You were born as a natural explorer. Breaking stuff, crying, staring, blabbering, and imitating were just a few examples of what your brain – the most complex thing on earth – did to make sense of the world around you. Your brain at that time was like a brand new hard drive ready to be filled with data to make sense of your existence and form a view of the world. Indeed, today we understand the world we do because of our uniquely-wired brains.
Remember. When you were a kid. You thought ANYTHING was possible? You could be spider-man, superman, have a pet dinosaur, or [Your dream goes here]. No one could change that deeply rooted belief of yours – not even your own parents.
Shortly after, you started attending school. School started teaching and influencing your brain as to what is possible. It taught you that grades defined how smart you are and what you could potentially do. It taught you that your teachers are always smarter than you. Whether you were intrinsic or extrinsic, visual learner or auditory learner, interested in excelling school or changing the world – none of that mattered because now you were part of the “system”. The system that will prepare you to become an average employee and help the country maintain its economy. Peer pressure encouraged you to be status quo, follow the herd and don’t be weird. It is by no surprise that individuals like Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Larry Page rejected this view of the world enforced onto them at this particular time in their lives. “Observe the masses and do the opposite” – Walt Disney.
Upon graduation from post-secondary or high school education, you enter the world thinking that your grades defined what you could do. Grades put a dollar value on your potential income.
Finally, when you get a job you think that maybe experience will bring new opportunities. But as time goes on, especially in today’s sluggish economy, you start wondering if you will ever achieve anything BIG?
Days, months, and years pass by.
One day you read about someone who had the same idea as you – [Your dream goes here]. She made it into a company. She made it her life. She changed the industry. She changed the world and you are just sitting their thinking “Why Not me?”.
The answer is simple. We were all meant to shine as children’s, it is not in some of us it is in every single one of us. Once we let our own light shine and make our own view of the world – anything is possible. That is what Einstein, Newton, and countless other individuals did and they changed our lives, indeed.
“When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family life, have fun, save a little money.
That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is – everything around you that you call life, was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.
Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again” – Steve Jobs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvEiSa6_EPA
Further Food for Thought:
1) Blog Post – Reason Why You Won’t Be the Person You Expect to Be
2) 15-year old Kid finds a 3-cent cure to Cancer – “My 3-cents on Cancer – Jack Andra“
2 comments On Your View of the World
Great post Jay! I am guilty of adopting the paradigm that stellar grades entitle you to success and most lucrative job incomes largely due to the positive reinforcement offered in high school. Looking back, I realize how toxic this worldview is…
For me, I think its important to develop passions early on in life instead slaving away toward perfect GPAs. Mastering a particular craft (10 000 hr rule), whether it be an instrument, sports or even things like magic, makes it very easy to monetize your nurtured talent.
Once this opportunity is lost, there’s still hope. I think the next possibility is to investigate big problems and devise solutions to them through entrepreneurship.
Look forward to your next post!
Cheers,
Leo
http://laniceto.wordpress.com
Thanks for the feedback Leo. You couldn’t have said it better.
Indeed, one should be aware of the fact that the value of GPA is overvalued in our society. However, one should also make sure to not let such conversations serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy for not striving for good grades.
You just have to find a way to pave your own path and give your absolute best to follow it – instead of just following the path paved out by the society.
Will keep subscribed to your blog too! Hope you see you around in the near future!