Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your

might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is

neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor
wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 9: 10

How can you acquire habits that pay off in your school years and on to
professional life? The KEY is DISCIPLINE.

What does DISCIPLINE require?

1. Goal Setting

Goal provide an individual a sense of DIRECTION and MOTIVATION.
For goal to give direction and motivation, it has to be Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bounded. Without such,
much of life is wasted. You will find yourself doing a little of this and a
little of that and hardly accomplishing anything.

2. Striving towards excellence

After setting goals within the limits of our interests and abilities, work at
them. Work is doing. It requires time and effort. For work to be
rewarding, we must strive for excellence.

Excellence is not perfection. To strive for excellence simply means to
develop fully what we already have our intellectual, emotional, moral,
social, physical and spiritual potentials. To strive for excellence
necessitates making the best choices, giving all our best to a task.





D _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
2
It pays off


It is defined as a constant, steady effort to accomplish a task.

College SUCCESS demands that we should be unusually industrious
and extraordinarily RESOURCEFUL. We must utilize and maximize all
resources available.

SUCCESS requires that we should take personal responsibility of our
studies. SUCCESS in studies demands diligence.

___________ demands resourcefulness. RESOURCEFULNESS
demands initiative. INITIATIVE demands creativity.

Are you among these students?
Evaluate yourself on the scale 1 5.


NEVER OFTEN

I rush through my
assignments haphazardly. 1 2 3 4
5

I copy and cheat in schoolwork. 1 2 3 4
5

I am attentive in class. 1 2 3 4
5

I make the same mistakes 1 2 3 4
5
over and over again.

I submit poorly done projects. 1 2 3 4
5




I _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The sustaining Base


3
Check up on yourself!


S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The Time Saver


Practical suggestions:

___________ a monthly or semestral calendar.

Work out a __________ Schedule.

Make use of the in-between time. Utilize your vacant periods. Seize
those unexpected times when a teacher is absent. Take advantage of
those free hours. If you do your research or complete your homework
during these idle periods, then you earn an extra hour or more in a day.




C_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
NEVER OCCASIONALLY OFTEN
1. Do you borrow books from the school
library?

2. Have you tried reading the back
covers of books in bookstore?

3. Have you been to art exhibit or
museums?

4. Do you find time to watch a play or
concert?

5. Do you watch TV shows which feature
timely and relevant issues?

6. DO you read newspaper?
7. Do you read any international weekly
magazine?

8. IF youre a home bug have you tried:
- GARDENING?
- RE ARRANGING FURNITURE IN
YOUR HOUSE?
- COMPOSING YOUR OWN SONG?
- READING THE BIBLE?

9. Have you tried traveling or vacationing
in another place far from your home?

10. Have you tried looking for a model
someone youll want to emulate,
somebody wholl provide inspiration?

4
The Focusing Factor


Efficient and effective learning does not necessarily depend on the
amount of time devoted to study. You may spend long hours reading and
re-reading an assigned chapter but still unable to grasp the essence of
the material. The truth is the number of hours is not what counts. What
matters is how much you put into it. It is the degree of concentration that
determines the quality of learning.

We can practice the Art of Concentration. Here are some practical
suggestions:
1. Do one thing at a time
2. Set time limits and compete against them
3. Take short breaks to stave off mental exhaustion
4. Set aside a difficult problem for a while

Some techniques to help us concentrate:

Reading aloud
Thinking aloud
Asking yourself questions
Writing down the answers
Refusing to be irritated by the environment
Sitting at the front rows, looking at the teacher
Summarizing a lecture or reading
Taking down notes while reading or listening



I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The Relationship Element


School life is not all academics. Neither is learning accomplished only
through individual activity. ______________ in the activities of the class,
of the university, as well as the society can add to our experiences,
broaden our knowledge, and deepen our insights of life.

______________ is not a minus; it is a plus. There are many ways to
get involved:

Share what you know
Join a co-curricular activity in school
5
Get involved in issues affecting society. Be part of PSALM



P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Looking Ahead


Steps in daily planning and preparation:

_____________ down things to do for the day
____________ and ______________ the things to do

_____________ what you have ____________ out to do on your
days list

____________ a list of things to do for ________________



L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A Rewarding Skill



There is a difference between ____________ and ___________.
Hearing is a faculty. It is a physical activity. On the other hand,
LISTENING is a _______________. It involves the mind and the heart. It
is mental and emotional activity as well. It is a SKILL.
LISTENING demands concentration and active mental participation.

____________ the lesson beforehand
Deal with ________________
Concentrate
Take down notes
_______________ and _______________ the lecture points at
the end of the lesson




6
I _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The Lost Value


There is no way to pull off cheating. You cannot lie to life. You may
deceive your teacher about what you know, but you cannot deceive life.
What you have not learned leaves a hole that nothing but that learning
can fill, and no amount of covering over can disguise.
E
d
w
a
r
d

R
.

S
i
m
s
You lose the ___________________ of others
You lose your _____________________
You lose __________________ with
_________________________



N _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _
The Essential Habit


Note-taking is one thing. Learning from our notes is another. Here is how
we can learn from our notes:
Read the lesson in ________________.

_____________ and listen ___________.
Create your outline format that works for you.

Tighten your notes when they jumbled.


E _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
7
The Difference

Are you an enthusiastic or a grumpy student? Lets see.
1. Are you diligent?
2. Are you interested enough in all your subjects to enjoy them?
3. Do you manage your time well?
4. Do you manage toward off distractions to your studies and
concentrate?
5. Are you involved in class, school, or community activities?
6. Do you plan and prepare school requirements well?
7. Are you a good listener?
8. Can your teachers and classmates trust you?
9. Do you take reliable notes?
10. Do you see your studies in the light of the three categories
we
mentioned in the introduction of this book?


PSALM HISTORY
In 1969, Dr. Joseph Arthur an American Missionary of the
Christian and Missionary Alliance saw the great potential of the sleeping
giant, the student world.
God gave him deep love and concern particularly for their
spiritual needs. Sharing his vision with the other Filipinos, they joined
hands in praying for more Christians in Zamboanga City to catch the
vision with other Filipino youth. Youth Rallies were conducted in various
areas of the city aiming to win the hearts of young people to Christ.
Hundreds came to know Christ in a personal way as a result of these
rallies. Plans were then drawn to open a student center where these
young people could be nurtured in Gods Word, trained systematically to
share their faith in Christ, and thereby conduct Bible Studies themselves.
Thus, the birth of the College Youth Center (CYC) was on August 08,
1969. In real healthy sense, the CYC became a regular hang-out during
their free time. Aside from Bible Study activities, the center gave them
opportunity to be involved in a variety of programs and special interest
activities; Glee Club, Guitar Band, Drama Group, games, tutorial
activities, etc.
Gods work can no longer be contained in one student center,
there are still more hundreds of students who need to hear the Good
News. Initially, volunteer staffs were asked to enroll in particular colleges
in the city where the students were. Like the first century Christians who
turned the world upside down with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,
lives of students were changed as initial fruits of the labor of the handful
of volunteer workers. God, then, opened the way to start the same
ministry among the students in other cities, namely, Davao and Cebu
8
City were 24 delegates attended. From among those trained, other
regional ministries began. Taking on a nationwide thrust, the need for the
work to become a structured national movement arose.in 1974, the
ministry was named Philippine Student Alliance Lay Movement, Inc.
(PSALM), by then officially registered in the Securities and Exchange
Commission as a nationwide organization. In 1975, the National Office
was established in Cebu City. In 1977, a National Training Base was
setup in Cebu City. Today, PSALM, being an interdenominational
Christian organization working among students and the lay, is now
spread in the key cities and municipalities all-over the Philippines.