Success

Are you a student who loves watching Netflix & Co.? Then you will surely like these study tips from fictional high achievers. 

There is something about watching a series or movie about an A-student that motivates you to study like them. 

So let’s take a look at how to do that most effectively.

Read also: 11 Tips to Study Effectively | How I Study for Law Exams

Read also: 9 Time Management Tips For Students | How To Manage Your Time

1. Spencer Hastings – Go deeper and research

Spencer Hastings from Pretty Little Liars is a master at research. When she wants to find information, she digs deep. 

She could literally create one of those boards with pictures and strings like those from crime dramas. 

Through this total immersion into the subject at hand, Spencer learns a lot at a rapid pace. Of course, you can’t afford to go that deep into every subject you need to study. But it could be especially helpful with the most difficult topics. 

I studied law at University and easily got overwhelmed by the many different sources of information I had at hand. It took quite a while for me to find my way around, but all the research was worth it. I now know exactly where to get the information that is easiest for me to learn. 

2. Spencer Hastings – DON’T go without sleep

Sleep is not only important for our health but also a necessary part of the learning process. 

While asleep, our brain processes the information we learn while awake. Without sleep, transfer into long-term memory will be difficult. 

Therefore, Spencer’s drug-induced all-nighters were detrimental to her health and well-being and the efficiency of her studying. 

The best way to get enough sleep is with a sleep schedule that you adhere to not only during workdays but also on the weekend. It will be much easier for your body to fall asleep and wake up if it is always doing it at the same time. 

Occasional deviations from this plan are alright, of course, but you want to make sure it is usually followed. 

Read also: 4 Reasons for Low Grades (Hint: It’s Not About Intelligence!)

3. Rory Gilmore – Read more

Rory Gilmore is always reading something in every episode of Gilmore Girls. She reads in her room, at the park, at the café, and in the cafeteria at school. 

Undoubtedly, this habit of hers has greatly contributed to her success at school. After all, reading improves your focus, your vocabulary, and your knowledge. 

Luckily, there is an abundance of reading material for us to choose from nowadays. You can choose to read books, articles, blog posts, or well-written fanfiction. 

I encourage you to try out non-fiction books. They condense decades of experiences of the author in a way that you can learn from them within hours. It would be a shame not to take advantage of that.  

4. Rory Gilmore – Cherish constructive critique 

As much as Rory Gilmore is an A-student icon for many of us, she has sadly been a disappointment character development-wise. 

Remember how she dropped out of Yale because she got some harsh criticism over her newspaper work? She did that, after all of the effort not only she but her entire family went through for years to get her into that University.

In a way, growing up spoiled and having everyone praise her has made her unavailable for any sort of criticism. 

But how else are we supposed to improve? That’s what education is about! You learn, your teachers correct you, and you do better next time, rinse and repeat. 

Constructive criticism is not something to agonize over but to cherish. 

So the next time you get a graded paper back, take a moment and analyze the comments for things you can do better next time. 

5. Elle Woods – Integrate studying into your daily tasks

We all know that study montage in Legally Blond, where Elle Woods is studying on a treadmill, at the salon, and with her sorority. 

This scene isn’t just motivating to look at, it is also quite a clever way to immerse yourself in a subject. 

Of course, multitasking this way only works if your other task requires little focus. Otherwise, your attention will constantly switch back and forth, and you’ll do neither very well. 

So find mindless tasks like doing the laundry, walking your dog, going for a run, or commuting and add something informative to them. 

You could listen to a podcast that talks about important court rulings, watch YouTube videos that explain different biological topics to you, or read a relevant magazine. 

Whatever the subject you are studying, immerse yourself in it even if it is not your official study time. 

6. Hermione Granger – Create a study plan early on

Hard work is useless if you work in the wrong direction. 

You don’t have to meticulously plan out every study session of every day until the exam. It probably wouldn’t work very well anyway, since it’s hard to anticipate how long it takes to learn something. 

However, you should at least have a rough idea of what topics and subtopics you need to learn and how much time you have for them. 

Hermione Granger adored study schedules and even forced some onto Ron and Harry. You don’t need to be as obsessive as her, but having a plan will benefit you, as well. 

Read also: How to Create a Study Plan | Tips For An Effective Study Schedule

7. Hermione Granger – DON’T memorize textbooks

Hermione regularly sounded as if she’d swallowed a textbook, as Harry once remarked. 

While it is good to read a lot and memorize the information well, nobody is interested in having a human copy-and-paste machine. 

Teachers want to see that you understand the underlying concept and can explain it in your own words. 

This becomes especially clear if you take a look at different textbooks that explain the same topic in multiple different ways. Which one would you even choose to memorize? 

Use your time more wisely and focus on a couple important keywords and the fundamental understanding. This will save you time and please your teachers. 

8. Blair Waldorf – Test Yourself Constantly 

There is this scene in Gossip Girl where Blair lets herself be quizzed by her maid. 

I doubt that you have a maid readily available to aid your study efforts. Luckily, there are many other options available to test yourself. 

Flashcards, for example, both physical and digital, mock tests, and online quizzes. 

Many students prefer reading texts over doing tests because it is so much easier. But that’s exactly how you know testing yourself is more effective. 

The increased effort it takes to recall information will help them solidify in your memory far more than reading will do. 

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These were the study tips from our favorite fictional high achievers. Would you like to add anyone to this list? 

Also, what are you currently studying? We’d love to hear from you!

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!

Hey there, fellow learners and achievers! Today, we’re diving headfirst into the captivating world of “Classroom of the Elite,” where intrigue, intellect, and ambition intertwine in a thrilling saga. But guess what? This isn’t just about binge-watching an anime – it’s about uncovering the hidden gems of wisdom that this intriguing classroom has to offer.

As you’ve probably realized, success isn’t just about acing tests or accumulating achievements; it’s a complex dance of strategy, mindset, and adaptability. And what better place to uncover some unique success insights than a place where brilliant minds battle wits and chase their dreams?

So, buckle up as we embark on a journey through the corridors of “Classroom of the Elite,” picking up 9 valuable success lessons that might just redefine the way you approach your own path to greatness. Get ready to unlock a treasure trove of inspiration – let’s dive in!

1. If it seems too good to be true, don’t ignore it

Sometimes miraculous things happen that seem too good to be true. Like winning the lottery, for example, or someone called Jeff Bezos writing you an email claiming you won a prize. 

I’m sure you can tell which one of the two scenarios is the one that should ring alarm clocks.

But apparently, some people still click the link in the mail, or else scammers would have stopped sending them years ago. 

In the same way, class D of the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School happily accepted their 100.000 monthly credits and spent them like there was no tomorrow. 

They ignored all lingering doubts about how the school could afford this or why some students were more careful with their credits. 

And then, surprise, the horrible awaking followed in the form of zero credits for the next month. 

If you want to be successful in life, do it like Kiyotaka Ayanokōji and Suzune Horikita, and be cautious. 

The students would have had plenty of time to spend their credits, and they actually received another 100.000 credits the next month. But as long as a nagging suspicion is in your mind, it pays to be cautious.  

2.People don’t need to know everything about you

Ayanokōji Kiyotaka doesn’t let anyone see more about himself than he absolutely must. 

When asked why he doesn’t want to take credit for his good deeds, he claims it’s simply because he doesn’t like attention. When asked about his fighting skills, he redirects and talks about tea ceremonies and calligraphy. 

The information he does volunteer freely is of very little value to most people. 

Suzune Horikita, Kikyō Kushida, Kei Karuizawa, and many others in Classroom of the Elite are similarly guarded about their privacy, but none does it as masterfully as Kiyotaka. 

In comparison, many people you will meet in real life throw information about themself around like free candy. 

It might not matter most of the time, but sooner or later, you will encounter a situation that makes you regret your lack of secrecy. 

Read also: 11 Easy Ways To Honor Your Privacy

3. Everyone looks out for themself first and foremost

Humans aren’t altruistic by nature. Even seemingly charitable acts like donations are largely done because they make people feel good. 

After all, have you heard of anyone saying they hate donating but do it anyway? Most likely not. 

And if someone asks you to do something you’d rather not do, you say yes to make them not only happy but also to not feel guilty later on. 

Even though we all think that way, many people are still surprised when others act blatantly selfish. 

Kiyotaka is an extreme case of that, who uses everyone around him as mere tools to reach his goals. That doesn’t mean that his tools won’t benefit as well. It merely isn’t a priority of his.

If you stay aware of other people’s selfish motives, it will also be much easier for you to benefit. 

4. Don’t allow distractions

The white room was a distraction-free zone. Everything in it was geared towards optimal learning. That’s a part of why the children in the white room were so advanced in their knowledge and skills. 

Granted, the white room was far from a healthy environment, and I don’t expect you to paint your room entirely white. 

However, you should consider getting rid of the distractions around you for at least a couple hours a day to be highly productive. 

Many students do this by going to the library, for example, though, of course, you could also switch rooms at home. 

5. If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together

Suzune was resistant to learning this lesson, but she eventually realized that self-isolation would only keep her stuck in class D. 

Nobody has ever managed to become great by going on a solo mission. If you want to be a high achiever, you have to learn how to cooperate with others. 

Of course, there might be phases where you’ll do well to sprint alone. But in the long term, it will never be enough. 

6. Always know the rules of the game

Ayanokoji always makes sure to carefully study the rules. This carefulness benefitted him when he used his points to purchase a test point for Ken. It also helped him to win the island test, despite all odds. 

Classroom of the Elite teaches us to always know the rules of the game we play. 

As a marketer, this means learning what you are allowed to do on social media platforms before you start using them. 

As a student, you should find old exams to figure out what to expect in the upcoming ones. 

7. Choose what you focus your efforts on wisely

Both the carrot and the stick can be motivating. In fact, many people are so stuck in their comfort zone that only a very painful stick gets them to move toward the carrot. 

However, while using the stick as an occasional motivator can be helpful, you shouldn’t focus on it for too long. 

Where your focus goes, energy flows. You want your energy to flow towards better things instead of holding you back near the unwanted stuff. 

Kakeru Ryūen from class C focuses an awful lot of his energy on keeping class D at the end of the social ladder. 

This is absurd, considering his class is in the latter half, as well. Shouldn’t he focus all his attention and energy on catching up with classes A and B?

It’s the same if you are graded on a curve. Ignore the people with similar grades to you and instead focus on the A-students and how to catch up to them. 

Furthermore, businesses should always focus more on becoming better than what their competitors do.

Classroom of the Elite teaches us that focus matters and that we should direct it carefully. 

8. Don’t pick unnecessary fights

Both Kikyō Kushida and Kakeru Ryūen found themselves beaten by picking an unnecessary fight with Ayanokoji. 

Before they acted out, Kyotaka hadn’t posed any real threat to them. Plain and simple, they acted out of ego.

And while they did manage to get away with that sort of behavior most of the time, they were bound to face failure sooner or later. 

Let this be a lesson to not provoke others without good reason. You could end up on the wrong side of things, but you’ll definitely waste time and energy that could have been used better. 

9. Learn from your mistakes

Kiyotaka rarely makes a mistake, and those that he does make are never repeated. 

He learned this the hard way in the White Room. His skill to learn and adapt quickly is one reason he was the only survivor of the brutal 4th generation.

“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” ― Henry Ford

It shouldn’t take life-or-death scenarios for you to learn from your mistakes. 

Ideally, you should always thoroughly analyze your mistakes to ensure you know what went wrong and how to avoid them in the future. 

If you do that, you will reach your goals significantly faster. 

Read also: 101 Questions To Ask Yourself (Daily|Monthly|Yearly)

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These were the 9 success lessons from Classroom of the Elite. Which one was your favorite? And what do you think Kiyotaka should do after school (besides ruling Japan, of course). 

We’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!

Fictional stories are not just entertaining but can teach us many valuable life lessons. Here are 9 success tips from Assassination Classroom.

Read also: 9 Success Tips From My Hero Academia (BNHA)

Read also: 11 Rules of Success from Avatar: The Last Airbender

1. Don’t just take mindless action; analyze the situation and develop a strategy

Attacking Koro-sensei wildly out of the blue didn’t result in much for anyone. 

Only through observation and careful analysis of his skills and habits did the attacks of Class E improve. 

Of course, seemingly mindless actions can sometimes prove an excellent method to gain more information for the attack. 

For example, detailed keyword searches in preparation for your blog articles can gain you more traffic. However, writing a completely unrelated blog post can uncover a new potential niche you wouldn’t have discovered on your own. 

In other words: Observe, analyze and optimize your way to success but sprinkle in some.

Izuku Midoriya from My Hero Academia can see this rule even more clearly.

2. Talent matters – so find and use yours

Tomohito Sugino wanted to excel at Baseball, but his taller and stronger teammates simply did better than him no matter how much he practiced. 

At least, until he finally figured out his unique talent, once he honed in on that and refined it, he could finally stand out on the playing field. 

Some of you might find it unfair that other people’s talent gives them such an advantage while you have to work extra hard to come even close. 

But the thing is that every one of us has an unfair advantage. 

The key is to stop focusing on others and instead find your talents and use them effectively. 

3. Kindness can be an effective weapon for revenge

Karma Akabane thought himself superior and enthusiastically attempted to kill Koro-sensei. 

Koro-sensei retaliated by being tooth-rottenly kind to Karma until he couldn’t take it anymore. 

This might seem more like a general life lesson than a tip for success but hear me out.

You will likely come across liars and cheaters on your way to success. 

This can be immensely frustrating as they seem to have it so much easier and many people even decide to join them in their get-rich-quick schemes. 

But cheating and lying is not long-term strategy. These people often get discovered and lose it all, or they have to live in the constant fear of being discovered. 

So instead of fighting fire with fire, you should continue doing things properly and stay kind. 

Not only will people notice this, and their regard for you will increase, but it will also make the scammers look even worse, which is nice revenge. 

4. You are never too good for advice

When Irina Jelavic, aka bitch-sensei entered the assassination classroom, she realized that no matter how successful she is, there is always something she can learn from others. 

Even when those other people are mere school kids. 

If you want to be successful in life, you need to stop assuming you know everything there is to know already. 

I don’t care how many books and courses on SEO you’ve consumed. There is always the possibility that someone out there can teach you just a tiny bit of new information.

5. Social skills are important for every career

You will benefit from good social skills, even if you choose a career that does not inherently require teamwork or customer contact. 

First of all, social skills will help you get hired for your chosen job. 

Second, you need to be able to put yourself into the customer’s shoes to truly deliver a service or product that aligns with their desires and wants. 

So no matter how uncomfortable socializing makes you, you should improve your skills.

6. Appearances matter, so make sure to polish yours

There is all this nice talk about not judging a book by its cover; however, everyone does it, at least subconsciously. 

Look at the students’ reaction as bitch-sensei and Karasuma-sensei appeared at the student assembly of Kunugigaoka Junior High School. 

Their good looks alone did wonders to raise the image of class E in the eyes of the student population.

Some studies show that this pretty privilege helps beautiful people achieve success more easily. 

However, your appearance doesn’t just depend on your beauty. It’s much more about how you present yourself with your attitude, body language, and clothing. 

I’m sure you can think of some actors or actresses that you started crushing on simply because of one role they played when ordinarily, you wouldn’t have been attracted at all to them. 

On the other hand, your beauty might come back to bite you if you style yourself in a way that makes you appear ‘doll-like and as if you were dumb. 

So be mindful of how you want to appear to the outside world. With some careful planning, it could aid your way to success tremendously.

7. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t put in the hard work

Karma is very smart. He gets good grades easily. That’s why he thought he didn’t need to study much for the upcoming exams. 

This caused Karma to have a rude awakening as his results were far behind those of his opponents.

He felt so utterly humiliated that he studied extra hard for the next exams. And low and behold, his natural intelligence and hard work resulted in outstanding grades. 

This is a beautiful example of why we should never rest on our talent. Talented or not, we should always work hard to succeed in our chosen pursuits. 

8. Use the embarrassment of failure to motivate you to work harder than ever before

I’ve already mentioned how Karma used his embarrassing grades as a motivation to work harder. 

But an even better example would be Chairman Asano, who teaches his son this same lesson rather brutally. 

The chairman talks about his humiliation of being beaten repeatedly on his first karate day. On the second day, he sat on the sidelines and carefully watched the fights. 

On the third day, he applied what he had learned and beat a black belt, swearing he’d never be humiliated like that again. 

Putting the unrealistic three-day mastery of karate aside, this story beautifully highlights how our darkest moments can become the catalysts for our brightest moments. 

It’s like the old story of stick and carrot: With a goal, you want to reach (carrot) and pain you want to avoid (stick), you will find the motivation to do what is necessary to succeed. 

9. Stop blindly following your parents’ plans and take charge of your life

Nagisa didn’t see much sense in fighting against his crazy mother for a long time. Instead, he repeatedly put his own wishes on the backburner to make her happy. 

He could have (and frankly should have) moved in with his dad when his parents split. Instead, he stayed with his overbearing and controlling mother.

It took a psychotic breakdown of his mother, a contract killer, and the intervention of Koro-sensei for Nagisa to finally put his foot down and take charge of his own life.

Remember, you only have this one life. This is your first and only chance at a great life; it is definitely NOT your parents’ second chance at their unfulfilled dreams. 

Everybody has their own definition of true success. That’s why you will likely feel unfulfilled even if you achieve your parents’ version of a successful life.

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These were just some of the success tips from Assassination Classroom. 

How did you like the Anime? 

Honestly, as utterly weird as the story’s whole concept is, I fell in love with the series within the first three episodes. 

Do you have any similar series to recommend? 

As always, we appreciate your input.

Until next time, Felicity Seeker! 

Do you love BNHA and are interested in self-improvement? Then these 9 success tips from My Hero Academia are for you.

Read also: 9 Success Tips From Assassination Classroom

Read also: Atomic Habits Book Review | 15 Lessons + Actionable Ideas + Quotes

1. Resourcefulness trumps talent and makes up for disadvantages 

If you are resourceful, you can succeed under any circumstances. 

It doesn’t matter how much talent others have; if you utilize the tools and people around you more efficiently, you will do better than them. 

Midoriya is resourceful and can analyze any situation in mere moments and find the things others overlook.

Think about how he saved Bakugo from suffocating simply by throwing his backpack at the sludge monster while all the other heroes stood by waiting. 

Also, remember his quick thinking at the USJ when getting off the boat and on the minefield at the sports festival. 

People with much more useful quirks did so much worse in these situations simply because they lacked the resourcefulness to apply themselves properly. 

Improve your resourcefulness by always searching for alternative methods besides the most obvious ones. 

2. Don’t be a one-trick show pony

Eraserhead said it best when he told the students that a good hero couldn’t be a one-trick show pony. 

This is a sentiment that can be applied to any career. 

Sure, you might get lucky and have the one skill that is very valued at the moment. However, the market and its demands always change. 

You won’t survive by being competent in just one topic. 

You must continuously improve and learn more, or you’ll be left behind. 

3. When you’re scared to most, that’s when you have to smile and push ahead

Tough times build strong people. When everyone else despairs and gives up, the top 1% work harder and are more determined than ever. 

That’s also what makes All Might and Deku so great. No matter the obstacle, they charge ahead with a smile and determination in their heart. 

So the next time you feel like giving up because things get hard, you should get excited. After all, you are on the brink of a decisive moment in your life that will determine whether you belong to the top 1%. 

Choose carefully!

4. Don’t let other people’s small-mindedness stop you from going after your goals

The world of BNHA is full of discrimination and small-mindedness. Quirkless people and people with a “weak” or “villainous” quirk often have to fight extra hard to make their hero dreams come true. 

But because other people lack the imagination, resourcefulness, and determination to make it work doesn’t mean it is impossible for you. 

Just because All Might would have never become a hero without One For All doesn’t mean Izuku couldn’t have found a way to succeed quirkless.

5. Make sure to actually pursue your goals instead of only dreaming about them

While quirkless people can become heroes, they have to train extra hard to compensate for their lack of quirk. 

Unfortunately, that is the very thing Izuku didn’t do. 

Sure, he has been analyzing for a decade, a useful skill to have as a hero. Yet, unless he wants a desk job, he will also require physical fighting skills.

All his hero dreams would have been for naught, as we saw during the entrance exam, had he not gained One For All. 

His lack of fighting skills left him virtually useless during the exam. 

It shows that no matter how much you dream of your goal, you will never reach it unless you put real work into it. And not just any work but work that will give you the fundamental skills you need.

6. You will be able to help others the best by taking care of yourself first

Midoriya is nothing short of self-sacrificial, even more so than All Might. 

Both must often realize that their injured state keeps them from helping others to the best of their capabilities. 

It’s just like the airplane safety regulations always teach us: Put on your own oxygen mask first and only then help others. 

This can mean making sacrifices in the short term but being assured that it will pay back tenfold in the long term.

Another BNHA example is Oboro Shirakumo, whose heroic actions saved a group of children but cost him his life. 

Had he instead saved himself, he might have been able to save hundreds of lives throughout his career. 

Not an easy decision to make, but definitely one worth considering. 

In the real world, this can translate to doing your own homework before helping others, paying for your own needs and wants before donating to others, and writing more articles for your own Blog than others. 

7. If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together

Bakugo has a hard time working with others because he does NOT WANT to work with others. 

He is impatient and thinks he can do all the important things alone. 

This mindset served him reasonably well for a long time. 

However, sooner or later, there will come a time when you can’t go further by your capabilities. You will need help from others. 

Getting that help will be difficult, though, if you have alienated all potential allies by pushing them away. 

It might take longer, but it will serve you well to build helpful connections early on in life so that if you need them (which you will eventually), they will be there for you. 

8. People feel connected to a strong WHY, so define yours

Compare Shigaraki and the Hero Killer. Both kill heroes, but only one of them garners a mass of fans. Why? What differentiates them? 

As Midoriya so sharply analyzed, it comes down to ideology.

Shigaraki destroys just out of hate and to create chaos. 

The Hero Killer acts out of a sense of justice and wants to reform the Hero society by getting rid of those he deems unworthy. 

People can sympathize with the Hero Killer’s reasons. They understand what it means to be disappointed by shallow Heros. They understand the desire for more heroes like All Might. 

And just because they feel connected to the WHY, these people tolerate the highly questionable methods to reach these goals. 

It shows just what a powerful weapon a strong WHY can be, the stronger and more relatable your WHY, the less opposition you will find. 

9. Public opinion does matter

Of course, you shouldn’t become a people pleaser to reach success. 

However, an ‘I don’t care what others think of me-attitude can potentially hinder you severely. 

Look at Endeavor and Kanchan. Competent as they might be when using their quirk for fighting, they simply don’t care about the interests and feelings of those they are saving. 

They seem to think that the raw number of saved civilians determines who is the #1 hero. 

However, society is made of humans with feelings and biases, not machines. 

We will always feel more drawn to people that appeal to us personally, even though they might not be the best if you look at the numbers. 

Whether you want to succeed in your 9-to-5 career or in your own business, you should consider other people’s opinions to some degree, or else you’ll never reach your full potential. 

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These were 9 success tips that I learned from My Hero Academia. Of course, there are many more golden nuggets to find in the show. 

What is one lesson you have learned from Deku & Co.? We’d love to hear from you.

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!