Everyone comes into the world knowing no wrong, but as babies, the mind soaks up information like a sponge. As we grow older, we pull from these thoughts and experiences and we have what is called applied knowledge. For some, this may be getting burned on the stove after hearing your mother tell you to stay away several times. for others, this may be something as harsh as spending time in YDC. Whatever the nature of the lesson, smart people continue to learn from the good and the bad that happens within their life.
To me, this is the most rewarding gift, the ability to make our own choices and decide for ourselves what an ideal life is and what steps we are willing or not willing to take to get there. What we have is a reflection of what we give. If you have a bad name, you have given the world that impression. If you have riches, then you can be sure someone has given that necessary time. The dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately. You have to make the choice to do what is right for you and that only happens when you are sure of who you are.
I was reading a book called, “The Ideal Team Player” by Patrick Lencioni. This book brought me to a very interesting question. How do we recognize someone as a leader? How do we know someone is a friend? I’ve learned that people can talk all day about how crappy someone else is something, but many people fail to judge themselves to the same degree. Much like children, we learned best based on what we see. How we act when we are out in public or how we treat others will influence how the world will see us.
Every day when we go out, we rep our brand. From a collegiate standpoint, look at it like this. You wear your education every time you step outside of your school and you tell someone about your educational institution. They judge the school based on their interaction with you. Another example is if your family has a reputation in the community, then you are a reflection of the household name. We create our brand every day whether we want to or not. The perks of knowing who you are are that you never have to get caught up in what other people have to say about you. No one can offend you, and those who try have no credibility behind their opinion in regards to you.
When you get in front of who you are, life begins to loosen its grip and become more simple. Continue to learn and teach others who are going where you have been. Find out who you are and build a community of like-minded thinkers
The “R” Word 