What I REALLY Learned in College Part 2

2) What I learned in 4 years of college impacted me more than words could ever describe…but here goes… - I’ll start out with the most basic thing that anyone who has attended ANY SCHOOL can relate to…CLASS!! What I found with many of the classes I took WASN’T that most of the things that were taught weren’t “learnable,” but the issue was that they didn’t appear “practical” to me…as a result, many of the things I was taught didn’t exactly make a lasting impact. However, the MINDSET that I needed to develop in order to pass each class was VERY similar to the mindset I currently have. And due to the expense of college and at the time, honestly thinking that my purpose to attending college was to simply pass classes and graduate, that mindset was…FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. AKA “It’s a life or death situation!!” At least, you have to TREAT IT THAT WAY!! With classes, I realized that you need to FORCE YOURSELF to start things and get things done for YOURSELF…sure the teacher would give you assignments, but think about it…you didn’t HAVE to get it done or even go to class…it was COMPLETELY YOUR CHOICE!! If you don’t do an assignment or study for an exam, you will potentially fail the class, depending upon how often you did it or what the grading structure was. In other words, it is TOTALLY up to you how well you want to do in the class, AKA the amount of work you PUT INTO the class determines the grade you get. This correlates PERFECTLY with being an entrepreneur…the amount of dedication, passion and focused work you put in, will determine how well you perform (how many people you will lead and how much money you make). Essentially, class and entrepreneurship are life or death situations…if you fail to do the work you KNOW you need to get done by the set deadline, you WON’T be successful!! - A few part-time jobs that I had over the course of my college lifespan proved to me that I wasn’t cut out to work for a boss (I could get into this in more detail in a future blog post if you guys want me to…just let me know)…I determined that I NEEDED to be my own boss!! - Social skills that I developed through various social interactions and networking opportunities I had, from living with roommates each year to school clubs to parties…all were an INTEGRAL PART of shaping me into the person I am today and the person that I will continue to develop into. - Party skills :-) I learned how to have a good time “safely,” by testing out and exploring my alcohol limits, and once I figured those out, I was able to develop the ability to not give into peer pressure. I also learned more social skills, such as how to and how NOT to introduce yourself at a party, especially if you’re the party host (spilling beer on your guest to greet them doesn’t go over too well…) Oh, and I also realized how much I REALLY LOVE to dance, and how incredible the power of dancing can be. I don’t care what you say, there is NO WAY you can put all of your energy into dancing and NOT have a GREAT TIME!! I DARE YOU to start dancing with a group of people or by yourself to your favorite music and NOT smile or feel good inside!! Dance Party (DP), anyone?? ;-) How is dancing related to this, you might ask…when I feel like taking dance breaks when I’m working, I totally DO and it TOTALLY WORKS to rejuvenate me!! - Freedom!! College allowed me to see what it felt like to not have to deal with restrictions (curfew, who to hang out with, etc). I was able to truly live my own life and by my own rules…another AWESOME characteristic of entrepreneurship!! - Going thru relationship ups and downs. My experience with friendships and girlfriends DEFINITELY taught me some VERY valuable lessons that I will forever thank them for…if anyone that I’ve had the privilege of meeting in college (or even EVER for that matter…) is reading this, I owe you SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCHHHHHHHHHHHH gratitude for shaping me into who I am today. So from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU ALL!!!!!! :-) - Dabbling in poker. This gave me a HUGE taste of entrepreneurship, similar to classes, as my money and future was on the line with every move I made. It allowed me to really grasp the concept that I AM in COMPLETE CONTROL of how much money I make. Although there is some risk with playing, there’s really risks with every decision you make in your life, so to me, it was an awesome microcosm of life and being dependant. Like any other competitive game, it revolves much more around skill than “luck.” The quicker you allow yourself to forget about the risks involved, the quicker you’ll succeed in whatever you put your mind to. - Teaching myself and learning about personal development and other entrepreneurial concepts. I feel silly briefly touching upon this AND making this the last thing on this list, but I’m doing so because it wasn’t until the final year of college that I began teaching myself. I ABSOLUTELY have learned WAYYYY more teaching myself than through classes, so I am FOREVER GRATEFUL for all of my “teachers” (coaches, mentors, and motivators) and the innovators that have collectively provided to me the tools that allow me to make AND teach YOU how to make this journey in life a TRULY HAPPY one!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!! What’s the moral of the story?? Briefly stated, college was CERTAINLY NOT a “waste of my time,” despite not “using my degree” by entering the work force. As mentioned in the previous post, I do not believe that ANY time is a waste of your life, for that matter…but is instead something you should absolutely learn from!! As a result of this accumulated knowledge that I’ve gained through all of my college experiences, I’ve developed into the empowered person that I am today. “Living and learning” from your mistakes and experiences is truly the ONLY WAY to live your life. If you can’t learn from your mistakes, you’re going down a path that will truly leave you unhappy at the end of the day. If you are AT ALL upset with the way things in your life are going, I just want to reassure you that IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE!! Forget about how you USED TO be…start thinking about how you WANT TO BE…and then act accordingly!! As always, I’m totally here to support and help you guys if you’re struggling with ANYTHING, so DO NOT be afraid to ask me ANYTHING!! Comment away, or even Facebook or Twitter me!! ;-) Also, feel free to post a comment about what YOU have learned in college or gradeschool!!!!