A girl attended a top high school in her state, and ranked in the middle in her grade no
matter how hard she tried. She had one more year before she took the national tests for
college. She and her parents were very anxious about her future. Since her mother was
a family friend, I agreed to spend a half hour with her and her mother.
After talking to them, I have realized how stressful a student’s life could be these days –
more classes, more homework and more competition. Her teacher asked all of her
students to study till 12:30 am, yet the school started 8 am in the morning. The girl
could only sleep less than 7hr, which was not enough for someone her age. Her father
become so frustrated about her “long hours” of sleep on weekends that he went to his
room to smoke. The girl felt somehow ashamed that she had not figured out what she
wanted to be. Her main way of relaxation was to take breaks, which is not enough to
relax from her intense stress.
I saw great potential in her. I first told her mother about the connection between her sleep
and her memory, so her father would support her sleep. To help her spend time efficiently
and sleep more, I went through her daily schedule, and showed her more ways of
relaxation and exercise. The girl was very relieved when I told her that was normal for
someone her age to look for his/her dream. I encouraged her to look for inspiration from
successful people in Forbes and other books. We also discussed other issues.
Two weeks later, I have received an e-mail. Her mother said, “After talking with you, my
daughter begins to exercise 20 minutes every day. She feels her brain gets smarter. In
addition, she also rests more efficiently. In a recent test, she jumped 40 spots in grade
rankings!"
A half hour for 40 spots jump -- I am certainly pleased. This is a good example of how a
human mind, body and inter-relations with their external and internal worlds are one
integrated system. Improper standards of the teacher and parents as well as the girl’s
confusion limited her performance both externally and internally, which also stressed her.
Poor stress management and poor health maintenance further worsen her performance
and stress. Years of studies have proven that stress can damage our thinking, emotions
and health. By strengthening each part, we have taken the person to a whole new level.
The girl still has more internal and external limits to uncover and more potential to set free.
In the meantime, she and her parents also need to learn more about how to preserve her
potential. Unexpected change, stress, illness and injury in life could disable her mind, or
even take away her potential and achievement. The mother and daughter will attend our
Executive Synergy Program when I go back there next time .