What determines success? We used to think that success came from getting into the right school and getting great grades, all with hopes of setting yourself up for the “dream” job. Well, newsflash everyone, those days have changed. A college education no longer correlates to job security or success. It’s very easy to be laid off and replaced by the next younger crew, someone who’s willing to do the same job for less. There’s no guarantee anymore, with the changes in the job environment and the changes in our economy, a great job and a great college degree don’t have the same impact that they used to.
Certainly, I’m not going to discourage you from going to college, but that’s just step one. To really set yourself up for success, whether you have a college degree or not, remember that the most important thing that you can do is to become a student of life; to really become engrossed and obsessed with learning more about how to be a better you. Learn about integrity and loyalty and honesty and successful habits. It’s how you act when nobody is watching. It’s not taking the easy way out. At the end of the day, you do what’s right.
Leadership isn’t necessarily about charisma these days. There are some tremendously powerful leaders who don’t have much charisma…but they have loyalty, they have trust, and they have integrity. Not only that, they have character, they have opinions and beliefs, and they have a strong commitment to others.
As you send your kids off to school and you tell them to get straight A’s, remember that’s just one small piece of the puzzle. Help your kids understand that to have success, you’ve got to be a great student of life. Empower and motivate not only them, but also yourself, to take time everyday to be better. Whether it’s through audio programs you listen to while in the car or taking 20 minutes away from the television, and reading. As a society, we spend hours a day watching television. Why not take that time to challenge and grow as an individual and maybe understand how to be a better friend? Or how to be a better partner? Or understanding your obstacles and how to tackle them?
Become a student of life. Understand that working on yourself is the best way to improve your level of success in your career, in your relationships, in all areas of your life. We all have the opportunity to do so. You don’t have to pay for an expensive college education to improve your level of success. All you have to do is work on you because you can do anything. Anything someone else has done, you can do it and do it in your way. You just have to believe in yourself.
Leave a Reply