8 Things You’ll Need to Study If You Want to Experience a Successful Life
Traditional schooling doesn’t prepare you for real-life.
Real-life learning comes after school, not in it. You’ll never be done learning, growing, and evolving, ever! This is good news because now you can go ahead and remove all those blocks and limitations that you’ve put on yourself and have allowed others to put on you as well.
It’s fascinating to me how many people don’t open up another book, take more classes or courses, or invest in advanced skill development after graduating college.
Traditional schooling is just that, a tradition. It’s not something that prepares most people for real life, such as adversity, failure, how to manage your emotions, money, or building valuable relationships. Oh, no, no. Not one bit.
After graduation, being in the real world is where the true classroom resides and where you get to show what you’re truly made of. It’s also where you’ll need to use your brain the most. So, hopefully, your mindset is on the up and up with creativity, problem-solving, and believing in yourself.
Let’s get into the 8 subjects that are the most important for you to always be learning if you want to experience a fulfilling and successful life.
“Don’t let schooling get in the way of your education.”
~ Mark Twain
Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is “a feeling of trust in one’s abilities, qualities, and judgment.” Without it, we end up giving a lot of our power away to outside circumstances and to people we shouldn’t. Which then ultimately can lead you to feeling like a victim. And I know you don’t want that.
You build your self-confidence by getting outside of your comfort zone a little each day, pushing yourself farther than the day before. For example, this week, at the gym, try out a new piece of equipment there — enough of the cardio machines. Get your butt in the free-weight room tomorrow. Risk looking stupid if that’s what it takes.
Because you stretched yourself outside of your normal gym routine by trying out and learning new equipment in the free-weight area, your confidence marker has now gone from a three to a five like that, and you now feel like a bad-ass. And all it took was just a five-second decision of saying to yourself, “Okay, yeah, I’m going to try this new equipment over here today.”
Making small out of your comfort zone decisions like this gym example each day in different areas of your life is the recipe for creating unshakable self-confidence day in and day out.
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness means having “conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.” Does this sound like you? Do you feel like you’re living consciously? Or are you on auto-pilot and letting your “subconscious” run the show?
Too many people are letting their past dictate their present and future. It doesn’t have to be this way. At any time, you can choose to pick up a book, get a therapist, or invest in hiring a life coach to help you learn how to heal and overcome your past childhood and relationship trauma.
If you don’t learn how to heal and overcome past negative life experiences, you’ll continue to carry that baggage with you everywhere you go; personally, romantically, and professionally. And this is what will continue to keep you held back in life regardless of your college education.
You must become self-aware of your thoughts, beliefs, and subconscious programming to understand why you do or don’t do certain things. Once you’re crystal clear on that, you need to learn how to consciously reprogram your mind if you want to start applying all of that amazing valuable education that you or your parents spent thousands on.
Self-awareness is king. Don’t forget that.
Resistance
Resistance means “ the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with.” Okay, so every time you don’t like something or someone, are you just going to keep on quitting and giving up? How’s this behavior going to help you get to where you want to go in life?
I don’t like wearing a face mask every where I go these days, but I know I have to if I’m to get my shopping and errands accomplished. I don’t like flossing every evening because it’s one extra thing to do in the bathroom before bed, however, I want to have teeth when I’m older. I’m not a big fan of learning new technology and marketing stuff all the time, but I have to learn it and embrace if I’m to do the work that I love every day.
Are you getting the point?
Not everything we do in life will feel easy and pleasant, and it’s not suppose to. That’s not how you build confidence, strength and character. Leaning into your resistance is how you become the best version of yourself each day, and it’s how you design an incredible life.
Perseverance
Perseverance is having “persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.” This is where most people fail. You can have tons of book smart experience from attending a high-end university, but if you lack persistence in going after your goals and dreams, you’ll fall short every single time.
I’ve had sales careers my entire life; telemarketing, mortgage banking, life insurance, and life coaching. One of the things I learned early on in my professional life is that there is no escaping “rejection” or getting told “No” over and over and over again.
In the beginning, rejection and being told “No” repeatedly can affect your sense of self-worth. However, if you stick with it, don’t quit, and keep an open mind, you’ll soon learn that experiencing tons of “rejection” is actually a good thing. It’s a good way to learn how not to take things personally, build thick-skin, understand human behavior, and learn the core ingredient for success, perseverance.
Traditional schooling doesn’t teach you how to overcome rejection and about persevering. The real-world does. Whenever you feel defeated, know that it’s part of life and only temporary; that’s if you don’t quit, of course.
So, don’t quit! Get up, dust yourself off, and get back at it. You got this.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability means “the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.” The willingness to be vulnerable is powerful. It’s powerful because it’s you expressing your truth. When you express your truth, more of the world can relate to you. And when the world can relate to you, you become a highly valuable individual.
Many people are hiding, pretending, and suffering inside because they’re afraid of not being liked and approved of by others and society. If you can be a person who speaks his or her truth and lives authentically, you become trustworthy, inspiring, and one heck of an example.
The world needs more examples of humanness — not machine-like, cold-stone, straight face super-hero wannabes. People want to connect and do business with other real people. Put the façade down and start showing up like a real human who’s been through some shit.
You’re not perfect, and that’s good because most people can’t relate to perfection. But, they can relate to imperfection and vulnerability.
Health
Health is “the state of being free from illness or injury.” Of course, you already know how important it is to take care of your body. Why is it that so many people are over-weight, take medications daily, and overuse alcohol? My guess is that they weren’t taught the importance of treating their bodies like it’s the only one they get in this lifetime.
Growing up, we may learn about the food pyramid and nutrition in school; however, children don’t apply what they learn as much as they do the example that’s being given by Mom and Dad and their peers. In college, same thing, we follow the majority of examples given on campus, which is a lot of partying, lack of quality sleep, and tons of junk food eating. These behaviors then become habits, and oh god, do these habits lead to rocky health status.
Here’s my point: traditional schooling doesn’t always prepare you for real-life success. Many times, it can hinder you from it due to a pattern of unhealthy habitual behavior.
If you’re committed though, you can get the help and support you need to transform your health habits with a health expert in the real world who actually practice and live every day what they preach.
Relationships
Relationship means “the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected.” When we lack cultivating healthy and mutually beneficial relationships with others personally and professionally, life is hard, man.
I know a lot of beautiful friendships and partnerships are made during traditional schooling years, and I love hearing about these stories. That’s something I feel I missed out on, so maybe I’m a little jealous or envious.
And I also know that financially lucrative relationships are made in the real world. If it weren’t for me starting out with my first job as a telemarketer at 19 years old, I don’t think I’d be where I am today professionally. No way could I have learned the valuable skills of quality communication, marketing, and sales that I’ve built over the last 15 years in a textbook behind the desk of a classroom. Absolutely not!
Real success and professional relationships are built outside of the classroom. I’m grateful for learning and experiencing this early on.
Money
Money is “you already know.” There are many different ways people define success. For me, success means fulfillment and impact in what I do every day. Part of that fulfillment is having money for my basic needs, enough in savings for peace of mind, and plenty more to experience life on my terms. The more my fulfillment thermometer is met, the better I’m able to make an impact.
You earn great money by bringing massive value to others; an employer, client, investor, etc. The value specific people want isn’t of the traditional kind in most cases. Specific people or companies that pay premium prices want unique, specialized experience to help with their problems or needs.
Most unique, specialized experience isn’t taught in a traditional setting; it’s learned in the real world through trial and error.
If you want to earn a great living, you must be willing to learn, learn, and learn some more. Developing new skills and refining them is an ongoing process. You’re always a student of life. It doesn’t end after graduation.
These are just eight subjects out of many that you’ll always need to be studying and implementing if you’re to experience real success. I wish they were taught in school growing up, but hey, let’s not complain about that now.
Instead, let’s go ahead and take personal responsibility for our success in life moving forward. And please keep in mind that “knowledge” isn’t enough to create success. You must apply consistently what you know to achieve the results and outcomes you desire.
Perseverance will be vital.
