Are you working towards an ‘A’ in life?
The term ‘education’ has come to define the acquisition of certain knowledge through instruction. When we mention literacy, we are talking about an individual’s access to the formal system of education. Many consider the limited knowledge they receive – the forced development of the intellect as defined by a specific system – to be sufficient.
Today’s education promotes the assumption that more money is the secret ingredient to attaining everlasting happiness. Is formal education alone enough to help us realize our full potential? Apparently not, when one sees so many working for ‘happiness’ and still searching for that essential something that will make them feel more fulfilled.
The modern education system works to condition the intellect and prepare millions for the ‘real world’, spewing out students who think the same way about life and how to handle it. It does not teach the key concepts necessary for humans to realize their full potential.
Education is only a tiny part of learning in the school of life. By itself, it does not prepare you for life. At some point, we realize that our teachers and those around us do not know everything. Many start searching then and eventually look within to understand how they can better handle life. What does formal education not teach that we need to learn by ourselves?
Self-awareness. We are conditioned to believe that our education – proven by a certificate – is proof of our self-worth. We follow the same pattern all our lives by tying up our self-worth with external things. People can be well-educated but can still be – and are – defeated by the process of life because they lack self-awareness. Developing self-awareness begins by becoming comfortable with ourselves and learning to prioritize our needs. We can only help others if we understand what we need to be our best selves. The foundation for a good life is self-awareness because it keeps you dynamic, not stagnant. Free your mind from all the influences you have forced upon it for years. Let your mind be if you want to understand yourself better.
The unexamined life is not worth living. – Socrates
Being present. We love living in the past although we can never go there. We find it easy to worry about the future too. The reality is that we only have this moment to live. Being present in this moment is enough. This does not mean ignoring the future. You do need to plan for certain things. It just means that you understand that the future happens by focusing on the present. It does not happen by gazing at some distant spot in the future and forgetting to savor life now. Life happens in the Now, not in the past or future.
Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment. – Deepak Chopra
Financial literacy. Students are not tutored in a key area that needs planning: financial literacy. If you were lucky, your family talked to you about money, how to make it work for you, how to grow it, and why it needs to be used as a tool to enhance your life without allowing it to overwhelm you. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case for most. Indiscriminate spending, getting into debt, having no savings, or losing your money in unwise investments can significantly lower the quality of your life. It keeps you tied to situations or people that do not serve you, stunts your learning and leads to poor health. Financial literacy helps you own your life instead of allowing others to decide how you should or should not live.
More people should learn to tell their dollars where to go instead of asking them where they went. – Roger Babson
Time is more precious than money. You pay great attention to your money bank account while wasting the most precious resource you can ever have – time. Our time on this earth is limited. A minute gone cannot be retrieved. This is something education ignores perhaps because humans are inherently afraid of this fact. Understanding that you are mortal is a key step in developing self-awareness. Once this realization happens, you focus on the gift of life by doing things that matter to you. You know that you cannot afford to waste time waiting for the ‘right moment’ to make things happen.
The more you know yourself, the more you understand life, the more you value your time. – Maxime Lagacé
Education happens in a limited way for some years of our lives. Learning happens all the time, not just when a teacher is in the room or in a training session or at an event. Getting an ‘A’ in life starts the moment you recognize that life is your teacher and that you alone are accountable for your score.
