Hello again! Today is the last post in the "Takeoff" series (for now), and we're going to be talking about the part of the takeoff where most of the real power is packed - implementation. Clear vision + detailed goals + hard work (implementation) = SUCCESS! So lets get right into this today! What do I mean by, "tool belt"? A quiz tool belt, to me, is a collection of the following things, that all work together to help you get to where you want to be...
The tool belt is often a key factor in how a quizzer performs - for example, a quizzer who has an established memorizing strategy (not only for how many verses to memorize per day, but when to memorize them, and in what way), will probably end up learning more and learning it better than someone who doesn't. So here are three things you can arm your tool belt with this year... 1. Keeping your vision statement and goals (checkpoints) in an easy-to-see place, and reviewing them daily/weekly I know, it sounds super cliché, but keeping your "eye on the prize" helps you to work towards what you want most, instead of what you may want in the moment. For instance, whenever I need to get some serious studying done (usually in preparation for a quiz event), one of the most effective ways to get results is by remembering why I am working - I may want to quiz out in a round at this tournament, or I may want to beat a certain person, or place high individually (you get the picture) - whatever it may be, it's why I'm now going to work my tail off to achieve it. Does that make sense? So throughout the entire season, after you've hung up your vision statement and/or checkpoints to get you there, take the time to really review them every once in a while, in order to keep your motivation levels high. 2. Focus on just one thing - don't become overwhelmed by the dream (no matter how big) Use the KISS principle: Keep It Stupid Simple. And the reason? It can be really easy, no matter what time of the year it is, to look at all of your high aspirations and think "I'm never going to get there from here. There's no way." However, keeping everything in quizzing (and in life) crazy simple, brings it into a proper perspective, and thereby helps us to get the best results from our time (and not waste any by stressing over it :P). Hear me when I say (type) this... Think of the best thing that you could possibly achieve in quizzing (first place, top team in the region, etc.), and then keep dreaming that! Nothing you want from quizzing, and nothing you want from this life is out of reach for you. You know why? Jesus! Philippians 4:13, a popular but powerful scripture, says that you can do all things through Him - ALL THINGS. I'm saying this to myself as much as (or even more than) I'm saying it to you. Recently, I've been focusing on seeking the Lord about my future (career stuff), and I've been talking to some of the spiritual leaders in my life about it too. And the small pieces that I'm seeing, of what I believe my life is going to be like, have the potential to overwhelm me - but in Jesus' name, they won't. But you know, this brings up a larger problem. Whenever we get intimidated by a dream or aspiration or whatever it may be, it opens the door wide open for a very common (but very damaging) lie of the devil to creep in and make a home in our hearts: "I'm not good enough." I wrote another post entirely about contradicting these lies (and who they come from) so I won't say much about it here. But for now, until you go read that (:P), remember that it's simply not true, and that you have the ability to refute it and reject it and throw it out of your mind and heart (with the help of our Father). 3. Take small and steady steps if you want to be effective Consistency is something that I think probably everyone has trouble with, but I think that the biggest way to help with it, is to remind yourself that you don't have to get everything done in one day - it's okay to take small steps. Every day, no matter how far you go, as long as you're moving forward, is a productive day in my mind. Setting awesomely high goals is important, and really healthy for that matter, but you don't have to achieve those goals within 24 hours. As long as you're taking a step in the right direction, no matter if it's the tiniest movement in history, you can be proud, because you're not one of the people who took steps backwards today. So there you go! Having a fully stocked (and functional) tool belt that you can use to help you along your quizzing journey is, again, often a key factor in the results that quizzers end up with - I would encourage you to keep building it this season, and to not neglect it ;).
I was hoping to have a full set of awesome printables ready for this finale today, and I do have some of them completed and ready to go (they are pretty much FIRE! :P) but some things came up this weekend and today and I wasn't able to get them perfect for you guys today :(. But just know, that we have some pretty awesome new stuff (I know, more new stuff, it's crazy right?!) coming out very soon, and it does have to do with printables to go along with the posts that I make for you guys. Anyways, I hope that you all have absolutely phenomenal weeks, and that your quizzing hits a success peak higher than ever before, this year! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory
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Hey guys! Today we are following up last week's post, which was about how you can create your vision for this season - so if you haven't read that, you definitely should :P. But the focus today will be on planning your success, or planning how you are going to achieve that vision. Like I said in that post, this system is a great thing to design and put into action at the beginning of the season, because it gives you motivation to work your hardest, and also the ability to be focused in that work. So lets get into it! First off - What is planning your success, and why should you? "Planning your success" is making specific, tangible, and periodic goals (you can think of these like checkpoints) that support, and take you to your overall dream. This technique, just like creating a vision statement, is something that a lot of successful business people put into action. Why is that? Because it works! The benefits of creating and following this kind of goal/checkpoint progression are extensive, but here's the three main ones...
And that leads me to the next point, which is... How can you incorporate "checkpoints" into your vision, and make them compatible? For one, you need to have written (and revised) your vision first :P, but once you have done that, there are a few things to consider.
Like I said in my post about How To Make a Regional Team, it's best to simply OVERESTIMATE the work/effort, so that you can set yourself up for the best results possible! Aim for the moon, and if you fail, you'll still be hitting the stars ;P. Here's a (very drastic) example of how to do this: "My vision is to make FIRST at Q2018, after making the Regional A team in my region. I will memorize and perfect my knowledge of First and Second Corinthians, and improve my jumping/answering with the following elements - 1) learning how to lip read, 2) knowing the memory verses in alphabetical order, and 3) be able to finish general questions from the third syllable." An example of what some overall goals (stepping stones, checkpoints, etc..) would be for this veru drastic vision statement, would be...
And so on, and so on, going throughout the end of the season and ending with you accomplishing the things that you mentioned in your vision statement. But in general, if you hit the major points that you will need, in order to reach your vision THIS season, you'll be golden. That being said, there are several different ways that you can compose this list of checkpoints, and that's what we'll be discussing next... Different types of plans to choose from, that outline your goals: The main difference between these following options are the time windows within they will be completed - basically, they define how specific you want/need your plan for success to be. I am going to quickly list these different options, and then we will dig a little into each of them and talk about their biggest pros and cons.
For me, either the weekly or biweekly formats usually work the best with how I operate, and how I plan out the rest of the activities/responsibilities in my life - and you can easily change the format later on, if the one you choose doesn't end up working very well. The seasonal/monthly goals: These can easily be vague, so you have to be careful with them (because the point of planning out your success is to be specific and show you the exact next steps to take). However, the upside to having these kind of goals, is that you can break them down into smaller steps, that you can accomplish within the larger timeline. If you're looking for a planning system that is pretty laid-back, then this is the one for you! The biweekly/weekly goals: These are a good balance (in my experience) between the possible vagueness of the seasonal/monthly format, and the very specific (and sometimes stressful) format of the every-other day/daily one. They are specific enough that you can easily track your progress and performance, but vague enough that you still have some wiggle room in the event that "life happens" :P and it inevitably does, so it's no reason to get discouraged! I like this format because it gives me the closely-dictated direction that I require in busy, everyday life, but it also gives me a good amount of breathing room, so that I can remember to focus on the things that are higher than quizzing on my priority list. The every-other day/daily goals: This format can (unfortunately) end up being a source of completely unnecessary stress - all stress is unnecessary :P. That is because if you get behind just a few days, it can become a race against discouragement, especially if you haven't already settled within yourself the issue of Christ-confidence and who you are/who God says you are. However, the benefits of this format can be incredibly explosive! Why? Because you're more focused on getting specific things done, and taking steps forward and towards your end-of-season vision EVERY SINGLE DAY. "Success is the simple accumulation of good habits, repeated day after day." -Unknown I would (more-so) promote this format to quizzers who have already been in the sport for a few years, because they already have a good understanding of everything it entails, but as long as the quizzer knows how to use it in a healthy manner, it would be very beneficial. In conclusion: Pick and start out with whichever format you think will work best for you, but don't hesitate at any point this season to...
In the end, it's not the plan that's going to take you to your dream; its you! So take care of, and pay more attention to yourself, than you do to the plan. Guess what? I made a special workbook that will help you do what I've been talking about! Click the button below to snag it! What happens after you have your checkpoints in order? We will be finishing up this series in an awesome finale next Monday - you won't want to miss this one!
We will be focusing on what to do with you vision, and with this new plan for success. It's all well and good if you work for, and buy a car, but it won't do anything for you and you won't reap any of it's benefits until you actually learn how to drive it! I hope that this post has been very helpful and insightful for you guys, and that this week proves to be exciting, fulfilling, full of joy and revealing of the amazing love that our Father has for you! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next week! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory P.s. Don't forget: we have just come out with a BRAND NEW feature, TBQJ Biweekly Newsletter! If you'd like to receive tons of valuable and entirely exclusive content, or simply learn more about it, hop on over to our new page, "Newsletter"! Hello everyone! How are y'all doing? In my post, "Tips For Making a Regional Team" I talked about planning your success, and today we're going to be diving into that a little bit more. As you can see by the title, we'll be touching specifically on the topic of your vision for this season. Whether or not you've already "launched your takeoff" for this season, this new series (that I'm super excited about!) is going to walk you through a few simple steps that have really helped me to start the season off strong the past few years. We'll be going through how to create your vision, establishing step-by-step goals that will take you to that vision, and the nitty-gritty work that completes those goals. So I hope you guys enjoy this series, and with no further ado, lets do it! The reason creating a vision helps in the takeoff, is that you have a clear and specific idea of what you want to do and achieve. Like I've mentioned before, knowing for sure where you want to go, makes the journey a lot easier, and it helps you to focus and get better results from all of your efforts. In addition, it keeps you from becoming complacent, and revisiting your vision can be a big source of motivation throughout the entire season. So here's how to create it:
For example, where do you want to place at district finals, regionals, or nationals? Do you want to make a regional team, and if so which one (A or B)? Do you want to learn all the memory verses? Or all of the material? The two goals you decide on are what you'll be centering your vision around. The hardest part of this goal-making, is finding the balance between being plain unrealistic, and pushing yourself to your limits so that you can grow to your maximum potential. But to be honest, there isn't much that's really unrealistic if you're willing to do what it will take, but just remember that quizzing isn't the most important thing in your life ;). 2. Write a statement that describes your ideal end-season with those goals. This is the fun part - the actual writing of what you'll be (partially) focused on this year. Your vision statement should be between 50-100 words - not too long, but just long enough to include where you're going, with a small hint of magic. This statement should be clear and easy to read, inspirational, and describe the quality results that will come from your work this season. 3. Revise to perfection, and revisit often. You'll want to revise your statement a few times, so that it's the best it can be. It's a good idea to read and rewrite it every day over 3-4 days so that you get a new spin on it each time it's revisited - this is a strategy that book authors often use. But after this is done, I would encourage you to type up the final draft, print it out, and put it up somewhere where you'll see it everyday - your vision statement (whether it's for quizzing or any other area of life) is something good to remind yourself of before you begin working. Why? Because it reminds you of why you're working. Guess what? I made a special workbook to help you do just what I've been talking about in this post! Click the graphic below to download it! "To be continued..." (:P) Like I said, this is the first in a series of posts, discussing a few steps to take to make this season kickoff the best we've ever had. So in the sequel to this post, we'll be going over the step-by-step goals that will take you to your vision, throughout this year.
The way I designed this series, we'll have a week for each step (each post); we have this week to create our season vision statements, next week to decide on our periodic goals, etc.. And I'm going through this process with you! So whether or not you've already "launched your takeoff" for this quiz year, I would heartily invite you to go on this little journey with me! I hope that you have a fantastic week, and that your season "takeoff" is awesome as well. See y'all next Monday! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Hello guys! First off, big congratulations to everyone on how they quizzed at General Assembly last week! We ended up (in the A division) with Eastern (ENC) as the national champions, Northwest (NNU, woop-woop!) in second place, and Southern (SNU, ... not sure what I should say here :P) in third! It's been a very good (but very long ;)) season, and I am kind of sad to see it come to a close. I'm gonna miss quizzing over Luke, but 1-2 Corinthians is going to be so awesome! Also, one final thing, congratulations to all of our seniors who graduated this year - you should be so proud of all of your accomplishments! So lets get into this today! I know how exciting it is, with the season ending, to make all of our new goals for the next year! I've already got a few :P Set some crazy high goals for next year, push yourself and aim for the moon! But taking a break is, unfortunately, important, in order to preserve motivation for next year. Think of it this way; when stocking up wood to burn during the winter, you chop most of it before that season gets here, but you keep the pile stocked throughout winter until spring. That's what you need in order to keep your motivation burning! :P But how do we go about chopping that wood during the summer? Take the time you need before starting up the studying again, to do things that are unrelated, but that still motivate you to do well and give quizzing your best. But, if your schedule during the school year is going to be too tight, then it may be logical to try and get a head start on your goals. Like always, just try and adjust for what you think is best, be nice to yourself, but don't be afraid to push yourself a little harder and strain for that next level of awesomeness! One of the common quizzing pitfalls of new quizzers, you might say, is hitting it too hard when they should be taking it easy. Yes, working at it with all your heart is what we need to be doing during the season, but taking a good break is what often prevents the mid-season slump near Christmas time. If it helps, plan out a loose first draft of what your ideal quiz schedule would be for next season. I don't know if this works for anyone else, but whenever I have a little excess energy regarding a project, just planning out small steps to getting it done really calms me down and gets me ready to hit it hard (when the time comes). That's all I have for you guys today!
I'll still be posting throughout the summer, but they probably won't be full of study and jump techniques until the season actually starts. Man, we have a lot to look forward to! Again, congratulations to everyone on how the season ended, and I can't wait to see you all again soon! As always... Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Hey Guys! Today I have a new set of printables for you, which outline four different levels of study guides for daily use - Beginner, intermediate, advanced, and ultimate! The file link contains all four (color coated) sheets, in that order. They include a checklist which covers 3-6 study topics (I.e. reading, question study, memory verses, memorization, etc.) and their intensities, and spans over a period of two weeks. Below each checklist are areas where you can write down your biweekly goals, and your inspiration/motivation for those two weeks. I hope those help you! I've found it super fun in the past to have a preprepared, printed outline, since I usually just jot it down in the mornings - it's another way to "spice things up", like I talked about in a previous post (click here).
Anyhoo, big quizzes are coming up fast. Are y'all ready? It's really easy to worry about them, and from there get stressed about how you'll perform, but you don't have to. Here are some verses to help with that:
Remember where your identity is (in Christ), keep your main focus there, and you'll do great! Keep doing your thing - work hard, rest hard, be confident. Good luck to everybody! Thanks for reading! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory |
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Trending Posts:Author:Mallory is a graduated Teen Bible Quizzer originally from the Southern region, moved to the Northwest, coaching quizzing over the book of Matthew. Check out our
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