entire third year and half of the fourth year program nad now I'm feeling really hopeless. The reason I even started preparing for it is because I had the chance to meet a huge group of people who are iPho, iMo, iBo, iCho champions and so on, and mw having no real qualifications made me feel out of place, and this was supposed to be my way of fittting in.

How can I fix this?

 

[CrysPhys]

Some people thrive on competitions; some people don't. If you don't, then drop it and concentrate on activities that you do find satisfying, rewarding, and fulfilling.

 

[gluegun]

Some people thrive on competitions; some people don't. If you don't, then drop it and concentrate on activities that you do find satisfying, rewarding, and fulfilling.

But I want to succeed, I want it to fulfill me and I don't know how. All of my friends are so ambitious and they kept me going for a few months and now i'm back at the point of nauseating ambivalence and I don't know how to change it.

Thanks for the reply

 

[CrysPhys]

But I want to succeed, I want it to fulfill me and I don't know how.

Then you need to redefine what success means to you and rediscover what does fulfill you. This is what happens to real Olympians, such as Olympic figure skaters. They become so singularly obsessed with winning a gold medal that they fall apart mentally and physically. Some will get past it and rediscover the sheer joy of figure skating that they once had. So is your end goal winning a competition or experiencing the joy of physics?

 

[Choppy]

Some things that might help when you're burning out or losing motivation for a study-oriented goal...

• Consider how much time are you typically studying and working through problems and how frequent your breaks are. Are you putting in too many endless hours? Can you break up your sessions into smaller, more manageable blocks?
• What time of day are you studying? You might find it easier to concentrate if you try to hit the books earlier in the morning or later at night. And just because something has been working for you, doesn't mean it can't change. Night owls can turn into morning people and vice versa.
• Consider *how* you are studying. To what degree are you trying to passively read through the material or watching video tutorials, and to what degree are you actively engaging with it through problem solving? Are you spending a lot of time solving problems you already know how to do, or are you challenging yourself appropriately?
• It's important to spend time engaging with the material though your own self-directed learning too. Look for projects you can take on that will get you thinking about the material in practical and different ways.
• Consider your study space. Do you need a quiet environment free from distraction? Or are you the type who prefers to study surrounded by background noise in a coffee shop? Maybe try changing up what you're doing.
• Consider the other things going on in your life right now... relationships, work, other school projects., health, family commitments, etc. How realistic are your goals in the context of everything else you need to balance?
• Consider the bigger picture. It sounds like you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do well in this competition, but in terms of a career it's probably not the be-all and end-all determinant of success. It's a good thing to want to do well, but if something optional is stressing you out to the point of burn out, it's counter-productive. Learning to recognize when this is happening and making appropriate decisions is a sign of maturity, and not a sign of giving up.
• Finally, consider how well you're taking care of yourself. Are you getting a reasonable balance of sleep, exercise, nutrition, down time and socialization? If one of these pillars is faulty, it gets that much more challenging to bring your A game when it comes time to study.

 

[gluegun]

Some things that might help when you're burning out or losing motivation for a study-oriented goal...

• Consider how much time are you typically studying and working through problems and how frequent your breaks are. Are you putting in too many endless hours? Can you break up your sessions into smaller, more manageable blocks?
• What time of day are you studying? You might find it easier to concentrate if you try to hit the books earlier in the morning or later at night. And just because something has been working for you, doesn't mean it can't change. Night owls can turn into morning people and vice versa.
• Consider *how* you are studying. To what degree are you trying to passively read through the material or watching video tutorials, and to what degree are you actively engaging with it through problem solving? Are you spending a lot of time solving problems you already know how to do, or are you challenging yourself appropriately?
• It's important to spend time engaging with the material though your own self-directed learning too. Look for projects you can take on that will get you thinking about the material in practical and different ways.
• Consider your study space. Do you need a quiet environment free from distraction? Or are you the type who prefers to study surrounded by background noise in a coffee shop? Maybe try changing up what you're doing.
• Consider the other things going on in your life right now... relationships, work, other school projects., health, family commitments, etc. How realistic are your goals in the context of everything else you need to balance?
• Consider the bigger picture. It sounds like you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do well in this competition, but in terms of a career it's probably not the be-all and end-all determinant of success. It's a good thing to want to do well, but if something optional is stressing you out to the point of burn out, it's counter-productive. Learning to recognize when this is happening and making appropriate decisions is a sign of maturity, and not a sign of giving up.
• Finally, consider how well you're taking care of yourself. Are you getting a reasonable balance of sleep, exercise, nutrition, down time and socialization? If one of these pillars is faulty, it gets that much more challenging to bring your A game when it comes time to study.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[gluegun]

Then you need to redefine what success means to you and rediscover what does fulfill you. This is what happens to real Olympians, such as Olympic figure skaters. They become so singularly obsessed with winning a gold medal that they fall apart mentally and physically. Some will get past it and rediscover the sheer joy of figure skating that they once had. So is your end goal winning a competition or experiencing the joy of physics?

Only winning or at least doing above 50% of the exam. I see no real joy in doing anything that's not actually theoretical or engaging but I have to do this for my inner peace.
And I am not obsessed which I think is the problem, regardless of anything else. If I have one goal and doing my best means still failing, then what am I even good for?

 

[jtbell]

Some background might be helpful. Are you in high school or college/university? Are you in the US or elsewhere?

Are you hoping that success in competitions will give you a "leg up" in college/university or graduate school admissions? I think many of us on this forum have done well academically and in careers without having won academic competitions, or even participated in them. The only significant competition that I took part in as an undergraduate (50 years ago) in the US was the Putnam in math, once. I don't remember how well I did, so it must not have been remarkable in either direction. It didn't stop me from eventually getting a PhD in physics and having a career as a small-college physics professor.

 

[gluegun]

Oh no, I already have enough qualifications to go to the universities I had in mind, and competitons don't matter in my country. This is only because of my friend group, all of them are so great at their fields and already well known while I have achieved nothing as big, so I want to change that but I don't know how to keep going.

 

[WWGD]

Before drawing major conclusions, I suggest you check the basics first: Are you getting enough rest, exercise, good nutrition? Good mental higiene of taking time off for resting, relaxing? I get it's not a deep comment or observation, but at times it comes down to just that, to one of these.

 

[CrysPhys]

If I have one goal and doing my best means still failing, then what am I even good for?

This is an attitude that is guaranteed to result in major grief. There is way more to physics than competitions, and waaay more to life than physics.

This is only because of my friend group, all of them are so great at their fields and already well known while I have achieved nothing as big, so I want to change that but I don't know how to keep going.

Winning at competitions to maintain status among your group of friends is even a worse goal than winning at competitions as an end goal in itself.

 

[berkeman]

Some background might be helpful. Are you in high school or college/university? Are you in the US or elsewhere?

I wondered the same things, so I Google searched on:

iPho, iMo, iBo, iCho

And Google said:

"iPho", "iMo", "iBo", and "iCho" are all acronyms for different International Science Olympiads, representing: "iPho" for International Physics Olympiad, "iMo" for International Mathematical Olympiad, "iBo" for International Biology Olympiad, and "iCho" for International Chemistry Olympiad; essentially, they are competitions for high school students in their respective scientific fields

So likely high school.

 

[jtbell]

Yeah, I recognized iPho and figured the others were analogous for the other subjects. I simply didn't remember whether they were for high-school or college/university students.

 

[jtbell]

This is only because of my friend group, all of them are so great at their fields and already well known

In high school? Maybe we guessed wrong about what level of education you're at.

while I have achieved nothing as big, so I want to change that but I don't know how to keep going.

I hang out in another forum which is about investments, financial matters, saving for retirement, etc. A common saying there is "Comparison is the thief of joy." It comes up when someone laments that their friends or colleagues are (or appear to be) wealthier, have bigger salaries, have nicer houses and cars, and they feel "behind the curve". The usual advice is to set goals according to how you want to live your (and your family's) life, and what gives you pleasure and satisfaction personally, without regard to what other people are doing or have accomplished, or what they think you "should" be doing.