Expectations

For the most part, parents and teachers have expectations of you. They want you to get good grades, go to college and be a happy adult. But what counts more than that are your expectations of yourself.

Alexander Pope once said, "Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed."

Well you might not have heard of Alexander Pope but I'm betting that you've heard of His Airness, Michael Jordan. Ironically, Michael was cut from his high school varsity basketball team in his sophomore year because the coach thought he was underdeveloped. From that incident, Michael realized that, "If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome."

Maybe you're one of those students who is gifted but you've been labeled an underachiever because you're not getting A's and B's. You could easily pull A's and B's but you choose not to. You have other interests or you just want to cruise through school and get the Hell out as quick as you can! You're bored. You just want people to leave you alone and let you do your own thing.

Or, you might be the kind of student who struggles just to get a "C". Chances are that school is not your idea of pure, unadulterated fun. But you know you need an education to get a good job. People's expectations of you aren't high. They say you'll be lucky just to graduate. A person who takes charge of their life will want to prove those people wrong. However, if you lack self esteem and self confidence, you'll most likely prove them right.

More than what anyone else thinks or expects of you, is what YOU expect of yourself. You can never set the bar too high for yourself. "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it" (Michelangelo). But it helps if you have a roadmap to get there.

More on the roadmap......................

Beginning the Journey

Going through high school is tough. You have to figure out who you are. You're treated as a kid but expected to act like an adult. High school is a major transition from childhood to adulthood. You go through 4 years of Math, Science, English and whatever else is needed to graduate. Too many students leave high school without the occupational or life skills to succeed in the adult work world. And here's an interesting little fact. Nearly 70% of high school students will never even go to college or, if they do go, they never finish and get their degree. 70%! So if you're sitting around with 9 of your friends, take a good look at them. Can you guess who the 3 are that will actually finish college?

And let's be perfectly honest. When you're a teenager, the last thing on your mind is what kind of career you're going to have. How can you have a 1 Year Plan or a 5 Year Plan, when you can't even plan for the next week?! Are you really able to get your head around the fact that, after you graduate from high school, you'll be responsible for most of these bills:

- Rent
- Electricity
- Garbage
- Water
- Food
- Car payment
- Car maintencance
- Clothing
- Internet access
- Satellite or Cable service

A job at Burger King or your local gas station isn’t going to allow you to be independent. Having a high school diploma is a good thing. But it should only be a part of your plan. In future blogs, I hope I can give you some helpful pointers in taking charge of your life and having a clear path to a successful career.