To begin this presentation, I’m going to show you two sides of a coin that will reliably predict your future. Fair warning: It’s not going to be pretty, but you’ll enter the next phase of your life a lot better prepared for what’s coming.
So here goes … The first side of the coin – and this may come as a shock to you – is that you’re going to fail! Why?
Everything you deserve is going to take everything you’ve got
And you’re not going to give it!
Now the reason for this failing is not entirely your fault. You’ve gleaned and been given some mistaken and woefully incomplete information from which you’ve derived unfounded assumptions and unrealistic expectations. First of all, your parents told you you were “Special”. You’re not. You’re one of 7 billion people living on the earth in 2015, and it takes something unusual beyond 3.5 billion (average) to count as “Special”.
“You are not special. None of you is special. You are not exceptional.’ He depicted the graduating students as ‘pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble wrapped… nudged, cajoled … feted and fawned over and called sweetie pie.”
McCullough said statistics were stacking up against the graduating class, pointed out that life in the future wasn’t going to revolve around their every whim, and noted that half the class would eventually be divorced and most would fail more than they would win.” Other words of wisdom he shared:
- “We love accolades more than achievement.”
- “If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless.”
- “Life isn’t fair. Learn to deal with failure and you’ll go farther.”
Peter Thompson estimates that approximately 1 in 20 persons can be considered “Special” in the sense of being capable of making a major difference in moving the world forward. [TGI Monday, May 4, 2015 // One in Twenty blog 15]
Second, as implied by McCollough, you’ve been living in a cocoon sheltered from life’s HARD TRUTHS. But HARD TRUTHS are nonetheless real and you will progressively encounter them ALL with time.
Third, the mainstream marketplace is rampant with rumors and myths that aren’t true … like “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff!”.
Fourth, your school system said you were making acceptable progress with “C” and “D” grades, and they kept advancing you to the next grade. However, “C” and “D” grades in job performance will buy you a ticket to nowhere.
Finally, your early development occurred largely in the absence of extraordinary effort: You learned to walk and talk as “games” to play and you grew and “matured” physiologically while merely eating junk food. Once you became something physically resembling an “adult”, got your driver’s license and high school diploma, you decided the struggle – such as it wasn’t, really – was over, when, in fact, your mainstream life had not yet begun!
Life is a lot more complicated and demands a lot more of us than is superficially evident.
In his TED Talk (Nov. 2011), Larry Smith lays out ten reasons “Why You Will Fail to Have A Great Career” He opens his talk by, first, underscoring the canonical concept that Great Success is primarily based on doggedly following one’s PASSION:
[https://www.ted.com/talks/larry_smith_why_you_will_fail_to_have_a_great_career]
The “reasons” you will fail, which he adamantly refers to as “excuses”, include the following:
- Many of those who actually – finally – “find their passion” don’t actually DO anything about it … they merely like “having” it and admiring it;
- – 10 [Check out the rest of Smith’s talk via the YouTube link]
Now here’s the good news! The second side of the coin predicting your future says that your SUCCESS – in selected areas – IS GUARANTEED! How so? It stands to more than reason that you will become successful at whatever you spend the most time and effort. This may include:
- Eating junk food
- Playing video games
- Watching sports
- Manipulating the SMART PHONE
- Surfing the WEB
- Or … Doing absolutely nothing
Unfortunately, none of the expertise in these areas will put bread on the table, a roof over your head or a retirement income in your bank account. So, let’s get REAL!
The first objective is finding your PASSION. This is the most important, but, perhaps, most difficult first step in “Becoming”. But it will provide the “Wind in your sails” for the duration and will help you – DRIVE you – to overcome otherwise unscalable and impenetrable barriers. [Reference Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture”]
Then we can begin building your portfolio of Life Mastery Skills and laying down pavers on the yellow brick road to your Destiny.
