An acquaintance of mine once lamented that she was utterly frustrated with her lack of progress toward her dreams, given her age. According to her outlook, if you hadn't made it by then, you weren't anywhere near as likely to do so afterwards. A very late bloomer indeed, she ranted, and going to seed before the blush was off the rose, to boot. Ouch. Fortunately, I didn't believe a word of it and now she is happily off proving herself wrong in many ways - but I digress.
Far too many of us try too hard to jump right out of childhood and into long-term success before we've even figured out what we want. Sure, there are plenty of people doing it all around us - 20-something MBAs, 30-something CEOs and 40-something retirees. But what we fail to realize is that all the stuff we do until we move onto our dreams is hardly wasted effort, and all the stuff that these preternaturally speedy "reference points" skip over may well hurt them in the end.
Perhaps a little exercise in imagination will make clearer what I'm saying. If you had a child in college who was no less brilliant, no less studious and no less wise than any other, would you - in their first year at university - encourage them to take the advanced classes immediately, wringing your hands and bemoaning the fact that even though they've been attending a top-flight engineering school for 6 months already, they aren't anywhere near being a top-flight engineer?
Of course not! It would be ridiculous. A sound course of study is to spend the first few years taking basic, core curriculum classes that provide the foundation for the advance studies yet to come, and to use that basic-ed time to ensure that they are on the right major track while they still have time to switch - because, after all, the core curriculum is a required part of all degrees and nearly all such classes are entirely transferable to any major course of study.
Well, the same thing is true in life, but too few of us see that clearly or well. Just as too many students trip and stumble through expensive and exhausting majors as if the wolves of hell were nipping at their heels, only to find themselves suddenly shaking hands with the Dean and holding a degree that they can't even bring themselves to look at (not to mention the student loan bills that hit the mailbox the month after), lots of folks jump right into to what they've "always wanted to do" in life without even pausing to learn the basics skills necessary to live, love, survive and (most important) figure out for sure what they want to do in life. If you watch carefully, you'll see many of those eager-beaver corporate prodigies, early adopters and always-on-the-ball whiz kids sporting increasingly haunting shadows in the backs of their eyes as they begin to realize that maybe they jumped into things a little too hastily, that "on the ball" isn't exactly a stable place to be and that now they're stuck with responsibilities, expectations and "sunk costs" that are just too weighty to get out from under with any grace or dignity.
Sometimes it's good to be a late bloomer, seeds and all. After all, whatever we learn in the core curriculum of life will apply to nearly anything we choose to do with it later. Saving the advanced courses in life - the following of dreams, the searching for inner peace, the quest for the perfect mate - until after we learn how to balance our checkbook, love ourselves, think and act with honesty and integrity, and cook a decent meal - is not just a wise decision. It is absolutely, fundamentally the only way we stand a chance of getting it right when it counts.
(c) Soni Pitts
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of sonipitts.com. She specializes in helping others reclaim "soul proprietorship" in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.
She is the author of the free e-book "50 Ways To Reach Your Goals" and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.
housekeepers near Buffalo Grove ..There are two things that will determine your success or... Read More
* Perfectionism is a time waster.Strive for excellence on important... Read More
Have you ever heard of the "secrets of success"? Many... Read More
Personal missions statements (PMS) are just nothing but the winning... Read More
The fastest way to succeeding in anything, be it online... Read More
IF and WHEN were friends. Every week they met and... Read More
The 90/10 secret is incredible! Very few know and apply... Read More
Success is a journey and along the way we need... Read More
The need to be successful. This is the bottom line... Read More
There is a difference but what constitutes a life... Read More
So you want to expand your horizons by securing a... Read More
In my work with clients, the issue of perspectives comes... Read More
Why everything has to be so hard? What have I... Read More
When you are in business every person you hire gets... Read More
If we hope to achieve any worthwhile goal it will... Read More
People often ask me, "Josh, if you had one bit... Read More
Is it possible to get rich quick using the power... Read More
I see it happen all too often on the internet... Read More
Congratulations! You are the president of your own nation, and... Read More
Along with time and money, energy is one of your... Read More
Decide which game to play. Is winning that... Read More
Successful people do not achieve success on their own, they... Read More
Pops first set the goal in high school, but when... Read More
What do you need to do to be successful? If... Read More
Any person who goes through life without experiencing failure is... Read More
custom home cleaning Mundelein ..One way to become more successful in your life is... Read More
So you want to be successful (whatever that means to... Read More
Not only do we communicate with ourselves, but our cells... Read More
Freedom is the deeper meaning, the foundation behind all of... Read More
Something For You To Consider?How To Create What You Want... Read More
According to Bill Gates there are 3 keys to success... Read More
In the book, The SHOCKwealth System?, it is discussed that... Read More
We must never allow a day to pass without finding... Read More
You've tried and failed. You've watched others fall. You're wiped... Read More
The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheck. The... Read More
Challenges posed by recent economic and market shifts, though predicted... Read More
Many of us have lost sight of what we really... Read More
The First step to success is to think and decide... Read More
Have you ever wondered if there was a way to... Read More
I call the following seven belief lies of success, taking... Read More
No one wants to fail. But when in business you... Read More
Few books have impacted my perspective on human psychologically and... Read More
The need to be successful. This is the bottom line... Read More
Lets face it, no one enjoys rejection. But the reality... Read More
Recently, I coached a young woman whom I'll call Mary... Read More
We live in the information age, dominated by the development... Read More
The entrepreneur game is filled with an amazing variety of... Read More
The 90/10 secret is incredible! Very few know and apply... Read More
Becoming successful requires a lifestyle change. It requires that you... Read More
Reading is an integral part of our daily work lives.... Read More
Success |