BY DAYO ADESULU
An expert has urged students to be wary of wrong choices while making decisions, adding that successes or failures are mostly determined by the choices people make or fail to make.
Dr Amajuoyi Festus Amareze, consultant psychology and security expert gave this admonition while delivering a seminar paper on ‘Attitudinal Change and Choice-Making for Academic Excellence’ at the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Lagos.
He said: ”Right choice making is like the ordered plan of action that makes students focused and instils confidence and peace in the attainment of goals. “Right choice guarantees success and fulfilment, safeguards self-esteem and harmony in the learning environment.”
According to him, ”In adolescence, we hold ourselves responsible for our actions or inactions which constitute our choices in life. The consistency in the nature of choices we make, positive or negative determines our lifestyles, which invariably becomes our attitudes.”
As students, Dr Amareze pointed out that adolescence is mature to take independent decisions on what kind of choices to make and lifestyles to adopt that will help them to perform excellently in academics.
He posited that whatever choice of lifestyle people identify with, whether positive or negative has some consequences.
Amareze noted that the choices people make most time are determined by self-esteem/self-worth/ self-value, taste and exposure, intellectual capacity, intelligence quotients, available options/opportunities/ alternatives, friends and associates, self-control, priorities and guardians and counselling.
The negative consequences of making wrong choices according to the expert will cause distraction and a lack of concentration. He said: ”Useful time for studies is wasted, can lead to failure in examinations, leads to examination malpractices, bribing and corruption are encouraged in schools as to pass exams.
Others include encouraging insecurity in lives and properties, violence in school is encouraged, leads to dropping out of school, can lead to frustration and suicide if not handled, lowers the quality of the educational system, lecturers are demotivated and face all kinds of threats.
Moreover, other negative consequences as pointed out by Dr Amareze include parents of the students facing shame, and disgust and may die of heart attack or blood pressure. ”It can lead to loss of academic sessions and more expenses for parents to bear, lead to life derailment and destiny truncation, lead to conflict with School authorities could lead to rustication from school and consequently increase criminality in the society,” he added.
Amareze, however, revealed some measures to adopt in order to restore and build self-esteem for attitudinal change
He said: “We must change our negative attitudes, lifestyles and choices for us to make success in life. To achieve this, we must make choices that would help us to restore and build our self-esteem.
” Conclude the past; never allow your past mistakes to hunt you. Stop comparisons; Comparing yourself with others cannot help matters, as you will continue to see your limitations. Stay on your growing edge; Be confident and consistent with your new efforts and changes; Be determined to clock the excellence required.
”Train yourself to respond positively by doing all you ought to do concerning the issue. Find your true value in God; The creative power of God and dominion has been given to you; stand and possess your possession.
”Consider trials a friend; they are inevitable and are the stepping stones to your success and victories. Live a life of thanksgiving; appreciate the Giver of life and the One who empowers you.
”Refuse to give in to self-pity; Complains and sympathy cannot help but exposes your weaknesses and ridicules you. Choose to be happy as to have the good health that is needed for the good work.
”Seek after God’s plan for your life; without your working within God’s plan, in vain is your labour. Seek the help of a professional counsellor.”