The X-factor that Keeps Scores Down

I hate it when someone runs on a treadmill next to mine. Maybe I’m just not as swell a guy as I think I am. I find sharing anything else (e.g., my lunch, clothes, money, etc.) so much less annoying than sharing that running space next to me.

The other day, I’m going at it. I have my pace set at a nice and easy 7 mph. Two-minutes into my run, this lady hops onto the machine next to me. She’s decked out in all the right running gear - sports bra, shoes, towel, iPod, Fiji water bottle.

Beep…beep...beep, beep, beep, beep…

I get super conscious of listening to her upping her running speed. Maybe it’s all in my mind, but I feel that this woman is intentionally getting on my nerves. In my head, she is being hyper-competitive. And I think that she’s NOT going to stop running until I stop running. Arrrgh! It’s a race to see who quits first!

Crazy?

Maybe. But this is a sad yet true story. I call this my treadmill moment.

The treadmill wasn’t made to be a group activity. It’s a solo, one-person thing. Like a mirror, it’s meant for me to focus on me and me alone. But somehow, I manage to get all self-conscious and mess that up. It’s my treadmill moment.

I suspect I’m not the only one who has these treadmill moments.

Just now, I had another treadmill moment - but this time on a plane. I’m en route from Seoul to Chicago, enjoying my little nap between movies (endless plethora of films!), when the lady next to me busts out her computer and begins typing away at what seems to be a huge dissertation paper.

Suddenly, I get super conscious. And I can’t help but feel like a lazy-bum.

So I respond by doing what any rational person would do when he feels a cloud of guilt gloom over his head. I unbuckle my belt, stand up, open the overhead bin, take out my computer, and start writing this post.

I know…I know. “If someone jumps off the cliff, will you?” I can already hear the nagging voices.

But humor me a little and try to have some empathy. Have you ever had a treadmill moment when it comes to studying, let’s say, for the LSAT?

Many of my students have treadmill moments with the LSAT. Some become visibly red and irritated. 

But you see how ridiculous my treadmill moments are? If so, then you must also see the absurdness of being hyper competitive with or super conscious of others when studying for the LSAT.

The LSAT is a solo practice. So it's a complete waste of time to worry about others. It’s akin to me worrying about who is running on the treadmill next to mine. In actuality the only thing that matters is my own performance, and how I’m doing against myself (e.g., am I improving and doing better than I did before?).

I’ve said this over and over that doing well on the LSAT requires so much more than book smarts. Call it mental fortitude or strong character or whatever, but doing well on the LSAT definitely requires the ability to ignore others and focus on yourself. Folks who do well on the LSAT know this.

Think about your biggest mental LSAT distraction. It doesn’t have to be 100% identical to my treadmill moment.

Cognitively recognizing that you have a distraction (be it mouse sized or elephant sized) and figuring out a helpful way to deal with it, will be way more effective in boosting your LSAT score than logging in hours and hours to solving LSAT problem sets.

I just want you to think about it. How can I outdo my distraction(s)?

Think about it. If you want to share, email me. I’ll keep it all private between you and me. And if we’re lucky, I may even be able to help you devise a strategic solution to squashing your distraction(s).

Thanks for reading, and here’s to a better LSAT score!