Listening to 21 Pilots the other day, I thought of a blog idea based on their song Lane Boy.

A lot of us tend to get into a lane – or rut if you like. Not only do we get into one, but we seem to like staying there forever! To some extent, this is understandable. It is comforting to stick with what you know.

The problem is that if you always do that, you never get to know what you don’t know.

You need to escape your lane to experience things outside of your comfort zone. It is important to challenge yourself and to try to expand your horizons.

You can try new courses, but not only that.

Within your current studies, try using a different note-taking method, particularly if the one you are using isn’t working the best for you.

Try a new reading method.

Look at a couple of unfamiliar study techniques that you have never tried before.

When doing mathematics, see if there are alternative avenues to the solution. Some methods work better than others for different students. Once you have found a “lane” that works for you, it will easy to work out the one your teacher prefers if you need to show your work.

The point is that we don’t need to be stuck with the same routines and the same methodology that we have had for years. We can’t always blame others either because we often tend to do this to ourselves or at least allow it to reign.

Don’t let others keep you in your lane either!

This happens a lot. The song is, in part, about the music industry or popularity’s expectations. You should not let some label (ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, and so on) keep you from success.

Do not let someone’s comment hold you back. The fact that a grade three teacher said you will never be able to write means nothing if you are determined and commit yourself.

The criticism that you don’t have a math brain and will never be able to succeed in a math-based job is not a fact.

The low estimations of others should not be your own.

Prove them wrong!

When you think about someone or something keeping you in your lane, you might be thinking to yourself, “But isn’t school doing that to me?”

Absolutely, school tends to be a bit regimental, and some teachers are as well, but that is not your education. The school is only one tool that will help you attain your goals. Learn to cope with some degree of control but then incorporate lots of other tools as well, including accessing the excellent teachers out there.

Remember, I always say that you don’t have to throw everything out the window. You do need some structure – even within your own study choices, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with alternative methods.  

The idea is that you need to get out of your lane sometimes.

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