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Successfully finishing a degree at ETH certainly does not come easy to most people, at least it does not to me. Whether it be a challenging series of exercises, a demanding lecture, or the frustrating feeling after studying for an entire day and not having that feeling of accomplishment. For some people, everything just always seems a lot easier than for others. Often, we quickly blame it on intelligence – though I think motivation and resilience are two vital, but somewhat underrated factors in the equation of success. Intelligence can be measured in many different ways. Most people believe in IQ tests, whereas others place more importance on emotional intelligence.
There are many ways to get to Rome – here I want to delve into the path of resilience a little bit further. Humans have struggled with the
ability to resist temptation for a long time. Even the Bible starts with the story of temptation so it really must be something that has always preoccupied humans. Will power was once considered an unchangeable personality trait. According to Walter Mischel, author of the book “The Marshmallow-Effect”, self-control or will power is a skill that can be developed and strengthened. It protects us from becoming dull to the consequences of our own behavior and allows us to perceive life as something we can design and shape ourselves. Self-control is the core skill underlying emotional intelligence. Only through self-control can we become stable and content individuals. It isn’t about simply saying “no” to temptation and instead persevering, but also about cultivating an “I think I can do it” attitude which fosters self-esteem and a belief that things will turn out well. Our self-control greatly determines our lives’ paths.
There is a lot more to say about this topic, but I want to leave you with one practical thing that you can do if you want to improve your self-discipline. Imagine yourself in a typical situation in which you want to resist temptation, for instance, resisting eating chocolate. Picture yourself in the situation when the craving strikes. One handy trick is to have an “if-then” plan. Instead of focusing on avoiding the chocolate, i.e. to think about what you should not do, think about how to avoid having the craving. Have a plan ready such as “If I crave chocolate, I do 20 push-ups”. By diverting your attention, you are essentially giving yourself time to breathe from the immediate desire. Distracting yourself weakens the desire and gives you time to think about it, which makes it easier to resist the craving. By following these steps you are breaking an automatic behavior, and you shift your focus to regain control over your impulses. In the long term this helps you create new habits. The theory behind this is the “hot” and “cold” system in our brain. The hot system is the emotional and impulsive side of decision-making. It is what kicks in when you are faced with immediate rewards and cravings, for instance the urge to eat chocolate. On the other hand, the “cold” system is rational and logical. It considers long-term consequences and goals. When you distract yourself from a craving, you are essentially handing control from the “hot” to the “cold” system, from your immediate craving to your long-term goals. It is all about aligning your behavior with your long-term goals.
Having said this, being intelligent does not mean that intelligence is only used to come up with something that no one else has, to contribute to humanity, or to be smarter than the rest of your peers. It has happened so many times before, and history will repeat itself, that brilliant minds or talented candidates lack the opportunities, or just simply do not put in the hard work to reach their full potential. So, are you content with your motivation, resilience and intelligence or is it time for a change?
Simon Steuli, 23, BSc in Computer Science
