Everything worth learning is not taught in schools

My newly minted graduate

It’s the move-in week for many first-year college students heading to Universities and colleges across the country. As I send my own daughter to college, I am reflecting on what college and career lessons should I give her just before she leaves our nest.

If I had to summarize the recipe for success in college, workplace, and life, in general, it really boils down to the following three things-

1. Success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration- There is no substitute for hard work. Throughout my career, I worked with many extremely brilliant people but what differentiates highly successful people is their sheer hard work. Any problem worth working on is hard and persistence pays. Most inventors were successful because they didn’t give up the problem even after repeated failures. Don’t ever QUIT!
2. Failure doesn’t matter, Success does matter- No one will remember your failures but everyone will remember your success. The sooner you learn to fail gracefully and get back on your feet the better it is. As long as we learn from our failures and grow from those experiences, failure is a good thing. Failures teach you to be humble and pay attention to every detail. Don’t always play it safe, learn to take calculated smart risks in life.
3. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know- In today's world, your reputation travels faster than you can imagine. In a world of Linked-In and other social media platforms, it’s easier than ever to get feedback from your current and past employers, bosses, and peers. Make sure that those connections will speak highly of you and your work ethic behind closed doors.

It goes without saying that we all need to constantly keep learning and adapting to the fast pace of technological advancements. Good Luck Class of 2019 HS graduates. We can’t wait to see how you will change this world for better for all of us to enjoy!!