(no subject)
Selling yourself short.
Not everyone gets encouragement in life. In fact, some people are vastly underestimated. The problem is that sometimes the negativity and inability of others to recognize potential becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and people with incredible talent never get off the launch pad of life.
I have a relative back home who I think fits this description.
I've never heard anyone say anything about his future that was uplifting, but most of his critics have never been outside of their home state. They haven't seen enough people to know that he's actually very smart.
So what does it mean to sell yourself short?
Well, in the stock market you "short" a stock when you're certain it is going to go down and be worth less in the future. Similarly, when we believe the narrow views of those around us we often "short" our own future. We accept their assessment that we're mediocre and that nothing will ever come of our lives.
That doesn't mean a person has to be the President of the United States. Often it's simply leaving town and going to college. That's a big step in parts of America where generations don't have college degrees. On the internet the subgroup with degrees is much higher than the norm; most people do not have a college education.
The tragedy is when those bright minds decide to repeat the cycle.
The same person I am thinking about has an older brother who was also very smart. In fact, he was my equal in just about everything. I can still remember his smile when he would report his favorable grades.
All of that ended in 8th grade when he quit school.
There were some extenuating circumstances which included the death of his father. And he was too young to guide his own life at that point. But the net result was that he never graduated and went from being a rising star to a casualty of life. He's still young enough to change course so the final chapter has not been written but the tale of his life has been a very tragic one.
So what does this have to do with you?
I want to encourage everyone who hasn't heard "you're smart enough" or "you can do it" to recognize that there are a lot of paths to the top of a mountain. And although you may not be a math or science wizard it doesn't mean you're not capable of mastering those subjects well enough to reach your goals.
The future is a technological one. And your ability to acquire the skills to deal with robots, an ever evolving internet, and new fangled gadgets that have yet to be developed will be determined by your willingness to learn and take on new challenges.
The alternative is to settle for second best and repeat the cycle.
-Mystery Cookie
Nothing in the world can take
the place of persistence.
Talent will not. Genius will not.
Education will not.
Persistence and determination
alone are omnipotent.
- Calvin Coolidge
Not everyone gets encouragement in life. In fact, some people are vastly underestimated. The problem is that sometimes the negativity and inability of others to recognize potential becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and people with incredible talent never get off the launch pad of life.
I have a relative back home who I think fits this description.
I've never heard anyone say anything about his future that was uplifting, but most of his critics have never been outside of their home state. They haven't seen enough people to know that he's actually very smart.
So what does it mean to sell yourself short?
Well, in the stock market you "short" a stock when you're certain it is going to go down and be worth less in the future. Similarly, when we believe the narrow views of those around us we often "short" our own future. We accept their assessment that we're mediocre and that nothing will ever come of our lives.
That doesn't mean a person has to be the President of the United States. Often it's simply leaving town and going to college. That's a big step in parts of America where generations don't have college degrees. On the internet the subgroup with degrees is much higher than the norm; most people do not have a college education.
The tragedy is when those bright minds decide to repeat the cycle.
The same person I am thinking about has an older brother who was also very smart. In fact, he was my equal in just about everything. I can still remember his smile when he would report his favorable grades.
All of that ended in 8th grade when he quit school.
There were some extenuating circumstances which included the death of his father. And he was too young to guide his own life at that point. But the net result was that he never graduated and went from being a rising star to a casualty of life. He's still young enough to change course so the final chapter has not been written but the tale of his life has been a very tragic one.
So what does this have to do with you?
I want to encourage everyone who hasn't heard "you're smart enough" or "you can do it" to recognize that there are a lot of paths to the top of a mountain. And although you may not be a math or science wizard it doesn't mean you're not capable of mastering those subjects well enough to reach your goals.
The future is a technological one. And your ability to acquire the skills to deal with robots, an ever evolving internet, and new fangled gadgets that have yet to be developed will be determined by your willingness to learn and take on new challenges.
The alternative is to settle for second best and repeat the cycle.
-Mystery Cookie
Nothing in the world can take
the place of persistence.
Talent will not. Genius will not.
Education will not.
Persistence and determination
alone are omnipotent.
- Calvin Coolidge