Monday, August 9, 2010

Uncommon Common Sense

Every one can remember a time when they were succesful and achieved something important to them. All of us have moments of joy or contentment when we feel a sense of accomplishment. At other times, we wonder why things just didn't happen as we envisioned. How we perform in school or in our career can be viewed in the same way. When I think back to moments of success in my life, I realize that there are some real actions that can impact my success. It is these uncommon common sense ideas that I want to share today. In order to be a success in school (or life), it is important that you:

1. Show Up - You cannot learn or be successful at anything unless you show up at school or at your job. You can be the smartest person around but being smart without knowledge will not get you far. I cannot stress enough the importance of showing up every day. If you practice showing up, it becomes a habit - one that will benefit you greatly throughout life. Who wants to hire or rely upon someone who is not dependable. People who are successful in life do not get that way from sleeping in or skipping work to go to the lake for the day.

2. Play to Win - Whatever you do, don't settle for anything less than your best effort. Your time and effort is too valuable for you to waste it if you are not going to do your best. Too often people drift through life and just "settle" for the least they can do and get by. Yes, you may get by but where will that lead you - to a life of always just settling for less. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

3. Learn from Failure - This is the best advice I have ever received. I once heard an olympic athlete speak who said that he learned to be the best by analzying his mistakes and readjusting. Failure is a learning tool. If you score low on an exam, ask yourself why and then start learning what you need to know so that you can pass. Don't allow failure to become your mantra for life. View failure not as a stopping point but as a new beginning. People who cannot rebound from failure are saddled with a burden that will negatively impact their lives. Everyone has failed and those who become successful learn to channel the failure so that they learn from their mistakes and choose to go another direction where they can succeed.

4. Luck is not Enough - While I believe in luck, I also believe that those who are prepared when opportunity knocks are the "luckiest" people I know. Luck alone cannot get you through life. There are only a miniscule number of lottery winners so the best option is to make sure you have positioned yourself in the right place with the right knowledge in hand when luck shows up. Also, in case luck doesn't show up, I find that persistence will support you even more than luck.

About Me

Dr. Rita Cook, Superintendent of Middlesboro Independent School District, has over 35 years of experience in education. She has taught all grade levels and been an administrator for the last 22 years.