James’ post on life experience vs. a professional degree got me to thinking. How would my life have turned out if I knew then what I know now?
I don’t think I fully understood the phrase “youth is wasted on the young” until a few years ago. I was horrible in school. I had poor study habits (so bad that my study habits were practically non-existent), I was overly sensitive to criticism, and I was introverted.
Looking back, I missed a lot of opportunities. At the same time, had I not made certain choices, I wouldn’t have ended up where I am now.
I do wonder how much further I could have gone in life had I applied myself better to learning. I often think schools should offer courses on time management to teens. Some schools include Business courses in their curriculums.
But when I was in high school, the closest class we had to Life Skills was Home Economics. Even then, that wasn’t the kind of class the guys enjoyed (it was a great place to meet girls). I never mastered the art of a household budget and had several battles with a sewing machine. Cooking was my real strength, and I actually entertained the idea of becoming a chef for a short while. Still, nothing helped with the real skills I needed once I hit college.
Recently, I made some major personal changes that have spread to every area of my life. Time management isn’t reserved for the keyboard alone. Budgets don’t only apply to the business. Freelancing is more than a job; it’s a lifestyle. The discipline involved is equal to the discipline I learned during the countless hours I spent on the dojo floor years ago.
If I knew then what I know now (and to answer Lodewijk van den Broek‘s interview question), I’d probably be as rich as Richard Branson and spend my time typing from the black sand beaches of
Aloha and mahalo!
