The Sunday News
One renowned writer once remarked that the future is here with us, but it is unevenly distributed!
Mainly so because some people (maybe you) think tomorrow is yet to come whereas tomorrow is with you everyday only that you call it today.
By this we mean when you choose a school to go to, the subjects you want to take and the extra-curriculum activities you want to partake in there, you are unknowingly choosing to become a champion or high achiever or someone who flows with the tide.
Aim to become a self-made person instead of ascribing or appendage to your success of someone. Use the career-oriented subject combinations approach.
Did you know that the best athletes’ success has nothing to do with sports? Essentially success is defined by your mindset, your underlying values as a person.
Do you challenge yourself? Do you set targets for yourself? Do you say to yourself, “I must read a novel per week.”
Their success is attributed to the following traits: humility, ability to seek feedback, start everyday at zero, have an insatiable desire for learning. Do you also have those attributes?
Be humble always
No matter your social, family or whatever background stay humble if you are to achieve success in your life. Being humble means being able to make critical, honest assessments of yourself and seek improvement. You must be able to see yourself truthfully when others are adoring you.
Seek feedback daily
Yes, you can have your own drum but avoid beating it to your own joy. Only people with unstable minds do that!
This explains why the teaching profession has been there since the beginning of times. Teachers have so many roles which they play iteratively as they interact with you as a learner in school.
It is therefore critical for you to engage them daily as you seek their feedback on your performance. Be ready to be criticised by your teachers.
There is nothing personal in their approach. After all high-profile sportspersons face constant critiques from their coaches and public, whether they like it or not. “Feedback is the breakfast of champions, and true champions eat breakfast,” said Yaeger, joking that the notion has become something of an office motto for him.
Start every day at zero
People, like products, have a life cycle. The cycle is punctuated with lessons to be learnt at every turn. Sports professionals have a schedule they follow everyday. You must have one as well.
You must read the books, work extra hours but keep working and get things done. You must have a mindset that resists celebrating yesterday’s achievements
Have an insatiable appetite for learning
To do so, you must be able to challenge yourself to learn new things daily. My English teacher taught me to write every new word I meet in my reading of anything done and look it up in the dictionary, including how it is used in a sentence. This approach allowed me to become inquisitive and seek answers. Today I read that professional sportspeople, “ . . . have questions, they don’t have answers. They know they need the ability to recognise the needs they have to be better every day.”
“Will you be more successful in business if you are humble, if you seek feedback, if you’re an insatiable learner? In the words of Joe Namath: ‘I guarantee it.’”
State Your Goals & Make Them Real
By stating your goals to others, they become a real target. Many people are scared to admit their goals and desires to their friends and family, in case they share disbelief about them.
Usain Bolt told everyone he’d be the best sprinter in the world, and he’s proved exactly that all in good time. Don’t be afraid to state your goals to the world.
In your mind this will make them physically real and motivate you much more to achieving them. “I told you all I was going to be #1, and I did just that.” — Usain Bolt It doesn’t matter where you start, aim to finish strong!
You can start poorly in terms of performance in class but with the right effort you could earn a doctorate or professorship. Just nurture the #mindsetofachampion
Dream big — says Richard Branson. “Dreaming is one of humanity’s greatest gifts; it champions aspiration, spurs innovation, leads to change, and propels the world forward,” says Branson, in a blog post published earlier this year.
“In a world without dreams there would be no art, no adventure, no moon landing, no female CEOs, and no civil rights. What a half-lived and tragic existence we would have.”
“The benefits of dreaming far outweigh the perceived risks, because the value of dreaming isn’t just measured by the outcome, but the inspiration that comes from the journey of achieving the dream.”
-This article is prepared and presented in the interest of providing free career guidance and counselling to all people who value education and training as a critical cornerstone to success in life. Trust Academy invites all people, with or without O-levels as well as degree holders who have a dilemma or are unsure of what career path to pursue to visit their offices on 3rd Floor, Haddon and Sly building, corner Fife street and 8th avenue for 2 FREE career guidance. Alternatively, write to: [email protected] or WhatsApp 0712212179 or 0773616665.
